Seniors: Better Your Mind, And Spirit Through Yoga
Seniors: Better Your Mind, Body, and Spirit Through Yoga
Fitness is not for just the young — it is also for the young at heart. Yoga provides a holistic approach to health. For the body, it strengthens your core, helps with balance, and increases flexibility. For the mind, it helps bring you to the present, battles negative emotions, and provides mental clarity. For the spirit, it relieves stress and helps you to reflect. If you’re looking to reset and re-energize your mind, body, and spirit, yoga is the perfect practice for you.
Before You Begin
Yoga has a wealth of physical and mental health benefits, but before you dive in there are a few considerations you should address beforehand.
First, consult with your healthcare provider and determine whether you have any limitations that will require adaptive yoga. For instance, so as to not aggravate an existing injury, you may need to ask an instructor to show you modified poses.
Second, if movement is initially painful, water yoga would provide you the opportunity to ease into classes by initially providing you with weightless movement.
Third, when it comes to where you choose to practice yoga, you have many options. Nowadays, many studios, such as Serene Yoga, offer both in-person and online yoga sessions. You can also practice outside, either in a class or on your own. If you choose to practice at home solo, and want to follow along on a phone or tablet, make sure your device is capable of streaming yoga videos and apps smoothly. If you're looking to replace your device, you can save money by trading it in for a new one.
Finding Your Groove
A perk of yoga is that there are a variety of types you can try until you find one that suits you. If you’re looking for a basic introduction to poses with a focus on posture, Hatha yoga may be perfect for you. If you struggle with standing for long periods of time or getting up and down off the floor mat, chair yoga may provide you with the support you need. As discussed above, water yoga may help your joints and ease you into other forms of yoga. If you like to sweat it out, however, Bikram yoga will definitely bring the heat.
You can also choose classes that focus on mediation, classes that integrate your pet, as well as classes that incorporate a loved one or caregiver. Don’t get overwhelmed by the many different types of yoga; what’s important is that you find one that you enjoy and that meets your needs. Also, remain open to modifying your practice and allowing it to evolve.
The Benefits
Yoga serves to improve the whole body. All people need flexibility, muscle strength, and balance, which yoga can help improve. It also has the added benefits of improving respiration, causing weight loss, reducing blood pressure, maintaining metabolism, and reducing inflammation and chronic pain. Some commonly unexpected benefits of yoga — when practiced with mindfulness and meditation — are the stimulation of oxytocin (the hormone that promotes feelings of love) and serotonin (the hormone that produces peace and happy feelings).
If you get sick more often than usual, yoga helps to reset your nervous system. Your nervous system can get into an unhealthy pattern, and through breathing techniques and reduced stress, your body can start to rest and heal. This results in a better immune system. Certain types of yoga even prove to promote deeper and longer sleep through the night. All forms of yoga have the added benefit of creating a stronger mind and increasing mental clarity.
It’s important to supplement your yoga practice with overall healthy habits, so be sure you’re getting enough sleep, not drinking too much or smoking, and eating nutritiously. If you think there may be some gaps in your diet, it’s a good idea to take a multivitamin to help build immunity and bone health.
If you’re looking to increase your energy, be in tune with your body, build your health, alleviate pain, increase balance, increase flexibility, improve your mood, and have better mental clarity, then yoga is the right exercise for you. And it doesn’t just provide physical benefits — it also provides the mental benefits that keep your brain sharp, present, and rested. The poses and breathing learned through yoga will increase your overall well-being and give you some extra bounce in your step during your golden years.
By : Sheila Johnson Zenthusiast
Photo Credit: Pixabay
