Getting older is not easy for any of us. Although each passing year is a gift, the challenges associated with getting older can sometimes overshadow it. But yoga is the miracle drug that can help create the old age you dream of.
It may well be that you dream of playing golf every day or traveling the world. But if you don't take care of your body now and keep it healthy, it's gonna be something other than finances that prevents you from achieving the old age of your dreams.
There are many health benefits associated with practicing yoga. Here I mention the 10 most important ones that might make you see the light. (and no, I'm not talking about the bright white light!)
10 Benefits of Yoga for Seniors.
1. Better stability and balance.
Stability and balance is one of the biggest challenges when getting older. Fall accidents during daily activities can have serious consequences for health and quality of life.
Yoga strengthens your inner core muscles that keep the body stable, helps prevent these falls from occurring, and strengthens body awareness, including; interoception (awareness of your inner world) and proprioception (awareness of where your body is in the space around you).
2. Better flexibility.
Stiff joints and muscles are common signs of old age. Yoga is gentle and effectively increases flexibility and range of motion. The poses both stretch and strengthen; connective tissue, joints, and muscles.
3. Improved breathing.
Seniors can often experience breathing difficulties. Lack of oxygen to the body can have a negative effect throughout the body. Practicing yoga can help seniors become more aware of their breathing. It can create improvements in the oxygen saturation of the blood, and lower the stress level.
4. Chronic pain relief.
The aging process is hard on the body, which after many years of wear and tear begins to show signs of damage to connective tissue, muscles, and joints. Many stretches and poses in yoga can help relieve chronic pain, limited mobility, and general discomfort. Yoga also helps to reduce stress, which can contribute to pain and inflammation in the body. Repeated yoga training can help to lower the consumption of painkillers and other medicines.
5. Better sleep.
Many elderly struggle with insomnia. Insomnia helps worsen other negative health conditions. Yoga can help you fall asleep faster and improve the quality of sleep itself. This happens, among other things, with the use of relaxing breathing techniques.
6. Reduced blood pressure.
Yoga is known to reduce blood pressure even better than many other relaxing activities. This fall in pressure is measurable after one hour of yoga, and if the training continues, the blood pressure remains low. This can help lower incidences of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and several other chronic health conditions.
7. Less stress.
Yoga is generally practiced in a calm and peaceful environment. This means that the nervous system finds peace. The slow breathing can help relieve anxiety and stress, helping to achieve a sense of peace.
8. Diabetes management.
Seniors with type 2 diabetes can benefit from yoga to help them manage their condition. Stress affects insulin production, so when stress is reduced, insulin production is affected accordingly. Yoga stretches and twists also help to massage the internal organs, which can improve cholesterol and glucose levels.
9. Mindfulness.
Seniors who may be in the early stages of dementia, in the midst of having to move to a nursing home or generally having to adapt to changing habits as a result of age, benefit from the stress reduction and mindfulness that comes with yoga. Increased mindfulness in everyday life helps to create greater awareness of thoughts and feelings, and this can help the individual with greater self-acceptance and feel more connected to the world around them.
10. Less medicine.
When the worst pains are reduced, the blood pressure improves and the general state of health improves, many seniors can find that their medication consumption can be reduced (ALWAYS in consultation with your own doctor!)
I know from direct experience what a difference yoga can make. Several of my clients are seniors who have gone from chronic pain and a sedentary life to; traveling more, starting sea kayaking, hiking several kilometers, and drastically cutting down on their medication consumption, and this is in addition to the physical and mental improvements that occur in their regular daily lives.
Interested in working with me?
Image: Pexels Cottonbro Studio
