The Floor Never Lies

Before you read any further, and if you’re at home, I’d like you to try something.

Sit down on the floor.

Now stand back up again.

Go on… I’ll wait.

How did that feel?

Perhaps you stood up without a second thought. Perhaps you used your hands. Perhaps one knee complained a little, or you paused halfway to work out the best route back to standing.

There’s no judgement here, it’s simply a quiet observation.

We have all sorts of ways to measure our health these days. Smart watches tell us how many steps we’ve taken. Our phones remind us how long we’ve been sitting. We can measure our heart rate, our sleep, our blood pressure and almost everything else.

Yet that simple journey down to the floor and back again can tell us an enormous amount about how well your body is moving.

As a yoga teacher, I find the floor fascinating because it never lies.

Standing up from the floor asks your body to coordinate strength through your legs, mobility in your hips and ankles, movement through your spine, balance, confidence and coordination. It’s a whole-body movement that most of us barely think about until it starts to become difficult.

The truth in midlife, is that change is usually so gradual that we hardly notice it.

For example, if a movement feels a little uncomfortable, we will do it a little less often. Then, because we do it less often, we become less confident with it, and it feels even more awkward the next time, so we avoid it again.

Without realising it, our world can begin to shrink.

You stop kneeling in the garden because getting back up feels like too much effort.

You choose the chair instead of sitting on the floor with your grandchildren.

You think twice about walking on uneven ground. You avoid scrambling over rocks at the beach, climbing a stile on a country walk, or getting down to play with the dog.

It’s rarely a conscious decision - your body is simply trying to keep you comfortable. Yet every movement we stop making is also an experience we begin to lose.

In yoga philosophy there’s a concept called avidya, often translated as ‘seeing things unclearly’ - mistaking our current experience for the truth. So, if getting up from the floor has gradually become harder, it’s easy to believe that’s simply what getting older feels like. But, often it’s simply your body reflecting the movements you’ve been asking it to do, or to avoid.

The encouraging news is that your body is remarkably adaptable.

Every time you squat, twist, balance, kneel, reach or lower yourself to the floor and back up again, you’re reminding your body that these movements still belong to you. You’re not simply maintaining strength or flexibility. You’re preserving your freedom to say “yes” to the moments that make life rich.

For me, that’s what midlife yoga is really about. It’s about helping your body stay capable, confident and curious, so your world remains as wide and full of possibility as it can be.

In my classes we move well, laugh when we wobble, and I help your body rediscover just how capable it can be.

Very best wishes

Lee