So, you are reaching your golden years! It’s time to maintain your body balance and shape. Practicing yoga is the best and easiest way to achieve these goals. It will help you get relief from pains and aches. Researches show that daily yoga can ease many common conditions like arthritis, hypertension, rheumatism, heart diseases, and incontinence.
These issues are generally associated with people over the age of 50.
How does yoga elevate the health of seniors?
It helps move without strain:
High-intensity exercises are prone to the risk of injury for seniors. Yoga is attractive for its low-impact movements that offer cardiovascular benefits and strength training while being easier for the whole body to practice.
It makes people flexible:
As you age, the level of motion and movement decreases to a great extent. Mobility has become a big issue for seniors. Yoga is known for gentle stretching exercises helping to increase blood circulation and spinal flexibility which is significant for a healthy and active lifestyle as you age.
It makes bones stronger:
Osteoporosis is one of the major health issues most people who are in their fifties face. Yoga involves many weight-bearing activities that help improve bone health by decreasing the chances of bone thinning, especially in post-menopausal women.
It helps control weight:
Yoga is famous for helping people follow a better and more disciplined life. It helps seniors make healthy dietary choices and keep them away from putting on weight.
It helps decrease blood pressure:
Many studies state that people who practice yoga 6 hours a week for 11 weeks can find their systolic blood pressure reduced by 33 points. People claim that the controlled breathing exercises practiced in yoga help regulate activities of the nervous system, which helps manage blood pressure.
Yoga tips for seniors
Before you start doing yoga, consider these tips for a healthy and satisfying experience.
Consult your healthcare provider
You should consult your doctor about yoga practice and ensure it is suitable for your health. Your doctor may recommend suitable yoga if you have issues with your hips, knees or back. He/she may provide you with some stretches to get started. They will provide you with information about how to practice yoga without pushing your health too much.
Contact your friends
Besides consulting your doctors, you can also consider talking to your friends who are already practicing yoga. They can help you with tips for starting and give contacts for yoga classes for seniors.
The yoga Mat
Practicing yoga does not mean spending lots of money on new gear. All you need is a good quality yoga mat that can occupy the length of your body. This is a bit essential to provide you with enough support from head to toe while lying down.
Home practice
Today, many people prefer practicing yoga from home. However, it is good to learn from experts before you practice by yourself. This will help you learn the right posture and breathing methods. It will also improve your flexibility and strength and help increase your confidence.
Take your time to learn
While practicing yoga, you should ensure that you are learning each pose slowly and notice the body sensations. Getting perfect footing is also necessary to build strength and mindfulness about your alignment. Experts will help you find your pace and practice it regularly for better results.
Start and end routine
Seniors need to practice a consistent start and end routine to boost their level of motion as well as to avoid injuries. Yoga masters will teach you how to warm up and cool down the processes. Though yoga involves gentle moves, you should cool your body down after practice.
Meditation
Meditation is a part of yoga and the best way to optimize the enhanced advantages of yoga. As you grow older, you may consider practicing yoga a challenging one. But as you get the hang of it, you will become comfortable with the routine. So, take your own time to get used to it and invest your time and effort to meditate while practicing. Meditation is the best way to enjoy your thoughts and monitor your emotions.
The appropriate yoga for seniors
People who are new to yoga may find practical advice and basic yoga information can help them feel more confident and comfortable. The information can be learned from books, videos and online or offline classes. However, learning from an expert tutor or master will help you optimize yoga postures without injuries. Choosing the type of yoga that suits you the most will depend on your age, physique and current fitness. It is good to begin with gentle practice and earn muscle tone and flexibility. Then move to advanced courses.
Adaptive yoga – the perfect choice for seniors
People with limited mobility can also practice adaptive yoga postures. It is also called accessible yoga – a style that takes care of the body and abilities. It involves many variations that are adaptable to particular needs and is accessible to everyone. Adaptive yoga can help people manage arthritis, aches and pains, breathing issues and many other health conditions. To practice adaptive yoga, you may need some props like chairs, differently-sized pillows, blankets, blocks and more. Water/aqua yoga and chair yoga are popular choices for seniors.
How adaptive yoga can help seniors?
Adaptive yoga brings many health benefits for seniors including:
- You can personalize your yoga poses
- Adaptive yoga is taught in small groups
- It is slower than traditional yoga poses
- You will form sweat
- It will boost balance and daily functions
- It will increase overall well-being
Things to consider before practicing adaptive yoga Seniors should consult their doctor before practicing any yoga posture including adaptive yoga. You can be suffering from severe health issues or not very active in such exercises. Besides this, if you have spinal disc issues or glaucoma, then you should take extra care and discuss the yoga poses to be avoided with your master. This will help you avoid getting injured and earn maximum results.
Thank You🙏
- Yoga to prevent mobility limitations in older adults: feasibility of a randomized controlled trial
- Yoga Exercise Intervention Improves Balance Control and Prevents Falls in Seniors Aged 65+
- What helps older people persevere with yoga classes? A realist process evaluation of a COVID-19-affected yoga program for fall prevention
- Effects of yoga on well-being and healthy ageing: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial (FitForAge)
- The effects of yoga compared to active and inactive controls on physical function and health related quality of life in older adults- systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
- Exercise interventions for older adults: A systematic review of meta-analyses
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