Staying Young with Yoga
If you or a loved one is looking for a way to stay fit, strong, and healthy throughout your senior years, yoga may be just the activity for you! Here are some insights from our in-home respite care team on how yoga keeps seniors young.
Is Yoga Safe for Seniors?
Absolutely! One of the great things about yoga is that is that it is very flexible and can be tailored to suit anyone’s abilities regardless of age or fitness. Look for a class specifically for seniors or for an instructor who works with seniors so that the class is gentle as well as effective.
The Benefits of Yoga for Seniors
As with younger people, seniors benefit from increased muscle tone, better balance (which is especially important for preventing falls), improved mood, better posture and increased strength. Many seniors report that they sleep better, deal with stress or anxiety better, and have an improved sense of wellbeing. Certain yoga activities like pranayama, a set of breathing exercises, can also help improve lung capacity.
In terms of health, yoga has also shown to be beneficial in controlling blood pressure, lowering cholesterol, supporting bone and joint health, and even helping with pain management.
Yoga is a long-term activity. You will start seeing improvements and reap maximum benefit only if you attend classes on a regular basis. This brings up a final benefit of yoga, which is a sense of community, and opportunities to socialize, make friends and build healthy connections.
What Types of Yoga Are Ideal for Seniors?
Many people who think about starting yoga are put off by some of the more extreme classes and poses, but that’s not what yoga is all about. There are classes for every level of ability, age, and interest. Instructors modify many of the poses for seniors to make sure they get the benefits without risks of pain or injury. In fact, therapists increasingly offer adaptive yoga and aqua yoga for people with limited mobility or require additional support to be mobile.
In-Home Respite Care for Seniors in New Jersey
As part of United Methodist Communities, a non-profit organization in New Jersey, we offer senior independent homecare for older adults through trained, experienced nursing and health aide staff to help your loved one as they recover from a stroke. Our respite care and senior home care services include companionship, help around the home, 24-hour care, wound care and much more. Depending on exactly what you and your loved one requires, our services are scalable and by-the-hour allowing you to develop a custom care plan.
For more information on in-home respite care and our home care services, please contact us today or visit our website at https://umcommunities.org/homeworks/Home-Heath-Aid-services
