The Inside Story: The Surprising Pleasures of Living in an Aging Body

Do you fear that growing old means being trapped in a body filled with aches, pains, sags, and losses? Too many of us do-especially women. Though our youth-obsessed society is partly to blame, Dr. Susan Sands explains there is a deeper and unrecognized factor: we have never really gotten to know our bodies, to sense and feel our bodies from the inside out. With The Inside Story, she offers a much-needed guide for helping us understand, befriend, and support our bodies as we grow older.

Without downplaying the real challenges we face as we age, Dr. Sands offers a wealth of case studies, interviews, and scientific findings to rewrite the common cultural beliefs that put us at odds with our own bodies. Here, she shares a wealth of powerful embodiment tools-including traditional practices such as meditation and yoga, as well as breathing methods, neural feedback techniques, guidance on diet and exercise, and more.

Most of us have never been taught how to truly connect with our bodies-yet growing older can provide us a golden opportunity to heal this inner divide. As older women, we are actually primed to experience our bodies more deeply and pleasurably, Dr. Sands says. Our bodies are quieter and slower. Aging can open up a transformative new capacity for body awareness, allowing us to experience our whole selves for perhaps the first time with respect, tenderness, and love.