Steps to LivingWell

Seniors often suffer from multiple chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, arthritis, and poor sleep. Yoga has long been shown to alleviate the symptoms of many such conditions, combining physical poses with relaxation and breathing techniques, to improve overall health and well-being.

The slow, gentle movements involved with yoga are excellent for helping older adults with limited mobility and it integrates movement and physical exercise into their lives. Unlike weight training, yoga is low-impact, easy on joints, and has a low risk for injury.

About one-half of all seniors report sleeping problems including insomnia and late-night wakefulness. Researchers have discovered that yoga actually helps people fall asleep more quickly and stay asleep throughout the night. Breathing and relaxation techniques that make up the backbone of yoga practice translates in to improved sleep quality.

Yoga can, in fact, be good for adults of all ages, especially seniors. Yoga can be extremely helpful when it comes to combating stress, fatigue and pain. Some yoga poses increase core strength and balance, which reduces the risk of fall-related injuries.

Yoga stretches the body, which can help seniors maintain good range of motion as they age and prevent against fails. In fact there is an old yogic saying that goes ‘the body is as young as the spine is flexible’. Food for thought!