7 Proven Benefits of Yoga for Seniors and Older People
As we age, it becomes essential to stay active to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Regular exercise can make you feel more energetic and strong. However, starting a new strenuous exercise can be intimidating for seniors. The risk of strain or joint pain can often keep you from being active. In contrast, starting a senior yoga practice is a wonderful option to consider if you want to stay healthy.
Senior yoga is one of the best forms of exercise for older adults. It has numerous physical and psychological benefits. Senior yoga improves your flexibility and balance, enhances your strength, uplifts your mood, and relieves stress.
Here are the other benefits of yoga for seniors:
- Improved Balance and Flexibility
As we age, working to maintain or build balance becomes increasingly important. Balance poses help to strengthen the core and aid your balance. With improved balance and stability, you are less likely to fall. It also helps you gain more flexibility and move without difficulty. The gentle stretching of senior yoga poses can reduce the stiffness in your body, making you feel younger and healthier.
- Better Bone and Joint Health
Senior yoga can help prevent osteoporosis in older adults. This condition causes bones to become brittle and weak as bone mass and density decrease with aging. However, tailored senior yoga poses fit each individual, even if you are already suffering from osteoporosis. Research shows that it can improve the quality of life for those already with this condition.
- Reduced High Blood Pressure
Hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, is one of the major risk factors for stroke. Research shows that yoga is an effective method to control high blood pressure in the elderly. Regular yoga sessions keep you active and help to maintain your blood pressure.
- Reduced Stress and Anxiety
The slow, measured movements of yoga help you let go of the tension you’re holding in your body. Stress is one of the major factors that cause high blood pressure. Stress also has a negative impact on the immune system. Prolonged exposure to stress can increase the risk of physical and mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. With regular yoga practice, you can calm your nerves, relieve the stress, and reduce anxiety. These therapeutic effects can increase your quality of life.
- Improved Sleep
A lot of older adult reports that they can not sleep soundly. Yoga helps you achieve peace of the mind and create a sense of well-being. It can help you relax, sleep longer, and better.
- Alleviated Aches and Pains
Aging comes with its own aches and pains. Yoga is the perfect remedy for seniors suffering from pain such as arthritis or limited mobility. Poses tailored to meet your needs can help decrease inflammation and ease your suffering.
- Sense of Community
Regular yoga classes build a rapport between the classmates. The sense of belonging to a community combats the sense of isolation in older adults. You can forge friendships and build new relationships in your yoga classes.
End Words
Yoga is adaptable to different populations with a variety of physical needs. No matter at what age or condition you are, there is a yoga for you out there. Even if you haven’t practiced yoga before, it is never too late to start. Specialized classes like “My Body Don’t Bend the Way” developed by PIES Fitness Yoga Studio can help you get started if you are a senior in Alexandria, VA, and the wider DMV metro area.