There are countless reasons to add yoga to your routine. Research shows a regular practice not only improves balance and mobility in older adults, but it may also help ease back pain, relieve depression, and even reduce blood pressure for people with hypertension. Roseville Yoga will help maintain our cities healthy reputation.
Beginning a yoga practice as an older adult can be intimidating, especially if you’re out of shape or working with health conditions. Although you don’t want to jump into a 90-minute hot yoga class with a group of younger practitioners, starting a gentle practice for beginners can be an excellent way to stay active and lower stress levels. Yoga can have a number of benefits for people over 50, from healthy bones to flexibility to anxiety relief. Yoga is a way to maintain a positive attitude, relieve stress and age gracefully.
What Kind of Yoga Should You Try?
What kind of yoga is most appropriate will depend on your age, the current level of fitness, and physical ability. If you are starting to exercise for the first time (or after a long break) or have already lost significant muscle tone and flexibility, you should start with a very gentle Hatha practice.Although it is possible to learn yoga from books and videos, the best way is through in-person instruction in a yoga class. Attending classes will allow you to get the most out of yoga with the least risk of injury. Yoga classes for seniors are becoming more popular and increasingly available. Check local senior centers, retirement communities, religious organizations, and even health clubs to see if they have seniors' yoga classes on offer.
If you can’t find a special senior class, a gentle beginners' class will do. Iyengar yoga, with its emphasis on making postures accessible through the use of props, is also good for older adults and many Iyengar centers offer classes aimed at this demographic. Viniyoga and Kripalu, both of which make a point of tailoring the practice to fit each individual, are also great options.
Adaptive Yoga
Even seniors with very limited mobility can still do yoga through adaptive practices. In chair yoga, all the poses are done with the support of chairs. Water yoga is especially therapeutic since the body feels weightless and moves more easily underwater. Check your local YMCA pool to see if they offer aqua yoga classes.If you have arthritis, yoga can be a wonderful addition to your treatment but necessitates greater care in finding the right class. Many people with arthritis find that yoga helps improve their range of motion significantly.
