Yoga for Seniors--Introductory Instruction
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Yoga for Seniors--Introductory Instruction N K Srinivasan (Iyengar) Ph.D. INTRODUCTION Seniors, those above sixty years as I define the seniors,, can benefit a lot by yoga practice... As I enter the seventh decade of my life, I felt that I should write a few articles on practical yoga that could benefit seniors. Please note that all of us get into many health-related problems---serious or chronic or mild---which are difficult or expensive to treat ,if at all possible to treat them. Yoga practice can 'prevent' many illnesses and can cure , at least to some level, many such problems. Yoga can confer longevity too....many yogis have lived long lives in a healthy way.To give two instances, B K S Iyengar is going strong at the age of 94 years and Pattabhi Jois lived upto 95 years; their teacher Tirumalai Krishnamacharya lived upto 102 years. [Indra Devi, another yoga master and also a student of Krishnamacharya lived upto 102 years.]Paramahansa madhavdasji lived upto 123 years. There are many such instances of yogis living for 90 years or more. In this article , my aim is modest...to give general suggestions to practise yoga and also to describe a few simple asanas, pranayam and a simple meditation that many seniors can perform easily and derive great benefits.May be , this article will inspire you to try and practise asanas in simple ways. One must practise regularly, however; the results will be slow for seniors; slow and steady wins the race...Do not expect miracles, but you will see benefits from almost day one ; your flexibility and strength will gradually improve; A young person in the twenties can see the benefits in about a week or so. Seniors may take weeks or months to get similar benefits.....Yoga practice is for life. A senior should not worry about the initial condition of lack of mobility or flexibility or lack of strength to begin yoga....things will improve with practice. Note that many come to yoga for specific problems like joint pains [knee pain, back pain, neck and shoulder pain], arthritis, indigestion/constipation, lack of energy or strength, lack of balance...all these can be cured to a great extent by simple yoga practice, even if you are over sixty or seventy years....it is never too late to start the yoga practice.For specific illnesses,however, consult a yoga therapist. Disclaimer: The present article is for general information only.It is not meant for medical counseling or for directions for curing any disease.The present author is not responsible for any illness, injury, pain or discomfort that may be caused by following the suggestions/instructions given in this article.The reader must follow his or her own discretion in following the practices suggested here. General Instructions 1 I suggest that you practice only for 5 to 10 minutes every day in the first two weeks...do not strain yourself beyond 10 minutes unless you have been practicing yoga for a year or two and have excellent fitness. 2 It is better to practise in the mornings; you can also do yoga in the evenings at about sunset time. 3 Do yoga at the same time every day. 4 Wear loose clothing; bed-side pyjamas are the best. 5 Practise yoga with partially empty stomach; two hours must elapse after a heavy meal or one hour after light meals or breakfast. 5 Have a medical check up before starting yoga practice ; discuss with a yoga teacher your specific health problems and yoga practice. Follow the advice of a certified medical practitioner. 6 Clear the bladder and the bowels before starting a yoga session. Use of supports and props The use of supports and props to perform asanas were introduced by Yogacharya B K S Iyengar in the early 1950's. They are very useful for seniors to perform the yoga asanas [poses or postures] easily , safely and properly; make use of yoga bricks, bolsters, chairs and ,on certain poses, wall too. I will indicate a few of their uses. There are several books that explain the use of supports. See the references at the end of this article. " Chair Yoga" has become a popular method of yoga for seniors. [ Visit : www.sunlightchairyoga.com] The use of wall and wooden furniture are easy to get used to and require no additional equipment or expense at all. Simple warm -up movements You can do simple movements for warm-ups. 1 Sit comfortably in a chair with feet planted on the floor. Lift your arms to the sides, keeping horizontal.Remain for 30 seconds and then lower the arms. 2 Raise the arms vertically ,above the head, with forearms touching the ears.Remain for 30 seconds and lower slowly. 