By Manmohan Singh |Posted: February 07, 2019
I hope you’ll become acquainted with seven of the best yoga poses for senior citizens along with their benefits.
It’s easier to think of age as nothing more than the number of times you’ve travelled around the sun on the spaceship we call earth. True indeed, but once you cross the age of 60 your body no longer cooperates with your mind at the same level. Backache, tiredness, weakness, etc., start to show up and you’re no longer the person you used to be. But, there’s a way to keep these ailments at bay and enjoy your old age just the way you want to. Want to know the secret? Yoga, and there’s nothing better to help you age with grace. Yoga comes with a myriad of benefits and it’s only through regular practice you can achieve them.
Here’s a look at some of the yoga poses which are immensely important for seniors.
Savasana - corpse pose
Savasana is about taking a nap in the position of a corpse. Practitioners are free from all forms of anxieties during the exercise. The body is in a state of intense relaxation with the eyes closed and the rest of the body parts freed up. Simply stay grounded with the pose and awaken your inner consciousness beyond ego identification. Lie on the back, arms at your sides, palms up.
Benefits: Sleeplessness, which is a major problem in the elderly, gets cured with the daily practice of savasana for 10-15 minutes. Diabetes and constipation patients should do this exercise regularly.
Baddha konasana - butterfly pose
Enjoy the beauty of butterfly pose and experience the energy of the tiny organism. Sitting with a straight spine, bend your knees and join the soles of the feet, facing each other, in front of the pelvis. Hold your feet with the hands and encourage your knees to relax towards the ground.
Benefits: Baddha konasana is helpful for your thighs. It helps the body to maintain good posture. Poor digestion and excretion problems can be solved with routine practice of this asana on an empty stomach.
Dandasana - staff pose
Staff pose is practiced while sitting with legs spread in front. Knees shouldn’t bend and the spine should be kept erect during the practice of dandasana. Raise your hands to make them parallel to each other in the air. Give this asana 6-8 minutes every day during morning and evening.
Benefits: The exercise nourishes the arms and strengthens the muscles. It’s good for helping you stay physically fit. If an aged person is facing the problem of indigestion, dandasana proves to be a great digestion-supporting exercise.
Paschimottanasana - seated forward bend
This asana is a part of hatha yoga practice and an amazing health-boosting exercise. Sitting in dandasana position, incline forward to touch the toes with your fingers. Without letting the knees bend, hold the body in the pose for a couple of minutes.
Benefits: Many people face the problem of backache when they grow old. Paschimottanasana is a fine way to relieve all types of pain in the back, neck, and hips. It also tones the thigh muscles and nurtures the knees.
Tadasana - mountain pose
Tadasana is a standing yoga asana which can be practiced any time of the day. It’s recommended to perform this exercise on an empty stomach. Keep the whole body, from head to toe, in an erect position while standing on the mat. Raise your hands to join the palms above the head. You can chant a few mantras to bring spiritual elements to the practice.
Benefits: Tadasana is known as an exercise for improving the body’s physical posture. Thighs and ankles get strengthened. The pose is a great way of elongating the spine.
Balasana - child’s pose
Balasana is one of the serenest yoga asanas. It’s all about instilling calmness and relaxation in the mind and body. It’s practiced by kneeling down on the mat and sitting on the heels. During the exercise, the forehead of the practitioner lies on the ground ahead of the knees with the hands stretched out in front.
Benefits: With the practice of balasana, learn how to relax the body and calm the mind. It provides stability to the mind for persons of all ages.
Pranayama - the breathing practice
Since advanced workouts can be hard for senior people, pranayama is the best way to promote smooth flow of blood throughout the body and keep it warm. To practice it, one just needs to sit erect and breathe constantly through the nostrils. There are basically 8 types of breathing techniques, each having their own set of benefits for the mind and the body.
Benefits: Pranayama supports mental clarity and inner peace. Regular breathing purifies the blood and offers life force and energy to the body.
In addition to all of the above poses, the sukshma vyayam series of movements offers easy and powerful exercise for joints and muscles that get stiff with repetitive use. This practice can bring you energy for the whole body and calmness for the mind.
Manmohan Singh is a passionate yogi, yoga teacher and teacher trainer, and a traveller. He loves writing and reading books related to yoga, health, nature, and the Himalayas.
