The best thing with senior yoga is that you can adapt it regardless of diverse physical needs and abilities. True enough, the first image that comes in your mind whenever someone talks of yoga are of a young person. But, this does not mean that you cannot take part in this healthy practice of you are old. With less flexibility, seniors can practice yoga and enjoy many benefits as well.
Is senior Yoga Appropriate?
Seniors can take part in yoga with no problem. You will find most individuals with tight schedules indulging in lifestyle activities such as yoga upon retirement. Although people take retirement as a time to be sedentary, you can take it as a perfect time to have fun with healthy habits for more longevity.
By attending yoga classes regularly, you will interact with fellow students and teachers, therefore, enhancing the sense of friendship with community members. Social interaction plays a major role in ensuring well-being and health as you grow older.
What Benefits Can You Get as a Senior Yoga?
As advantages of senior yoga match the general benefits: increased strength, improved mood, and stability. Through the breathing exercise (pranayama) you will increase your lung capacity. With this, you can have better sleep and improved posture. You probably understand how sleep becomes important as you age. Another thing you should pay attention to is your body posture. Yoga will help to keep your backbone aligned making you physically fit. Are you wondering about the best remedy to relieve yourself from stress? Try yoga. However, do not expect to enjoy all these benefits by attending a yoga class a single day. By attending about three yoga classes per week regularly, you can enjoy the fruits of yoga.
Which Type of Yoga Can You Try?
Are you interested in trying yoga but get confused with the many types available? Well, the first thing you need to do is learning about the basics of yoga. You will feel comfortable joining yoga classes upon prior advice. You can use google and do your research. You will find more information on the types of yoga and a guide on each one. However, do not end everything with getting yoga information from videos and books. The best way you can go about learning yoga is by getting in-person direction in yoga classes. By this, you will be able to avoid some injuries associated with practicing yoga.
You will meet experienced masters who will instruct you and in no time you will be good to go. Some of the factors to consider when choosing the best type of yoga to practice include your current fitness, physical ability, and age. Hatha yoga can best fit beginners or if you are from a break and lost some muscles and flexibility. Nowadays you can access yoga classes with ease. Check your local health clubs, retirement communities, religious organizations, and senior centers to get information whether they offer any classes for senior yogis.
If you fail to get special seniors classes, you can opt for a gentle beginner’s yoga classes. Iyengar yoga is also a good option for older adults since it focuses on body postures. The best thing with most Iyengar centers is that you can get classes that are tailored to the aged. You can as well try Kripalu and Viniyoga.
Adaptive Yoga
With adaptive practices, you can participate in yoga even if you are a senior with limited mobility. For instance, in chair yoga, you will complete all practices with support from a chair. You can try water yoga which is generally therapeutic given that you will feel weightless as your body moves easily underwater. You can find information about aqua yoga classes from the YMCA pool in your local area.
With the right classes, you can take advantage of yoga upon your retirement in case you have arthritis. You can find experienced yogis who will help you deal with arthritis. Many individuals have found it helpful and improved their motion range in this way.
If you are inactive or have any chronic disease, you should consult your doctor before you try yoga. Conditions such as glaucoma or spinal disc issues need special care. You might try some possess that will lead to more problems.
Getting Started With Practicing Yoga
Yoga exercises commonly combine meditation, movements, and breathing. Although arrived in the US about a century ago, you cannot ignore the spiritual and physical benefits you will get from practicing yoga. According to research, yoga can help you in managing stress, easing anxiety and depression, enhancing better sleep, and improving your mood. How important is this in your lifestyle? Besides this, you can enjoy increased flexibility and strength, improved coordination and balance, and reducing pain.
Taking senior yoga classes may be intimidating and overwhelming for the first time. This is why you should be familiar with what you can expect. A yoga class can last from 45 to 90 minutes. Breathing exercises is that you will start with. After this, you will get into various poses and end the session with a deep meditation to cool down your bodies and spirit.
Yoga Basics
There is no other way you can learn yoga easily than by practicing it. You can do a little research to get rid of nervousness before attending your first yoga class. Consider getting familiar with various types of yoga and what is needed in each of them. From Hatha to kundalini yoga, you can never miss the best style that will fit you.
Breathing
Yoga focuses mainly on breathing. Research has concluded that this is of major importance in an individual’s health. This is the first practice whenever practicing any of the yoga types. With yoga, you can forget about things like increase blood pressure. A proper way of breathing can have more positive impacts on your life than you think.
Poses
The name of yoga poses may depend on your master or the studio in which you are practicing. They will mostly use English or Sanskrit or both in referring to various yoga types. You may feel confused with the names at first, but this is something that should not worry you. Research about t common poses and their Sanskrit and English names. I most yoga classes, you will interact with favorites such as adho mukha svanasan (dog pose and balasana (child’s pose). Other popular sequences and poses are sun salutations and warrior poses.
Supplies
With most yoga studios, you will be required to come with your mat. However, if you do not own one, you should not worry. You can rent yoga mats from studios at a small fee. Confirm the protocol of your local studio when planning to visit for classes. Otherwise, you do not need many supplies for a yoga class. Most gyms and studios will provide you with most props and equipment including blocks, blankets, and bolsters. When planning to start yoga at home, you may be required to purchase some basics or use some substitutes available at your home. For example, you can decide to use your scarf instead of a yoga strap.
What Should You Wear?
Wear comfortable, shorts or stretch pants and fitting tops that will not give you a hard time when performing inversions. There is no need for specific shoes since you can only practice yoga barefoot. You can as well wear yoga socks to avoiding sliding on the mat.
Class Etiquette
The only thing required out of you when it comes to yoga is respect. You should respect the practice, yourself, the teacher, and fellow students. As a senior yogi, these are things that will not trouble you in any way. After all, yoga is all about calmness and respect. The more you attend the classes the more you have more respect in any of your undertakings.
Small things such as arriving on time, not using your phone, and staying to the end of the session will make a huge difference.
Setting Your Limits
Yoga is a personal practice. What might be effective and safe for other people may not be cool with you? Although most poses are safe, when practicing senior yoga, follow your body and have your limits. If you are old, do not try to compete with younger individuals. What they do best cannot match with your physicality.
In case you have problems with your back, you can communicate with your teacher to adjust some of the basic poses such as plow pose. When at home, you can watch various videos to avoid hurting yourself. Another thing you need to consider is taking advice from your medical doctor.
As much as you may find common poses such as crows and handstands posted on social media platforms, it does not mean that they are for everyone. Most poses you may want to try to require strength and a lot of training. Do what your body agrees with.
Conclusion
Yoga is a good exercise for a healthy lifestyle. There I no limit on who can do yoga, but there is a limit on the type of yoga you can start with. Senior yoga is good at making the elderly active and engaged. The best thing you should do is finding a good yoga instructor and you are ready to go.