8 Most Recommended Forms Of Yoga For Seniors

Overview

It is ideal for seniors in the pursuit of a risk-free, effective workout to enhance their overall sense of wellness and improve their lifestyle. They are finding answers in the breathing, meditation, and stretching practices of yoga. As a physical fitness workout, yoga is marvellous for senior citizens; it offers greater joint flexibility, improves balance, maintains bone health and muscle mass, as well as improves the state of mind by lowering stress and facilitating sound sleep.

The most suitable & recommended Yoga for Seniors

With the scores of diverse yoga styles out there, it can get bewildering to select the most appropriate yoga type for you. Yoga teachers across the globe, have experimented with and blended various styles to come up with a regime for contemporary lifestyles. Given below are the most beneficial yoga for seniors to help you figure out the most appropriate and judicious one for you. Please take cognisance of your physical condition and fitness level, and consult your doctor or healthcare provider before starting the routine.

• Hatha Yoga: Hatha is a collective yoga style encompassing all forms of yoga that include physical postures. Many believe that Hatha yoga is most suited for those starting up yoga, as this style is typically about breathing and stretching and not about complex yoga postures and it also doesn’t accelerate the heart rate.

• Restorative Yoga: It’s a gentle, sedative, meditative form of yoga developed to release tension and relax passively without stretching. As yoga postures are held for a long time, the help of props is taken for supporting the body. It’s so relaxing that practitioners frequently fall asleep during this yoga. This yoga is helpful for seniors who want to unwind and inculcate relaxation and contentment.

• Yin Yoga: Yin yoga incorporates traditional Chinese medicine principles and combines them with Indian yogic postures. Yin, like restorative yoga, is slow-paced and emphasises holding yoga postures for longer durations. But Yin yoga differs from restorative yoga too as, unlike the latter, this one involves active stretching. Yin yoga is useful for enhancing flexibility and offloading body stiffness.

• Vinyasa Yoga: This yoga type involves compatibility in matching breathing with a sequence of successive movements. Vinyasa yoga not only emphasises the yoga poses but also fluid and deft shifts between each pose. Vinyasa can be tough as it can get physically vigorous but agreeably fit seniors relish the challenge. Many individuals associate Vinyasa yoga with dancing.

• Iyengar Yoga: Iyengar yoga focuses on detail, precision, and alignment while executing yoga postures. It is a precise and methodical yoga type that lays a strong significance on the appropriate form. Yoga practitioners are advised to make use of props like straps, incline boards, blocks and bolsters to help them get into the proper alignment. Iyengar yoga is helpful for seniors with arthritis and diverse chronic conditions as this style uses props for different kinds of physical modifications.

• Ashtanga Yoga: Ashtanga yoga is a traditional series of predetermined yoga postures that are performed in the same order every time. This is an intense, fast-paced, acrobatic, and physically challenging activity that spikes the heart rate and blood circulation. Ashtanga yoga isn’t recommended to beginners, but seniors who have been practising it since before, find it very useful. This is one of the best yoga practices for weight loss (burns a lot of calories), flexibility, strength, and stamina.

• Kundalini Yoga: This yoga is sometimes also referred to as the yoga of chakra awareness. It involves breathing exercises, chanting, singing, meditation, and yoga postures. Seniors with an interest in spirituality find Kundalini yoga fascinating.

• Chair Yoga: This is a non-traditional yoga option for seniors who aren’t comfortable with the up-down physical movements of conventional yoga. Seniors with balance issues or mobility challenges can reap the benefits of traditional yoga without actually getting down on the floor mat, using Chair yoga. A large number of yoga postures are easily performed using Chair yoga.

Yoga is a wonderful workout at any age. Studies have proved that senior yoga benefits your physical and mental health; strengthening muscles, improving balance and decreasing the risk of falls while reducing anxiety and depression. Senior yoga is a holistic solution to boost immunity and unite mind, body and soul to attain calm and peace in the golden years of life. Regular online classes for Senior Citizens are conducted by certified yoga trainers as a vital part of senior engagement activities on Moh TV – India’s 1st Live Infotainment Channel for Seniors, by Seniors. Download the Emoha App now!

Frequently Asked Questions

What can yoga do for seniors?

Yoga is one of the best workout routines for wholesome wellness & health of elders.

Can you start yoga at 60?

Yoga can be started from any age, it’s never too early or too late to start yoga.

Is yoga good for a 70-year-old woman?

Yoga for ladies above 70 imparts various physical, mental, and emotional benefits. It’s useful for bettering their balance and flexibility, recuperating from chronic health conditions, and offloading stress and anxiety.

Does chair yoga work?

Seniors with balance issues or mobility challenges can reap the benefits of traditional yoga without actually getting down on the floor mat by doing Chair yoga. A large number of yoga postures are easily performed using Chair yoga which is helpful for seniors afflicted with osteoporosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, multiple sclerosis, etc.

Make yoga easy and safe

1. Start with chair yoga if standing is hard. 2. Use a mat that does not slide and a wall or chair for balance. 3. Warm up gently and move slowly. 4. Breathe steadily through each pose. 5. Skip poses that hurt. 6. Ask a doctor first with heart, blood pressure, eye or back conditions. 7. Practise regularly, even ten minutes a day.

See yoga and pranayama for older adults and preventing falls.

When to ask a professional

A physiotherapist or trained yoga teacher can adapt poses to your health.