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Yoga Thoughts:
It's Never Too Late, Right?
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Colleagues,
An article, "Personal Wellness: It's Not Too Late to Become a Yoga Believer," appeared in the Science section of The New York Times recently. In it, the writer, Jane Brody, discusses her recent shift in attraction to yoga. An avid swimmer, Brody offers solid guidance to those who wish to consider the activity, especially older adults, including:
- Not all yoga poses are beneficial or safe for everyone, and enthusiasts are hard put to know whether the teacher and class they select are more likely to help than to hurt them.
- What many older adults especially need is yoga therapy. And since the US has no regulatory body for yoga therapy, per se, it behooves the consumer to thoroughly investigate the class and teacher before starting.
- Yoga makes sense only if done intelligently so as to limit the degree of personal injury.
- Report to the teacher any injury, ache or health condition that might affect one's participation.
- The teacher should be willing to suggest changes in the moves you attempt or even say that the class may not be right for you. A good teacher listens and makes appropriate suggestions.
- Find a teacher who regularly walks among the participants, correcting and modifying their poses and suggesting alternatives.
- Never go for the burn. If something hurts, don't do it.
The article goes on to outline some of the benefits of yoga coming out of scientific studies, including:
- That regular yoga practice can improve cardiovascular risk factors like elevated blood pressure, blood sugar, blood cholesterol and clot-inducing fibrinogen, and it can raise blood levels of protective antioxidants.
- That yoga can improve balance in elderly women and thus may reduce their risk of falls, a leading cause of injury-related death in older people. And, it may be able to counteract the deterioration of spinal discs, a plague of millions of Americans, young and old.
- That yoga may counter inflammation throughout the body, and may reduce the effects of diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. And by relieving physical and mental stress, which can erode the tips of DNA, which are called telomeres and program cell death, yoga may slow biological aging and prolong life.
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blog-collageaging.org
610.335.1283
COLLAGE is a membership consortium of aging services organizations, including continuing care communities, moderate-income and federally subsidized housing, home care and community-based agencies using an evidence-based assessment system to advance healthy aging and improve outcomes of older adults living independently.
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Webinar Alert
An Introduction to COLLAGE, 2012
Wed., April 18, 1-2 pm
To REGISTER, click on the webinar title above April
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Did you know?
Willamette View,
Portland, OR
has joined the COLLAGE Consortium! WELCOME to Mjere Simantel and her colleagues!
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Excerpts from COLLAGE Healthy Aging Conversations (15:09)
Click on image below to view
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"I felt so free when I was done with my assessment conversation - it was as if everything was laid out on the table and I had someone there willing to help me with things of concern. I left there feeling so free and unburdened. It was a great experience. Everyone should do it."
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"COLLAGE is a gigantic program for us. It gave me a chance to analyze what has happened in my life, what is going on today and will continue to give me hope for the future. COLLAGE gave me an opportunity to rethink my life. I feel lucky -- life isn't easy but because I'm here there are opportunities to positively share and plan for the future."
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