Yoga for Healthy Aging and Accessible Yoga

Yoga for Healthy Aging and Accessible Yoga Nina Zolotow by Nina
Lighting the Way by Marie Lossky (@Marie.Lossky on Instagram)
Because I’m going to be speaking with some of Jivana’s Accessible Yoga students when Brad and I do our book signing at the Santa Barbara Yoga Center on Saturday, January 27 (from 2:00-4:00 pm), I’ve been thinking about what I should talk about. I’d like to take advantage of the short time I have with them to tell them what I think the most important take-home message should be regarding yoga for healthy aging (Brad will be talking about aging in general). I thought today I’d share with you what I’ve come up with so far. As always, if you have ideas you want to contribute or questions you want to ask, I’d love to hear from you!

Although aging itself is not something that there is currently a cure for—by anyone out there, much less by yoga—as you may realize from reading our blog there are a significant number of age-related conditions and diseases that you can prevent from worsening and/or even reverse. Some examples include loss of bone and muscle strength, loss of flexibility, loss of ability to balance, and high-blood pressure. On the other hand, there are also age-related conditions and diseases that you cannot influence in any way with yoga. Examples include age-related diminishment of sight, hearing, and functioning of the vestibular system. (Of course, there are also many conditions that can’t be improved themselves but for which yoga can be used to reduce the suffering they cause, for example, yoga can reduce the pain associated with age-related spinal stenosis. And for all conditions yoga can help people cultivate equanimity and contentment.) 

So whether you’re practicing yoga for healthy aging on your own or teaching it to others, it’s very important to learn both the potential and limitations yoga has for helping various age-related conditions and diseases. 

After you’ve learned that you have a health condition that you CAN help with yoga, it can be a delicate balance to combine accessibility to yoga poses with providing the right amount of challenge to foster progress. For example, because we can work on maintaining or improving balance with yoga, if someone has poor balance, having them do a balance pose, such as Tree pose, in a chair or lying on the floor might not be the best choice, as it won’t allow them to work on balance. A standing pose with support from the wall or chair—if that provides enough support for them—will allow them to safely and securely work improving balance. 

However, if someone with poor balance is not ready to try the standing pose or feels that today is not the right day for you (after all, there are conditions where a person’s abilities vary from day to day), you should respect your intuition and do a chair or reclined version, and wait until you do feel ready. And if you are a teacher and someone isn’t comfortable with the challenging option you’re offering them, you should always respect their intuition and find a comfortable alternative for them. 

The following posts provide information about what yoga can help with in terms of specific age-related health conditions. A final link provides to a guide to our posts for using yoga for pain management. 

P.S. For people in the Los Angeles area, we’ll be coming to Spiral Path Yoga on Sunday, January 28 (2:00 -4:00 pm).

Strength

Latest Info on Muscle and Bone Strength
See also Chapter 3 of Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being

Flexibility

Flexibility and Aging
See also Chapter 4 of Yoga for Healthy for Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being

Balance

Balance, Aging, and Yoga
See also Chapter 5 of Yoga for Healthy for Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being

Agility

New Thoughts About Agility and Yoga
See also Chapter 6 of Yoga for Healthy for Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being

Cardiovascular and Heart Health

Appreciating Your Entire Cardiovascular System
See also Chapter 7 of Yoga for Healthy for Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being

Brain and Nervous System Health

Aging Changes to the Brain and Nervous System
See also Chapter 8 of Yoga for Healthy for Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being

Medical Conditions




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For information about Nina's upcoming workshops and retreats and other activities, see Nina's Workshops, Retreats, and Books.
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