As we age, our body requires more physical movement to work smoothly and efficiently. Yoga not only helps in strengthening the muscles but also keeps the mind and body balance in focus.
Yoga is considered to be one of the best forms of exercise due to its slow and steady postures. It helps in maintaining their flexibility, body balance and enhancing their mood. Let’s delve into it deeply.
Reduces high rate of anxiety and depression
Yoga sessions are calming and restorative, allowing you to relax both your body and mind.
Yoga can lessen your sympathetic nervous system’s fight-or-flight reaction, which can create inflammation of various types and wreak havoc on your mind and body if done on a daily basis.
Yoga practice entails focusing on the breath and moving slowly, which can effectively activate your parasympathetic nervous system, lowering stress byproducts and feelings of anxiety.
Yoga practice helps to lower cortisol levels, which is a stress hormone that regulates serotonin, a neurotransmitter that is frequently related to depression.
Improves sleeping habits
Because yoga for elders can be so soothing, many people report sleeping longer and more soundly, which can be a problem for older people. Normal changes in your sleeping patterns may occur as you age.
You either wake up too early or fall asleep too quickly, or you don’t get as much deep and uninterrupted sleep as you did when you were younger.
Disrupted sleep, waking up sluggish every day, and other insomnia symptoms are not normal aging symptoms. Many elderly people have difficulty falling asleep and sleep for less than the 7-9 hours suggested by doctors.
When a study compared yoga to herbal sleep remedies, it was discovered that yoga was more successful in improving sleep duration and decreasing the time required to fall asleep after resting in bed.
Strengthens bones
It is no news that both muscles and bones become weaker as the body ages.
This increases the risk of getting osteoporosis, in which the bones become brittle and weak and in some cases easily break down, especially in women.
Yoga can aid in the prevention of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis develops when the formation of new bone is unable to keep up with the aging-related reduction in bone quantity and density.
Because bone density loss makes your spine more vulnerable, consult with your medical team to develop a safe movement plan.
It’s a wise idea to restrict postures that demand folding forward or to reduce the extent to which you fold.
The same is true for twisting postures—be cautious when approaching exercises that force your spine to rotate or avoid twisting poses altogether.
Helps in hormonal changes
Menopause can cause temperature swings and hot flashes in women. According to some research, restorative yoga practice can help reduce the hot flashes that can accompany hormonal shifts.
Yoga can help with the emotional symptoms of menopause as well as physical pain.
Restorative yoga necessitates holding positions for longer periods of time than traditional yoga, frequently with the assistance of props such as folded blankets to help the body rest. These positions help to calm the nervous system.
If any of these positions cause you pain or discomfort, leave them out of your routine or seek guidance from a certified yoga instructor.
Helps in Blood pressure
High blood pressure is one of the most prevalent problems that adults face as they become old.
Rapidly shifting from standing erect to folding forward can aggravate dizziness, a frequent symptom of low blood pressure, and a side effect of common high blood pressure drugs.
According to certain research, consistent yoga practice can help lower blood pressure, therefore regular yoga practice will help.
Avoid transitions that place your head below your heart while moving, and avoid sequences that demand you to shift fast from standing to forward folding.
Yoga has many benefits for all age groups but one must practice them under guidance before starting out. Not only physically but it heals emotionally and spiritually as well.
It is necessary to make them aware of the health benefits of natural healing and reduce the chances of going to the doctor for every trivial matter.