How Seniors Can Easily Start Practicing Yoga and Meditation

One of the beautiful things about yoga and meditation is that the practices can be beneficial to people of all ages. While the exercises themselves may need to be modified to meet your personal capabilities, the benefits largely remain the same. Here are some ways yoga and meditation can be incorporated into any senior’s wellness plan. 

Pure Bliss Yoga is currently offering live virtual yoga classes to our members. Call (518) 406-8077 with any questions!

Assess Yourself

While there aren’t usually any limitations on performing meditation, yoga can be another matter. It’s important that you assess your current health so you can practice yoga in a way that’s right for you. According to the White Swan Foundation, you can try a mild practice if you’ve had surgery in the past six months. Persons with hypertension shouldn’t move too quickly, and you need to inform your teacher about any chronic pain or illnesses that you experience. When you’re honest about your starting point and potential limitations, it gives the teacher an opportunity to tailor a program that gives you the benefits of a yoga practice while keeping you safe from injuries.

Find Senior-Friendly Yoga Classes

According to the Art of Living, the yoga styles that seniors do may not differ much from those that are done by a general audience. This, however, is highly dependent on what you’re able to manage. Generally, seniors may be able to do a range of yoga poses while standing, sitting, on their backs or on their stomachs. If you have some physical limitations, you can still try modified poses while doing chair yoga. Chair yoga involves sitting on a chair while doing stretches for your neck, back, arms, and legs. If you’ve never done yoga before and you’re not sure where to begin, it might be best to find a senior-friendly class where an instructor can guide you. Make sure to do your research to find out if your local community center offers any yoga classes that may interest you. 

Practice Yoga at Home

If you’re not comfortable going outside your home or there are no appropriate classes in your area, then you can still build an effective yoga practice at home. According to Yoga Beyond the Studio, getting a private instructor can be ideal for persons who are new to yoga. It also gives you the opportunity to have more personalized sessions that are planned around your schedule. When you’re doing yoga at home, fitness apps and virtual classes from the expert instructors at Pure Bliss Yoga can also help. You can also try practicing yoga on the Wii Fit, which can make working out fun.

To practice yoga at home, you should identify a comfortable area in your house and get the aids you’ll need to practice like a mat, blocks or straps. Make sure your home is free of clutter and well lit so you can focus and stay positive. 

Become a Pro at Meditation

Unlike yoga, you really don’t need to find a special class to meditate. To get this done at home, you only need a quiet room where you won’t be disturbed. When you’re beginning, it’s advised that you start with a short session of about three minutes and then increase your time. If you’d like some help with meditating, then a guided meditation technique might be a good fit. In this practice, you’ll listen to a recording that will help you relax and become more self-aware. These recordings can be found online, or you can purchase CDs. Regardless of the type of meditation you choose, you’re guaranteed to see the difference in how you think and feel. 

Too often, when seniors hear about adding exercise programs to their health and wellness program, they think about strenuous activities. This doesn’t have to be the case with the right yoga program that’s tailored to your abilities and needs. When you combine that with meditation, you could end up with a powerful program that positively impacts your overall wellbeing.

Blog Author: Cheryl Conklin

Website: https://wellnesscentral.info/
Email: cheryl@wellnesscentral.info 

Other Links

https://www.retireguide.com/retirement-life-leisure/healthy-aging/mental-wellness/meditation