Here Is How Yoga Is Beneficial For Seniors 

March 21, 2022 0 Comment Category: Senior Health

Seniors these days understand that growing older does not have to mean moving slower or growing sicker. Many seniors choose to remain active throughout retirement and assisted living and other senior rehab facilities help them with this. While some seniors are lifting weights or running marathons, many choose to go with the ancient practice of yoga. As per the experts in senior living, yoga can be beneficial for people of all ages, including seniors. Shared below are some of the important benefits of yoga for seniors. 

 

Improved Flexibility 

Yoga can help improve the flexibility of the practitioner. With the increase in flexibility, the rate of injury from falls can be minimized. In addition, seniors practicing yoga can recover quickly from pain and other injuries. 

 

More Balance 

With age, our balance can suffer. When seniors take part in yoga sessions, they are actively working on their body balance. Many yoga poses like the tree pose can help the practitioner improve his/her balance. With an improvement in balance, the chances of injury from falls are reduced. 

 

Improved Body Awareness 

In yoga sessions, practitioners are made to pay attention to specific areas and parts of their bodies. This can improve body awareness which can translate to reduced falls and increased awareness when they are ill or fatigued. 

 

Enhanced Brain Activity 

Experts claim that taking a yoga class offers much more than just physical benefits. The majority of the yoga poses entail outstretching an arm over the body of the practitioner. This is called “crossing the midline” and is found to improve coordination and brain activity, which can be much beneficial to seniors. 

 

Increased Endurance And Strength 

Even though yoga is gentle and beginner-friendly, it is focused on building strong muscles. Taking part in yoga sessions can improve endurance and strength, thereby resulting in an efficient metabolism and a healthy body mass index. 

 

Reduced Pain 

For many seniors practicing yoga, regular sessions mean reduced pain. Seniors living with arthritis can practice in a slightly heated room. Many assisted living facilities offer yoga sessions in heated rooms that are just hot enough to offer relief to stiff joints. Seniors living with chronic back pain can also enjoy relief from practicing yoga due to better alignment and posture. 

 

Increased Relaxation And Mindfulness 

Relaxation is one of the important benefits of practicing yoga. The focused movement of yoga poses can offer relaxation to practitioners of all ages. Also, as practitioners or ‘yogis’ are focused on the movement only, they are living in the moment and practicing mindfulness. This can enhance feelings of calmness, peace, and even happiness. Better yet, yogis are encouraged to take that practice into their daily lives. Increased relaxation and calmness can result in reduced feelings of anxiety and stress. 

 

Practicing Safely 

If you are considering taking part in a yoga session, talk to your doctor first. Your doctor can advise the necessary precautions to take as you start your yoga practice. Once you are medically cleared, you can search for yoga classes in your area that are conducted for seniors. Yoga teachers can be trained for the body mechanics of seniors. This means that these classes are safe and will be led by a trainer who is aware of conditions like osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. 

 

If you live in an assisted living or another senior rehab facility, you can get in touch with the manager or the person in charge to know about such sessions. In many senior living communities, you can benefit from regular yoga classes in your home. You can attend these sessions and try them out on your own or with your friends.