Yoga for senior citizen in Delhi NCR
The Benefits of Yoga for Older Adults
Yoga connects the mind and body by combining stretching and strengthening poses with deep breathing and relaxation. Despite its Eastern philosophical roots, yoga as practised in the West is primarily concerned with physical fitness. It is not explicitly religious, while having a spiritual component. Participating in yoga can help people of all faiths and belief systems.
Yoga is safe for seniors of all fitness and skill levels since the positions (called asanas) may simply be tweaked or customised to meet an individual’s needs. In fact, it can be a great way to maintain your body strong and healthy without the joint stress that comes with weightlifting or jogging.
Some of the benefits of yoga for seniors include:
- Better balance:Many yoga poses for seniors focus on abdominal muscle strengthening and core stability. This can assist you in being more stable on your feet and lowering your chance of falling.
- Improved flexibility:Seniors might benefit from yoga poses as great stretching exercises. Holding a pose for several breaths allows your muscles and connective tissues to relax and soften, allowing you to move more freely. In fact, study published in the International Journal of Yoga Therapy found that practising yoga on a daily basis can significantly improve the general flexibility of older persons.
- Enhanced breathing:Yoga pranayama (breathing control) can help you increase your lung capacity and improve your pulmonary health. Elderly women who practised yoga three times a week for 12 weeks had a significant improvement in their respiratory function, according to a study published in the Journal of Human Kinetics.
- Stronger bones: Try yoga if you’re concerned about brittle bones and osteoporosis. A continuous yoga regimen that incorporates weight-bearing postures can assist elderly women and men maintain bone strength. According to some promising research, practising yoga can actually improve bone density in postmenopausal women..
- Reduced anxiety and stress:Yoga teaches you to focus on the present moment and achieve tranquilly through meditation and attentive breathing. According to studies, this can help reduce stress hormone cortisol levels and alleviate anxiety and depression symptoms. According to a National Institutes of Health survey, more than 85% of those who practised yoga reported feeling less stressed as a result.
- Better sleep:Sleep difficulties are a typical complaint among seniors, and yoga can help. Adults over 60 who experienced with insomnia took part in yoga classes twice a week and had daily sessions at home, according to a research published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. The group reported significant increases in both the duration and overall quality of their sleep after three months.
Senior Citizens’ Favorite Yoga Styles
Yoga may help you unwind and calm your mind, whether you’re trying to get stronger and more flexible or simply want to relax. However, with so many various styles to choose from, it can be difficult to know which one is best for you. Keep in mind that your physical condition and degree of fitness are important factors to consider.
Here are eight different styles of yoga that may be able to help you:
- Hatha:Hatha is a generic phrase that incorporates all styles of yoga that focus on physical postures, rather than being a specific style. However, most hatha yoga courses consist of a slow-paced succession of sitting and standing positions. Stretching and breathing are usually the focus, not raising your heart rate or putting your leg up behind your head. Many people say that hatha yoga is the greatest style of yoga for beginners because of this.
- Iyengar:Iyengar yoga is deliberate and precise, with a focus on correct form. To aid with proper alignment, practitioners are recommended to use props such as bolsters, straps, blocks, and inclination boards. This is a fantastic kind of yoga for seniors with arthritis or other chronic problems because the props allow for a variety of adaptations.
- Restorative:Restorative yoga is a calm, contemplative kind of yoga that focuses on passively releasing tension rather than stretching. Poses are held for a lengthy duration, often up to 10 minutes, and props are employed to completely support the body. For seniors who want to promote relaxation and contentment, restorative yoga is the greatest option. It’s fairly uncommon for students to nod off in class.
- Yin:Yin yoga, like restorative yoga, is slow and focuses on holding poses for an extended period of time. The distinction between yin and restorative yoga is that restorative does not include any active stretching, whereas yin focuses on stretching the deep connective tissues. Regularly practising yin yoga can help reduce stiffness and improve flexibility.
- Vinyasa:This is a catch-all word for yoga forms that include synchronising breathing with a series of continuous, flowing motions. The pace might vary, but routines are frequently fluid and fast.In vinyasa, the transitions between postures are as crucial as the poses themselves. It’s been compared to dancing by others. Vinyasa yoga is difficult in the sense that it is physically demanding, but seniors who are in good physical shape may enjoy the challenge.
- Ashtanga:Ashtanga is a fast-paced and physically demanding yoga that consists of a set of poses that are performed in the same way every time. Some people believe that ashtanga yoga is the best sort of yoga for weight loss because it is an intense, acrobatic activity that increases your heart rate and circulation. While it is not suggested for beginners, some elderly individuals find it to be really helpful.