The Yoga Loft Storybook: Todd Goffman

Why/When/Where did you start practicing yoga?

I started practicing yoga at 45 because of a 2015 Time Magazine article on aging, mindfulness and telomeres.  Telomeres are the protective tip at the end of our DNA like those on a shoelace. Over the course of our lifetime, telomeres burn down like the wick of a candle leaving chromosomes vulnerable to damage and accelerating the aging process. Some folks won a Nobel Prize in 2009 for Medicine for their discovery that sufficient levels of the enzyme telomerase repair and maintain telomeres, and when that level falls, aging and all of its consequences, including many diseases, begin.

Chronic inflammation and an overactive sympathetic nervous system secreting epinephrine and cortisol signaling the immune system to release inflammatory cytokines when there is actually no wound to fix or tiger lurking behind a tree, create a friendly environment for cancer, brain deterioration and cardiovascular disease. Quieting the sympathetic, while activating the parasympathetic, nervous system helps break this chain.  

People who practice good health behaviors, including mindfulness and yoga, maintain their telomere length and have a more activated parasympathetic over sympathetic nervous system. I was convinced and started to practice them both, as well as made other changes in my life.

How has yoga changed/influenced your life?

Yoga taught me how to breathe through poses and life's challenges.  It gave me strength, both physical and mental.  Helped me connect with feelings of peacefulness and calm.  I'm grateful for my body's flexibility and stamina, as I can continue to play doubles beach volleyball, the sport I still love so much and play as often as possible. This picture is from my 50th birthday celebration with my best friends in Cabo in March before the borders were closed due to Covid.

What has been your experience practicing at The Yoga Loft?

I joined the Loft in 2017 having recently moved to Nahant. I had the opportunity to practice almost daily for about 16 months and could not have found a better place to ‘step up my yoga game.’  The studio and teachers are amazing. It’s a place where I feel energized, peaceful and happy. Still grateful to be practicing in my home studio/office/bedroom... and looking forward to the day we’ll all be back together. Namaste.