Yoga stretches and strengthens the body’s posture. Yoga includes regulated deep breathing exercises and meditation, thus cultivating a connection between the mind and body. In other words, yoga is not just for improving physical fitness. It also ensures good mental health and overall wellbeing. It benefits people of all ages. This article focuses on the benefits of yoga for seniors. Here, you will learn about the importance of yoga for senior citizens and how they can reap the benefits of yoga.
Let’s dive in:
Benefits of Yoga for Seniors
Yoga promotes healthy aging, reduces physical disability, and improves quality of life. Physical exercise is important. Yoga is a form of physical activity that aims to enhance physical and mental health and is very suitable for older people. By practicing gentle yoga poses with deep breathing, senior citizens can improve their physical fitness without any joint stress that often happens at this age due to weightlifting, jogging, or brisk walking. It also helps improve bone strength, so old people can stop worrying about osteoporosis or brittle bones. A regular yoga routine also helps in managing diabetes, controlling blood pressure, and relieving severe pain. Above all, yoga helps the mind stay stress-free and calm. It also promotes better sleep.
But are all yoga poses suitable for seniors? No, elderly people should not try all yoga poses. There are specific yoga poses for elderly people which are safe and easy. Let’s talk about gentle yoga for seniors in the next section.
What are the Basic Yoga Types for Seniors?
Below are some gentle yoga poses for seniors that any elderly person can start practicing.
Gentle Yoga for Seniors
1. Bikram
Practicing Bikram yoga regularly helps build core strength and relieve muscle pain. The stretching in this yoga improves the flexibility in joints and tendons. You will feel better balance in your body. When you practice this yoga in a calm and quiet room, you will realize how your mind gradually starts feeling stress-free and relaxed.
2. Kundalini
Kundalini yoga is suitable for older adults who want to reverse their aging process. This yoga includes meditation and deep breathing techniques. In addition, Kundalini yoga focuses on body stretching. This yoga for older adults has a positive effect on cognitive functions. It has been proven that weeks of practicing Kundalini yoga improve the recall and visual memory of elderly people. This also significantly impacts those who feel a lack of enthusiasm in life, depression, and emotional stress. In short, besides improving physical fitness, Kundalini yoga practice helps improve mental health as well. This is suitable yoga, especially for those older adults who fear Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and similar cognitive decline.
3. Hatha
This gentle yoga pose helps build core strength, improve body flexibility and keep the body aligned. It also has mental health benefits. Practicing Hatha yoga daily improves your sleep quality, controls blood pressure, lowers cortisol levels, relieves back pain, reduces muscle tension, and boosts mindfulness. It also keeps your mind stress-free and manages depression.
4. Ashtanga
This is another yoga pose for seniors. It helps in weight management and improves overall health and wellbeing. Ashtanga yoga is suitable for all ages. It is physically demanding but can be customized as per age and body needs. If you are old, don’t stop yourself from doing this yoga. Practice it regularly to the best of your ability. It is guaranteed, that you will notice its health benefits. You will be happy to see the improved quality of your life.
Also Read : Ashtanga Yoga is Better than Bikram Yoga
5. Vinyasa
When you practice this yoga, your body moves from one pose to another directly. It follows a flow, which can be quite vigorous. However, this can be tailored to make the movements slow and suitable for older adults. All the postures in Vinyasa yoga are seamless and can help uplift the mood and release muscle tension. You get relief from the pain in the back, neck, and joints.
6. Yin
Regular practice of Yin yoga boosts the nutrient flow in the fascia, releases the tension in joints and ligaments, strengthens tendons, and improves the functioning of internal organs and the overall body. Yin yoga also keeps an emotional balance and helps you have a stress-free, clear head.
7. Iyengar
As people age, the body starts becoming less mobile and losing strength. If you are searching for beginning-level yoga for seniors to improve flexibility, reduce pain and boost energy, try Iyengar yoga. Practicing the beginning-level Iyengar yoga poses improves joint flexibility, boosts energy in the body, and helps you engage in all your daily activities without being stressed or exhausted.
Now let’s talk about some super easy yoga poses for seniors that even lazy people can do:
Lazy Yoga Poses For Seniors
1. Seated cat-cow
This is a great beginning yoga for seniors. It improves muscle flexibility, relieves back pain, and releases tension in the neck and spine. Practicing this easy yoga pose also stimulates and strengthens the abdominal organs.
2. Leg up the wall
This is a restorative yoga pose that relaxes the body and mind. It controls the blood pressure level, comforts muscle cramps, improves flexibility, relieves tension in the lower back area, improves digestion, and helps you sleep better.
3. Seated crescent moon
This yoga pose helps you stretch the side of your body. As a result, your core body strength gets improved. You also feel a better balance in your body. Practicing it daily gives a relief from pain in knee and ankle. In addition, it helps you have a focused mind and energized body.
Should Seniors Do Yoga Every Day?
Seniors who often struggle with chronic joint pain, osteoarthritis, disturbed sleep, and other physical limitations, can get huge benefits by doing yoga every day. Regular yoga practice brings balance to the body, creates a relationship between mind and body, helps maintain a calm and clear head, and improves sleep quality. Seniors with diabetes or respiration issues should practice yoga daily to control diabetes and improve respiration.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. How often should seniors do yoga?
Seniors should do yoga every day. Morning is the best time to practice yoga for seniors. They can also pick the afternoon or evening hours.
2. Can you be too old to start yoga?
It is never too late to start yoga. There are specific yoga poses, perfectly suitable for older people. So, you can never be too old to do yoga. Start slow, practice easy poses and then continue for longer hours with more.
3. Does yoga slow aging?
Yoga has a significant impact on how you age. It slows down cellular aging and improves the quality of life.
Final thoughts,
Start your yoga routine from today. It offers myriad physical and mental health benefits that help you deal with your age healthily and happily. You can ask for expert help to start this healthy journey. You can join an online or offline class and follow exactly how your teacher shows each pose. Improve your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Slow down your aging process and add life to the remaining years you will live.
