SEASON 4 EPISODE 7
March 15th at 11 AM PT/ 7 PM CET

The ageing body and Yoga with Kimberly Dark

KIMBERLY´S CREDO

“Yoga is for the body you have today, not the one you had yesterday or last month or ten years ago.” Kimberly Dark

Yoga has become fashionable in Western culture, sometimes pulled totally out of the context in which it originated, it comes to look like other forms of exercise. This includes the pursuit of thinness, fashion and competition, rather than peace, unity and connection. Yoga culture has become a microcosm of Western advertising culture, in which youth and beauty are marketed to us as virtues. Ageing honestly is sometimes as challenging in yoga communities as it is the broader culture.

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The Aging Body And Yoga Kimberly Dark

TIME STAMPS: WHAT to find WHERE in the video

00:00 Intro to the show and our guest and how to view and comment.

03:55 Kimberly’s first remarks, “Which story would you like to hear, my yoga journey or my ageing journey?” How few women are pleased with their bodies and how that affected her. Some discussion.

07:00 People, mostly women, who come to her Yoga retreats. Heidi’s

History
08:45 How to change the culture? You practice! Kimberly explains

11:06 We compliment her voice and her photos!

12:11 Comments from viewers: What kind of Yoga does she doe and what part does exercise and meditation play in her Yoga? Ingar, Vinyasa methods, which she no longer does, favoring flow and stretching.
14:00 What is Yoga for? Many branches and lineages, going back to Patanjali, emphasizing calming the mind. Different approaches for men and women.

17:20 The ageing thing: what might be most appropriate for ageing beginners? Not everyone can do all postures, but everyone can do some postures. What one is capable changes with age and day by day, and of course from person to person.

22:45 How can Yoga help us come to accept “who” we are becoming? Yoga is a metaphor for whatever is happening in your mind. Some critique of modern “attainment” super athletic yoga. Part of the fitness craze. But sometimes it works despite ourselves.
29:25 Back to the story she wanted to tell about losing practices once you’ve worked hard to achieve one. And, yes, if you live long enough you WILL lose some practices. But that’s not a failure.

33:20 The value of practice, being neither precious nor reckless with our bodies. Heidi’s experience with Aikido at age 50. Children’s experience with Yoga. Also Kimberly’s own son.

39:40 How can we find you, Kimberly? On our her page on our website: thewisdomfactory.net/kimberly-dark. Based in Hawaii with two retreats annually but not with Yoga all day long. Plus some 25 classes weekly of “Yoga is for Every Body” regularly from the retreat center, the largest in Hawaii. Also on other continents! Heidi compliments with her experience teaching singing.

46:30 kimberlydark.com is a comprehensive site for her material, not just about Yoga. Thank you’s and good byes. A few compliments and our viewer is back after his meditation!

INTRO TO THE SHOW

Ideally, getting older means that we give up trying so hard to conform and and begin to listen to our bodies more. This is often facilitated by the occurrence of various aches and pains which draw attention to the body’s needs. Here Yoga cannot create miracles, but can be used to aid the transition from one life stage to the next, bringing us into the experience of our bodies, rather than just focusing on the appearance of our bodies. We can also continue to discover new abilities in the body, which can be exciting.

Yoga can be a way to learn to accept and love our bodies. It can also be a way to reinforce preexisting ideas about body hierarchy – that somehow slim, young, muscular bodies deserve love and acceptance above all others. We can become conscious of these biases though, and practice changing them – in our own lives, and ultimately in the broader culture as well.

ABOUT KIMBERLY DARK

Kimberly Dark is a writer, sociologist, storyteller and yoga teacher. She works to reveal the hidden architecture of everyday life one clever story, poem and performance at a time. She hosts two Yoga Is For Every Body retreats each year in Hawaii. She also coordinates the yoga program at Kalani, Hawaii’s largest retreat center where faculty continually work on welcoming all bodies and honoring a diversity of practice. Learn more about retreats and yoga classes . Learn more about Kimberly (www.kimberlydark.com)