"Not Dealing with Aging is a Way of Not Dealing with Living" with Author Ashton Applewhite

Author and activist Ashton Applewhite has been recognized by the New York Times, the New Yorker, National Public Radio, and the American Society on Aging as an expert on ageism. She blogs at This Chair Rocks, speaks widely at venues that have ranged from the United Nations to the TED mainstage, has written for Harper’s, the Guardian, and the New York Times, and is the voice of Yo, Is This Ageist? The author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism, Ashton is a leading spokesperson for a movement to mobilize against discrimination on the basis of age.In this episode, Ashton:Defines ageismTalks about why she is such a passionate advocate of the anti-ageism movement and why she wrote her bookHighlights the origins of ageismDiscusses the value that an older population imparts to our societal well-beingChallenges us to identify how we identify older as other in our own thinkingCounsels us to spend time with people of all ages so that we may value each otherTells us how getting older benefits our thinkingDefines an “old person in training” and how to accept this approach to agingGives us tips about to take steps to end ageism.Practical Tips:Anyone who has been to my classes, knows that in the beginning of a yoga class, we sit quietly, pay attention to physical sensations, the breath, thoughts, mood, energy, and emotions. This is a practice to become more aware of our thought patterns. I invite you this week to pay attention to your thoughts and language about age. Invite yourself, without judgement and with curiosity, to refute any false beliefs that do not serve you.Resources:Click on the titles to purchase "This Chair Rocks",and "Cutting Loose: Why Women Who End Their Marriages Do So Well".Don't forget to watch her TED talk.To read the articles mentioned in the episode,Positive age beliefs protect against dementia even among elders with high-risk geneValue of senior volunteers to U.S. economy estimated at $77 billionCover Art Photo Credit - Adrian Buckmaster