By Lisa Betz-Marquez

Gen X Yoga Teacher

Remember when we thought we were invincible? The aches and pains are setting in, aren't they, fellow Gen Xers? Well, I found your antidote, and it might surprise you.

I'm an early Gen Xer, now 56, an original latchkey kid. I started yoga in my early 30s and enjoyed it, but didn't truly grasp its multifaceted benefits until a surprising question from my husband. He didn't really "get" yoga, or even like that I went.

Yet, one day he asked, "Are you going to yoga soon?"

"I hadn't thought of it, why?" I replied, genuinely surprised.

His answer stuck with me: "Because though I don't understand it, yoga seems to help you be calm and relaxed." He basically told me to 'take a chill pill,' in the nicest possible way! I checked the class schedule and flew out the door. How interesting he noticed a benefit I hadn't yet recognized myself.

Finding My Flow

Later, in graduate school in Detroit, I tried Pilates, which has its own merits, but I missed yoga. I found a group of 70-something ladies practicing in an old church. They welcomed me, and my respect for yoga deepened as I watched them move, breathe, laugh, and create community together.

Five years later, back in my hometown of Gering, Nebraska, yoga options were slim. My practice fizzled. Tried a few classes, but, whatever, life got in the way. Seven years after that, chained to a desk editing a weekly newspaper, I was sedentary, eating unhealthy food, and I felt my vitality declining. At 47, I realized: what I did now would determine my life for decades to come. The newspaper, a soul-draining burden, had to go. Its final edition printed in December 2016, and I felt free.

Becoming the Teacher

After closing the paper, we transformed our main street building into a yoga and healing space. When local teachers weren't interested, an acquaintance said, "Why don't you teach it?" My reply? "I'm 47!" Her retort: "So!" That same day, I signed up for a training in Fort Collins, Colorado. What else did I have going? For seven months, I drove 281 miles round trip to spend one long weekend a month training alongside 20-somethings and one other person about 15 years my senior.

In those challenging classes, I discovered how much I'd neglected my body's need for movement. Even my lungs felt out of shape. Halfway through some early classes, I'd feel like tapping out, but my younger classmates fueled me. I was determined not to be the "oldster" who couldn't finish, even though my lungs felt like I’d been yelling “I love Rock N Roll” until I nearly passed out.

What an incredible experience it was to learn alongside so many beautiful young women and men. Dude, there might be hope for humanity, even if manbuns are here to stay!

Why Yoga for Gen X?

Having now taught regular yoga classes for the past nine years, I want to speak directly to my fellow Gen Xers. We're all getting older, and our bodies are changing. We feel those differences in our joints and everyday movements. What I can tell you is that now is the time to begin your yoga practice.

I know what you're thinking: "Yoga? Me? I can barely touch my toes." Or "I don't have time for a class." Trust me, I've heard it all, and I've felt it too. We're the generation that invented the 'whatever' shrug, right?

It doesn't have to be "your thing." It's as fundamental as drinking enough water to hydrate your cells and organs for optimal health.

If you neglect it, you'll experience more pain, aches, reduced movement, and overall decline —getting worse every single year.

Forget the pretzel poses you see on Instagram. There's a style of yoga for every body, every age, and every fitness level. Even marathon runners, daily walkers, and weight trainers need yoga. It's not enough for complete health and fitness on its own because it's not a cardio workout. Instead, it's an all-over stretch, movement, breathing practice, internal organ massage, and lymphatic cleanse. Think of it less like an aerobics video from the 80s and more like a backstage pass to feeling good in your own skin.

Gen Xers, please believe me: if you don't begin to care for your body now, it will decline from lack of movement and attention.

Real-Life Results

For years as an instructor, I've taught people in their 60s, 70s, 80s, and even 90s. Yes, even in their 80s and 90s, people make significant strides and improve their everyday well-being.

One of my students in her 70s has Rheumatoid Arthritis. She attends every chance she gets because, as she says, "It makes me feel better." Kathy often tells me, "I wouldn't skip my medicine, so why would I skip yoga? Yoga is medicine." Her doctors in Colorado are impressed and agree that yoga helps a lot.

Don't just take my word for it. Chiropractors and physical therapists often recommend or incorporate movements from yoga to aid in healing and overall health. My oldest students routinely report that their doctors are impressed by their increased lung capacity and improved range of motion.

Are You Feeling It Yet?

Gen X, how do you feel when you get out of bed? How long does the soreness linger? Can you squat down to the floor to look at the bottom shelves of your kitchen and get back up unassisted?

When you hike or walk, do your feet feel strong and sure with each step, or is it more like a shuffle?

Earlier this morning, I saw a woman walking down the street. Last year, I'd often see she and her husband walking our country road. One day, I stopped and invited them to yoga. I knew her husband was struggling with his walking, and I anticipated she'd eventually be walking alone. That's what I saw today.

But I also saw a distinct stiffness in her stride. I wish she'd come to yoga classes. That stiffness isn't necessarily due to aging; it's due to a lack of the kind of movement our bodies crave. Walking is excellent, but it's not enough. A yoga class is tantamount to taking an oilcan and greasing up each joint for better ease of movement.

Your Body's Owner's Manual

Gen Xers, now is the time to change your life. Yoga truly is for every body. I've often said it's the owner's manual for the human body that nobody bothered to give us. Typical, right? So, naturally, we had to figure it out ourselves.

Every person will age, and each of us feels that uniquely in our bodies. But we don't have to feel creaky and old. We can give our bodies the movement they crave. Yoga is a total body experience. Add it to your routine:

• Once a week will help you to feel better for that day.
• Twice a week will show noticeable improvements in about 2-3 weeks.
• Three times a week will make you feel young again!
• More than three times a week? You'll feel like jumping back into the mosh pit!

My students in their 60s and 70s often say yoga makes them feel 10 years younger. It is a lifetime maintenance practice, not a cure-all. At our age, Gen Xers, it's time to begin.

Lisa Betz-Marquez is an early Gen Xer, former newspaper editor, and co-owner of The Yoga Collective, where she teaches yoga, breathwork, sound healing, and Reiki. Also the owner of Peaceful Prairie Campsites, Lisa helps others rediscover their connection to nature, vitality, and peace, guiding them to thrive at every stage. You can learn about her campsite at www.peacefulprairiecampsites.com