Yoga for Seniors

The most common complaints among the aging population are a lack of energy, poor balance, stiff muscles and aching joints. Most yogasanas recommended to alleviate air disorders, primarily backbends and inversions, are too strenuous for retirement home seniors. So we have taken the liberty of modifying them. We suggest you practice modified Sun Salutations, Mountain Pose, Triangle, Lunge, Spinal Twists and other asanas, often with the aid of a chair or done seated in a chair.

You should also maintain erect posture and breathe deeply throughout the day. Deep breathing keeps your prana, or energy, flowing throughout your body and mind. Chronic slouching, on the other hand, pushes your chest downwards, compressing your lungs and diaphragm. If your lungs cannot open fully with each inhalation, less oxygen enters your body. Lesser oxygen results in less energy. When the energy flow weakens, your breath, balance and mental clarity falter. This leads to accidents and disease.

 
A great technique to increase postural awareness in seniors is to place a yardstick vertically down one side of their body from ear to shoulder to hip. Ears, shoulders and hips should maintain direct vertical alignment, whether they are seated or standing. If their shoulders are forward to hips, it means the spine is rounding and the head is slumping. Another common misalignment is the shoulders leaning back of hips. This adds pressure on the lower spine and, subsequently, causes backaches.

When standing, see that your chest is aligned over the balls of your feet. This posture is also called "positive attitude," or having a more forward attitude in life. Leaning backward is a sign of pulling away from life.

For prolonged sitting, we recommend that placing a pillow or backrest between the chair back and lumbar spine to keep your spine aligned. Your middle back, or thoracic vertebrae, should never slouch into or touch the back of the chair, because this leads to height loss. To self-test, we suggest you look sideways in a mirror or have a friend see if you have vertically aligned ears, hips and shoulders. If not, you require postural realignment, no matter how old or young you are.