I have to admit that much of my later-life health practice is inspired by other people’s ailments. Not that I wish anyone ill, in fact, just the opposite. But when I see or hear about someone’s health problem or loss of function (which is so often attributed to “just getting old”), it inspires me to find a way to avoid, or at least delay, that problem in myself. In addition to my basic practices of healthy diet and lots of movement, I devote a good deal of research and routines to learn about and avoid these specific conditions.

One common later-life malfunction begins to affect people by their 60s and 70s and causes a cascade of related problems. It begins in their hips. It is a stiffening of the sacroiliac joint (or just plain sacro) at the base of the spine. Their flexibility – the ability for their hips to swing and be relaxed – disappears. Instead, they walk stiffly, with a kind of side-to-side swaying like a waddle.

Once this happens it can result in a cascade of related problems both above and below that central joint. The loss of flexibility and gradual freezing of that joint begins to alter the body’s naturally balanced and gravitational alignment. This, in turn, causes other parts of the body to compensate, particularly other joints that are trying to recapture that natural balance. The result can be knee problems, back problems, neck problems, and even foot problems.

Perhaps most damaging is the further lack of movement and circulation. Most likely, the problem began from being sedentary, and the resulting painful ailments encourage the person to become even more sedentary, which further worsens all the issues. Keeping this joint strong and flexible is essential to later life movement.

The sacroiliac joint is the connection of the spine to the hips, where the triangular-shaped bottom spinal vertebra is joined to the hips in a web of tendons and muscles. It is the ergonomic center of our moving bodies. It is literally the joint that made us human, its evolution having allowed us to begin standing up and walking at least 2 million years ago.

This humble joint is subject to all sorts of modern life stressors, from too much sitting, bad posture, lack of movement, lack of strength, and lack of body awareness. These issues result in poor circulation and a general weakness and loss of flexibility in the area. The sacro tries to compensate but becomes overworked and subject to chronic inflammation.

What is my antidote and preventive practice for this condition? To begin, I try to stay aware of just how important and central my sacro is to my overall health and functionality. I pay attention to its flexibility in everything I do. When I walk, I swing my arms and move from side to side, aware of the work that my entire body is doing in movement, not just legs and feet.

My morning movement routine is largely based around loosening up my spine with gentle yoga, lots of twists, and getting all my joints to move with ease and flexibility. In exercise, I let my legs do the work that I see many people do with their backs, by squatting instead of bending over.

In addition, I stand as much as possible throughout the day. When I sit, I try to sit in a straight-backed chair or on the floor instead of on a sofa to avoid slouching, with my back straight and not curved.

Yoga is probably the most effective way for me to stay conscious of the sacredness of the sacro. Whether I move, sit, or stand, the sacro is central to that effort. If the heart is the center of emotion and the brain is the center of thought, then the sacro is my body’s center of movement and posture, a source of fundamental energy in my physical body.

Different yoga poses bring an awareness and appreciation to the intricacy and balanced coordination of how my body moves. The strength of my legs and glutes is essential to supporting my sacro. Backbends and inversions, poses that run counter to the way we normally use our bodies in modern life, bring an even more heightened awareness.

I am always grateful for maintaining the full functionality of my body, the harmony with which all the parts of my body work with all the others. Its seamlessness, strength, balance, and coordination are an endless wonder.

The evolution of our human body is the miraculous work of eons of universal energy. Every element of that evolution made us better able to survive. Central to that bodily harmony is the sacro, the first meeting point of upper and lower, left and right, and front and back in our human evolutionary history. Its health is not only linked to that epic journey of evolution it is dependent on the support it gets from all the other bones, muscles, tendons, and tissue that keep us functioning as fully as possible. Do yourself a favor – keep your sacred sacro moving and flexible!