Maintain Strength and Balance with Yoga

Falls are the most common trauma that sends folks over 65 to hospitals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, about 33% of older adults will fall during any given year.

At Temple University, researchers designed an Iyengar yoga program for senior women lasting nine weeks. Iyengar yoga uses props like straps, blankets, bolsters, chairs and blocks to ease people into stretches and strengthening poses at their own pace.

After nine weeks, the women had a faster stride, increased flexibility in their legs, and were able to balance better on one leg, which helps to reduce the probability of falls. They also learned how to distribute pressure on the bottom of their feet more evenly, which also aids stability. An added benefit: Some women who had back or knee pain when the study began were pain-free by the time the study ended.

Yoga classes can be too aggressive if you’re not already flexible or strong. If you’re looking for a class, try to find a teacher who specializes in teaching people at your age and fitness level. To locate yoga teachers in your area, try the Yoga Alliance, the only national certifying body for all types of yoga teachers.

Suza Francina, an Iygengar teacher in California, has authored several books about yoga for oldsters, including The New Yoga for People Over 50 and The New Yoga for Healthy Aging: Living Longer and Stronger and Loving Every Day.

Her books are filled with delightful stories about people who started yoga late in life, with specific instructions and photographs that show ways to approach yoga poses with props so that you can get the benefits of many poses that would otherwise be too difficult.

The Anti-Aging Bottom Line: Yoga is an ancient tradition with a lot of modern relevance for healing and strengthening the mind, body and spirit. Yoga is unique in that its practice can be individualized to accomodate the needs of anyone who seeks to improve his or her health. In addition to enhancing strength and flexibility and decreasing the likelihood of falls, you may find that your yoga practice brings a new feeling of overall balance into your life.