Nine Benefits of Yoga for Seniors

If you think walking into a yoga class will bring you into a room full of young, light, bendy bodies, think again. Every body is different and there’s a yoga class out there to accommodate all of them. Practiced by people of all ages, sizes, and physical ability, yoga is so much more than an exercise practice, and offers riches far beyond the physical.

Here are just some of the benefits awaiting you on your yoga mat:

1. Flexibility – Imagine how much easier your day could be if you were less stiff and more flexible. Everything from getting dressed to reaching for something in a cabinet to picking something up from the floor could be done with greater ease and comfort. Who cares if you can never touch your toes? With a regular yoga practice, you’ll at least be able to try without making a pain face.
2. Increased Muscle Tone & Strength – A regular yoga practice can help to strengthen your muscles, which could ultimately lead to stronger bones, and stronger bones and muscles can have many more gains than just being able to open a pickle jar without calling your neighbor for help. Already have a regular strength-training routine? Better yet! Yoga would be an ideal practice for alternate days, and the combo will help to protect you from injury.
3. Better Balance – Stronger limbs + clearer focus + better coordination = improved balance. We all know that when a senior falls the results can be devastating. Why not take the preventative approach with a balancing yoga practice?
4. More Energy – Is yoga relaxing? Absolutely(!), but it will also give you more energy, more vitality, and more zazazooo in your step. A longer, “awakened” spine will help to expand your energy, and the advantages to that can be life changing.
5. Reduced Stress – Yoga offers both mind and body benefits with its meditative movement quality. Deep, controlled breathing, increased focus, along with the physical postures (poses) create the perfect recipe for stress management and inner peace, resulting in a deeper night’s sleep. In fact, many yoga devotees find that regular practice helps to lower their blood pressure and heart rate. Could this mean fewer worry lines? Sign me up!
6. Healthful Choices – You might walk into a yoga class craving a double bacon cheeseburger, but could walk out craving a nice, crisp apple. We’re not sure if there’s any hard science behind the correlation between good food choices and yoga; however, most practitioners we’ve spoken to have become more mindful in everything they do, including what they put in their body.  You’ll innately become more aware of your body and its needs, and will intuitively know what’s best to maintain your newfound level of energy and consciousness.
7.  Community – Taking a group class at a yoga studio is a great way to connect and build relationships. Community is the secret to happiness and a healthy life, and what better place to find your inner-ohm than at your yoga sanctuary!
8. Better Posture – Oh, all the wonderful perks of standing taller, shoulders back, head up, go way beyond the physical. It’s a sure-fire mood changer, and is the counter stance for all the hunching forward we do all day, every day.
9. Living Longer – Yoga naturally inspires healthier choices and a more fulfilled lifestyle. Add up all the benefits and it’s easy to see that yoga can lead to a happier, healthier life, which in turn can lead to hanging around this lifetime a little longer.

The benefits of yoga go far beyond the nine listed here, and can vary for each individual. Find what assets are the most meaningful to you by researching the different styles of yoga, finding a studio and beginner’s class near you, and getting on your mat! Whether it’s the stability of chair yoga, or the gentleness of restorative yoga, or even the energizing burst you’ll find in Ashtanga yoga, there’s a class out there just waiting to have you join in. Good luck!