Yoga benefits seniors in more ways than one

Gone are the days when Granny sat in her rocker and took to knitting sweaters for her great-grandchildren, barely able to get up, let alone walk around the block.  Instead, many older people today are exercising to keep fit and healthy despite their advancing age.  The are enjoying a more pro-active lifestyle, and yoga has become an exercise of choice. And they’re more healthy and vibrantly alive because of it.

Take Pam Horton, age 71, a yoga enthusiast who’s been teaching five yoga classes a week to 20- to- 80-year-olds for the last 35 years in the United Kingdom.  “Yoga can have a tremendous effect on you, whatever age you start,” she says, “but I find I don’t need to do much practice to keep supple, as my awareness of my body posture has become second nature over the years,” says Pam, in an article called “The Yoga Teacher,” (Guardian.co.uk-The Observer, 21 June 2009). “I’m aware of the fragility of health and that it can change without warning. So I always retain a sense of detachment — I’m not pleased with myself if I do a complicated yoga pose, I’m pleased for myself. You’ve never got life cracked.  Yoga teaches you that,” says Pam.

So, what can yoga do for seniors?

• It helps you to function more independently as it improves overall body health;
• It strengthens your muscles and your bones through weight-bearing poses;
• It improves circulation, cardiovascular health and helps you to breathe deeper, which can increase overall well-being;
• It increases flexibility and energy levels and improves posture and balance;
• It helps keep the mind healthy, especially for those who have a family history of Alzheimer’s Disease;
• It provides a full spectrum of mind-body practices that enhance well-being and provide a spiritual connection to your inner self.

To jump start you on your journey, may I recommend Suza Francina’s book “The New Yoga for Healthy Aging:  Living Longer, Living Stronger and Loving Every Day,” a step-by-step guide for the “sixty and beyond” baby boomers who want to start practicing yoga to look and feel great!