June 23, 2010
Yoga and Aging
by Sally Weber, ERYT-500, PYT
In an article in the May/June AARP magazine, Dr. Oz talks about how to feel great and live longer. He is quoted as saying that his 20-year habit of daily yoga is the most important health practice he adopted. Dr. Oz studied with Dean Ornish, M.D., whose life work shows that diet, exercise, and meditation have been shown to reverse heart disease.
While yoga includes exercise and stretching, its attention to mindfulness, breath, meditation and relaxation separate it from most other modalities of exercise. The practice of mindfulness itself can contribute greatly to reduced stress and better sleeping. Stress is perhaps the most destructive factor in the aging process. When we’re stressed, we are often not aware of our body or breath. Yoga comes from the Sanskrit root word, “yuj” meaning “yoke”. The practice of yoga “yokes” or brings together the mind, body and breath through awareness. Yoga postures cut through the stress cycle long enough to create space to look at things in a new way. Ultimately the stress cycle is removed by changing our perceptions, and seeing things more clearly. Yoga helps us learn how to create a balance of work and rest. Yoga teaches us how to not waste energy, as stress uses a lot of energy. Meditation helps us to learn to notice our impulses before reacting and tap into our higher wisdom that guides into more effective techniques for dealing with our problems.
One element of aging is a decrease of blood flow to the brain. Yoga postures both improve circulation and increase blood flow directly to the brain during inversions. Simple inversions can include lying down with the legs up on a chair or one leg up at a time (holding onto a yoga strap). Most of the main elements of the aging process are dramatically affected through yoga practice.
• Breathing exercises improve oxygen intake (our most vital nutrient) and help keep energy channels open so that we can experience vitality throughout our lives.
• Twisting poses support healthy digestion and flexibility of the spine.
• Balancing poses strengthen the legs, ankles, and feet as well as support the brain by practicing focus.
• Back bends support and strengthen the back.
• Forward bends (either standing, in a chair, or on the floor), calm the nervous system down and stretch the back and leg muscles.
• Moving the joints helps keep the joints mobile.
• Meditation helps calm the mind and emotions.
• Deep Relaxation helps the body to restore and heal.
In a paper published in the International Journal of Yoga Therapy (No. 19 2009), titled “The
Use of Yoga for Physical and Mental Health Among Older Adults” by Donna Wan, PhD, LSW,
evidence from clinical studies showed that Yoga can improve sleep quality and alleviate
depression. Nine studies were identified that examined either physical or mental health
outcomes in older adults following yoga. It mentioned that there is growing evidence that yoga can improve physical well-being, including balance, range of motion, blood pressure, pain,
fatigue, and general health.
