Yoga For Seniors
3 Healthy Reasons Why Seniors Should Be Yogis
Is Yoga for Seniors important? Read on for some helpful information that just might make a big difference in your life or in the life of an aging family member.
During the aging process, we can become less flexible and more susceptible to a sedentary lifestyle that over time can result in injury and pain. Prevent injury and pain by hitting the mat — the yoga mat that is. A low impact yoga practice has been shown to help seniors improve range of motion and flexibility, according to the International Journal of Yoga. Yoga also helps reduce health concerns related to pain such as arthritis and osteoporosis.
Forward thinking retirement communities offer professionally taught, low impact yoga classes designed with the wellness needs of seniors in mind. A certified yoga instructor can help seniors achieve wellness through yoga postures that improve senior health - spiritually, socially, physically, and mentally.
Lay out the yoga mat for the following three health benefits.
Reduces Fear of Falling
When experienced yoga instructors modify yoga for seniors, these postures can help increase stability-confidence in seniors. Sedentary lifestyles can lead to spinal misalignment, stiffness and a sensation of feeling off-kilter. Regularly practicing yoga develops and enhances the mind-body connection.
This connection helps maintain balance while improving overall flexibility. Seniors will also experience improvements in strength, gait and agility after developing a regular yoga practice at their own pace.
Helps Reduce Pain
Can yoga for seniors improve fitness levels, optimize health and help reduce pain? It may sound like a tall order, but professional instructors say with the right guidance, yes. Certain yoga postures exert compressive and de-compressive effects on blood and lymph flow. Yoga improves systolic stroke volume that helps usher out waste and biochemicals related to pain, while improving cardiovascular health.
Beginning with breathing exercises, seniors will experience greater relaxation and then can develop a regular practice guided at reducing overall pain. An experienced yoga instructor can discuss personal health concerns to discover the underlying cause of pain. Visit SeniorFitness.net, an online community for seniors, to share stories and learn from others senior yogis about positive experiences with yoga and pain management.
Alleviates Stress & Anxiety
Yoga postures are gentle on the joints, can be practiced with ease, and help balance the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. Subsequently, seniors feel calm and at peace. A regular practice of instructor-led yoga can help older adults manage stress and anxiety better as well as emotionally cope with health challenges.
Learn about the emotional and mental health benefits of yoga by reading YogaJournal.com. Join the health discussion about how yoga can tame stress and tap into calm.
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