Daily Movements for Longevity

Hi Overwhelmed Yogis,

How is 2026 treating you so far? I’ve been thinking of how I can best be of service with this newsletter in the coming year. At a time when so many people tend to overdo their resolutions, particularly when it comes to exercise, I hope to continue providing doable, practical tools for your body and mind.

For at least the rest of January, I’m going to experiment with a twice weekly format. On Movement Mondays, I’ll send a quick exercise or sequence suitable for most bodies that you can do in the mornings, evenings, as a coffee/computer break, or even as a warmup for other activities. I promise nothing will take longer than five minutes. On Tranquility Thursdays, I’ll send a technique for nervous system regulation — sometimes also involving movement, the super gentle variety.

How does that sound?

I’m also posting regularly on Substack Notes and would love to see you there.

As for today: Yes, it’s Thursday, and I’m offering a movement sequence. As my dear mother would have said, “Swaha.” So be it.

You can spend anywhere from 1 to 10 minutes on these join rotations depending on the number of reps and sets that you have time for and what feels right for your body. Think in the range of 3-5 reps of each movement and 1-3 sets, or 3-10 reps in a single set. Two minutes a day would go a long way. Never push through pain.

You’ll increase mobility of the major joints and work the balance that is so critical as we get older.

We can’t stop aging (and, hey, it’s better than the alternative), but practicing movements like these regularly can help our bodies to age with greater ease and fewer aches and pains.

I often do these movements first thing in the morning. It’s also a great routine for a computer break.

Coming for our first Movement Monday: Some deeper rotations for your hips.

As always, the best way you can support me is to share The Overwhelmed Yogi with someone else who could use this kind of content. I welcome your feedback.