The practice of yoga dates back over 5,000 years, making it one of the oldest forms of exercise still practiced today.
During the development of post-classical yoga, its defining principles became the rejuvenation of the body and prolonging of life.
So, it’s safe to say that yoga not only has an ancient history of popularity, but its sole, defining purpose is to improve your health. Here are some of the top yoga positions for enhancing senior health.
What Are the Benefits of Yoga for Seniors?
At its core, yoga is the practice of connecting the mind and the body. However, senior yoga benefits for physical health cannot be overlooked. Just some of these include:
Flexibility and Mobility
One of our top yoga tips for elderly seniors is to practice these moves daily.
It’s the best way to keep aging muscles supple and mobile, keeping you fit and able to complete all necessary tasks of daily living (and more!).
Relief from Joint Pain and Stiffness
The more mobile, flexible, and active you remain as you get older, the less likely you are to suffer from crippling joint pain and stiffness.
Regular yoga exercises for seniors are one of the best things you can practice to improve blood circulation and keep muscles and joints mobile.
Improved Sense of Balance
One of the biggest risks seniors face is a poor sense of balance and slip-and-fall accidents. Some of the simplest yoga poses for older adults can help keep muscles strong and activated, thereby improving balance.
Better Quality of Life
The practice of yoga begins with centering and clearing the mind to become fully present while focusing on your mind-body connection. This, in itself, is one of the best ways to manage life stress and anxiety – by practicing how to live in the present moment.
A senior wellness yoga routine can do wonders for improving anxiety and even depression. Overall, regular yoga exercises can improve the quality of sleep and energy levels and help seniors feel a better sense of contentment.
7 Yoga Positions for Enhancing Senior Health
Let’s take a look at some of the best low-impact yoga poses for older adults and how to get into these positions:
1. The Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
Stand upright with your feet together and your arms at your sides. Focus on pushing your feet into the ground (rooting), engage your leg muscles, and stand tall, lengthening the spine.
Then, breathe in deeply, reach your arms above your head, and hold them in the air for 5-10 breaths. Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose to focus on controlled breathing.
2. Chair Pose (Utkatasana)
This is another simple position that focuses on engaging the quad and glute muscles while working on your balance.
Stand with your feet slightly apart (about hip-width), with your arms at your sides. Slowly bend your knees and lower your hips backward as if you’re going to sit back into a chair (squatting).
Keep your weight in your heels, breathe in, and raise your arms overhead. Hold this position for 5-10 breaths.
3. Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)
A slightly more advanced position, Warrior II is great for engaging the leg, core, and arm muscles and improving balance.
Stand with your feet wide apart, with your arms at your sides. Turn your left foot outwards, but keep your right foot in place. Bend your left knee, breathe in, and extend your arms out to your sides, holding them at shoulder height.
Breathe deeply in this pose and hold for 5-10 breaths before switching sides.
4. Tree Pose (Vrikshasana)
This is a brilliant pose for working on balance and mobility. Simply stand with your feet hip-width apart, with your arms at your sides.
Slowly begin to shift your weight onto your left foot as you raise your right foot and place the sole of your foot on your left inner thigh. If necessary, you can use a chair to hold onto for better balance.
Once you’ve found your foot placement, remove your hand from the chair and try to hold this position for 5-10 breaths. Then, switch to the other leg and repeat.
5. Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
This is a position for seniors with a decent amount of strength and stability in their arm and core muscles.
Begin by getting on your hands and knees on your yoga mat. Keep your wrists in line with your shoulders, and your knees in line with your hips. Make sure your back is straight by engaging your core muscles.
Take a deep breath in, slowly raise your knees off the mat, and push your hips backward. Then, straighten your arms and legs so that you’re creating an inverted V shape with your body.
Press into your heels for a deeper stretch, and hold this pose for 5-10 breaths.
6. Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)
Bridge pose is for seniors with a good amount of strength and mobility, too. It’s a great pose for engaging the glute and core muscles.
Start by lying down on your back, with your knees bent at 90 degrees and your feet flat on the ground. Then, breathe in and slowly raise your hips towards the roof, creating a bridge shape with your body. Keep your arms flat on the ground and push into your heels as you raise your body.
If possible, interlace your fingers under your back and hold this position for 5-10 breaths.
7. Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)
A brilliant pose for stretching out the lower back and torso, you’ll need to lie down on your stomach with your hands placed under your shoulders.
Breathe in, press your hands firmly into the ground as you raise your chest off the floor. Keep your elbows tucked in close to the body as you raise your torso. Hold this position at the top and breath for 5-10 breaths.
Take Control of Your Health as You Age
If you want to take control of your health, these simple yet effective yoga positions for enhancing senior health are something to incorporate into your daily life.
Our dynamic senior living community at Conservatory at Champion Forest is the best choice for upscale living for seniors.
If you or a loved one live in Spring, Texas, and want to find the right community centered on engaging and affordable living, get in touch with our team today.
