7 REASONS TO PRACTICE YOGA

Have you decided to exercise and stay healthier in the new year? Health and medical experts say you may want to practice yoga.

In fact, a 2008 Harris poll of 5,000 Americans found that 6.1% - representing nearly 14 million adults - say their doctors or therapists recommended yoga.

Yoga is an ancient healing practice that has become increasingly popular in our modern, stressful world as a strong thanks to stretch and strengthen the body, relax and calm the mind, increase energy, and lift the spirit.

Doctors often recommend yoga for adults over 50 because it can help lower vital signs, relieve pain, and improve balance. But people stick with the old practice because it improves their spirits, reduces stress, and simply put, they feel happier.

Unfortunately, many yoga instructors are not trained to adapt the techniques to the bodies of older adults. And as a result of the growing interest of Americans in yoga, classes that claim to be yoga but are really just yoga "flavored" exercise classes, led by poorly trained instructors, gained from end-to-end workshops, have increased. of the week.

Unless the yoga teacher institutes a safe class designed for older adults, this healing practice can cause harm. In order to enjoy the many benefits of yoga, it is important to observe the following seven essential points about yoga:

1. Yoga can be good medicine.

Growing scientific evidence suggests that yoga offers many other health benefits, including lowering high blood pressure, relieving back pain, and improving sleep. 

2. Yoga is not just for those who stay fit and flexible.

To say that you are not flexible enough to practice yoga is like saying that your house is too cluttered to hire a housekeeper. The idea that you must twist into a figure of eight to practice yoga is one of many common misconceptions. I have taught yoga to people with a wide variety of diseases, including heart failure, osteoporosis, arthritis, fibromyalgia, and back pain. The only requirement to practice yoga is to be able to breathe.

3. You don't need to stand on your head.

 Although some people over the age of 50 remain extremely healthy and can stand on their heads and adopt other demanding yoga poses, more normal and common are older adults who fit the profile of the "average" older American - of whom 80% have at least one chronic disease and 50% have at least two. Many also face other health challenges, such as prosthetic heart or joint valves. That is why it is imperative that older people who are beginning to practice yoga find a class led by an experienced and highly qualified instructor.

4. There are many styles of yoga from "intense" to gentle.

For example, ashtanga yoga is very athletic, while Kripalu yoga tends to be gentler, and Vini yoga is generally practiced in a personalized therapeutic setting. If you attend a class that demands more than your physical condition allows, you may be at risk of harm. Make sure you enroll in a class that is right for you and inform the teacher of any concerns you have about your health or the challenges you face. Older adults, especially those who have not been active, should look for a class called Gentle Yoga or one specifically geared towards older people.

5. Yoga should never cause pain.

The approach to yoga is very different from the Western approach to exercise, with its "burn calories" mentality. Ancient yoga texts say that a posture should be "steady and comfortable" or, depending on the translation, "relaxed and steady" or "smooth and calm." If you're struggling to get into a posture that's right for a magazine cover, you're doing gymnastics or calisthenics, but not yoga. Yoga invites you to do the movements of each posture only until you feel a pleasant stretching sensation, and then intensify and develop the posture with your breathing. If it hurts, give up!

6. Yoga is not just a training program.

Yoga is a powerful form of mind-body medicine that holistically focuses on health, and recognizes that physical illnesses also have emotional and spiritual components. The tools of yoga are postures, breathing methods, and meditation, which together work to balance and integrate the mind, body, and spirit.

7. Ask for help to get started smoothly.

Consult your doctor for special recommendations — particularly if you have heart disease or any chronic illness, or if you have had surgery or are taking medicine. Explain to your doctor that you plan to practice yoga and ask for guidance, especially on any specific positions or movements to avoid. For example, people with osteoporosis generally must avoid certain movements that can cause fractures — even bending forward from the waist or twisting the spine to the limit — movements commonly performed in certain poses that are taught in many yoga classes. Responsible yoga teachers will ask you about your health and, in some cases, may ask your permission to work with your doctor to customize your yoga exercises.