Restorative yoga

As we age it becomes hard to keep up with various activities of life. Moreover, various types of health issues hit body – diabetes, heart problem, sometimes cancer, osteoarthritis, joint pain will surface with age. In addition, changes in life style can have an impact on us. Generation gap and life style changes both take emotional toll on mental health of elders.

They undergo anxiety, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, memory problem, impaired mental health and sense of helplessness occupies mind.

If you have aged parents and elders at home, then introduce them to restorative yoga as it offers various health benefits of those elders who are suffering from different conditions.

Restorative yoga is a practice that leads a person towards healing and recuperative experience. Holding simple poses to relieve stress and to find peace by deep relaxation is possible by restorative yoga.

Restorative yoga involves few poses that are supported by props. This allows seniors to completely rest and relax. Poses such as – light twists of the body, forward bending, gentle back bend, child pose, half pigeon pose, bridge pose, legs up the wall pose and corpse pose. All these poses are supported by props and makes it easy on the body to get into poses.

Seniors should practice restorative yoga for following reasons:

1. It is soothing on nervous system: Deep breathing and slow pace triggers parasympathetic nervous system. It fights stress and will have calming effect on nervous system and comforts both body and mind.

2. Slows down agitation and pace of life: To disconnect from sorrows of life and past pace, slow moving poses helps. These poses give time to explore mind and body and brings back to normalcy. High blood pressure is due to oxidative stress and can cause heart attack. Yoga reduces oxidative stress and saves elders from heart conditions.

3. Expands awareness: Restorative yoga expands awareness of once self. Slower and steady breathing creates awareness of physical sensations, sounds of surrounding nature and expands awareness of rest of the world. This helps elders to reconnect to the world positively.

4. Mindfulness: The mindfulness is needed for every walk of life. This can be experienced by restorative yoga. Working in a group gives a sense of participation and satisfaction of communicating with people around and nurtures mind.

5. Respiration: Limitation of respiration and reduced oxygen supply is another problem we face with age. Breathing exercises keeps respiratory system in good working condition.

6. Flexibility and balance: With age our flexibility decreases and moving becomes hard. Managing arthritis, joint pain and muscle pain is possible by practicing slow yoga. Everyday half an hour yoga practice brings back flexibility by loosening muscles and brings balance. This prevent fall and injury.

Yoga is union of mind and body. Practicing restorative yoga helps to reconnect with divinity within. It brings grace, happiness, balance, strength and awareness to mind and helps in establishing comfortable feelings to go through day to day activities.

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