3 Stand with two feet closely by the side of a chair.Hold the back of the chair with one hand for support. Keep the other hand on the hip. Swing one of the legs freely like a pendululm. Then swing the other leg.Repeat 5 to 10 times. 4 This may be difficult---but try. Keep one arm extended horizontally sideways.You can rotate your arms slowly in a circle. Rotate 3 to 6 times ,clockwise and then anti-clockwise. Then repeat with the other arm. Simple Asanas Begin each yoga session with Savasana ["corpse pose"] and end with savasana.What is savasana? 1 Savasana --This is a relaxing pose. Lie flat on the floor or on a mat spread on the floor.You can keep a soft pillow or towel under the head. Spread your legs in a V shape. Keep the arms at the sides with palms facing up. Relax your shoulder and neck first...start relaxing various muscles starting with your feet; take 3 to 5 minutes for this process. Follow your breath; it should be regular and soft.Focus on this practice. Keep other thoughts out of your mind... Make sure that no one disturbs you [phone or door bell too] during this asana practice. Initally you will stay for 3 to 5 minutes in Savasana...you can increase this duration to 15 minutes after a few weeks of practice. The Breath Cycle In yoga, the breath cycle has three phases: inhalation, retention and exhalation. For seniors, I would not suggest retention of breath at all. The simplest breath cycle is equal time for inhalation and exhalation. If you inhale for 3 seconds, then exhale for 3 seconds. But in yoga practice, you should try to do this cycle: inhalation : exhalation is 1 : 2. That is , inhale for 3 seconds, exhale slowly for twice the time ,that is ,for 6 seconds. This cycle is a healthy one, giving time to empty your lungs fully.[More CO2 emission from you!] Retention can be practised by students studying under a trained yoga teacher. [The breath cycle is written as follows: inhale : retain:exhale = 1: 2 : 4. This means that if you inhale for 3 seconds, you retain for 6 seconds and exhale for 12 seconds.] While doing the asanas described later, note that you exhale while your abdomen is pulled in and exhale while the abdomen is distended. In many poses, when you lift your back or bend forward, exhale; Inhale while straightening your body. Seated poses You can first practise seated poses as they are less strenuous than standing poses. You can be seated cross legged if you are comfortable.Or else, sit on a chair [preferably without arms ] comfortably. If you use a chair, make sure your legs are straight and your feet are firmly placed on the floor. Do not lift your heels . [You can also take the poses of Lotus {Padma asana] or easy pose [Sukhasana] instead of being cross legged while sitting on the floor.] 2 Parvatta asana [hill pose] Sit cross legged or on a chair, as explained above. Lift your hand upwards towards the ceiling. Make sure that your elbows are straight and not bent. Your forearm should touch or press on your ears...this is important.Keep the palms and fingers vertical .[ You can clasp the hands with fingers twined.] Stretch the hand up, as if your chest and torso are pulled upwards. Keep this position for 15 secs to 30 secs and then lower the hands. Repeat this four times. Breathe normally and slowly during this practice.... 3 Dandasana and Eka-pada Uttana asana This is also a seated pose. Sit comfortably on a chair or on the floor.Keep the two legs straight, without bending your knees. If you use a chair, keep another chair in front and place your legs and feet on the seat of chair opposite to you. You can bend your feet forwards and backwards four times, thus working your ankles. Slowly lift left leg to about 45 degrees from the floor or the chair opposite to you..Hold for 15 seconds or four breaths and lower the leg slowly. Repeat this with right leg. Repeat four times in each yoga session...four left leg lift and four right leg lift. This uttana-asana can be strenuous and cause initially abdominal discomfort. In such cases, repeat only twice in each session. [This asana may improve digestion and relieve constipation.] This asana is mainly recommended for reducing the belly fat and trim the waist. [A variation is to lift both the legs at the same time and hold for a few seconds...This is certaily a strenuous pose for many seniors.] 4 Ardha matseyandra asana or spinal twist Sit comfortably on a mat or chair.Twist your shoulder and torso to the right side.