Yoga Gives Seniors Renewed Flexibility

Dec. 15, 2012 - PRLog -- Age is no barrier to yoga. With a variety of forms designed to meet the special needs of virtually every practitioner, yoga offers benefits including stress reduction, improved flexibility, and a stronger immune system at any age. And increasingly, seniors are embracing this ancient discipline as a way to improve mobility, balance and tranquility.

Consisting of a series of flowing “poses,” Beginners Dynamic Yoga Release Stress and Lose Weight DVD, is designed to lengthen muscles and open the heart and lungs. Suzanne Andrews, star of Functional Fitness on PBS TV and a rehabilitation clinician demonstrates how yoga has come a long way from its origins as an esoteric Eastern practice. Now firmly ensconced in the mainstream health and fitness culture of every Western country, yoga has been adapted for use with infants, the bedridden, and even the terminally ill.

Suzanne Andrews, the creator of Beginners Dynamic Yoga created yoga movements that can be practiced anywhere, by virtually anyone.   With the DVD being an at-home guide geared toward all levels of flexibility, Beginners Dynamic Yoga can also be incorporated into physical therapy plans for those with arthritis, fibromyalgia, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Equipment is minimal, consisting mainly of a sticky mat to avoid slipping and a chair for the giraffes series: a series of exercises designed to relieve neck pain.

Although the image most commonly associated with yoga involves sitting cross-legged on the mat, Beginners Dynamic Yoga has been adapted for many special situations and needs, including “gentle” versions for those with stiffness or flexibility problems, and chair yoga, allowing those with mobility difficulties to practice sitting down.

One reason yoga works well for seniors is that the practice, like the poses themselves, is highly flexible. Practitioners are urged to listen to their bodies, take the pose as far as they feel comfortable, and to use yoga as a way of connecting with their body’s messages. The stillness and focus of yoga aids relaxation as well as concentration, and some research has even found that yoga practice boosts memory and focus in people with various forms of dementia.

Yoga doesn’t even have to involve the whole body. Some forms of yoga focus on the mudras, or hand poses, of yoga such as the fingertip to thumb pose frequently seen in meditation. Beginners Dynamic Yoga Release Stress and Lose weight encourages breathing exercises as a way to open the diaphragm and encourage oxygen saturation for improved well being.

Some forms of yoga such as “hot” yoga, an intense practice conducted in a heated, humid room, may not be appropriate for seniors, especially those with high blood pressure. But just as the poses of yoga are flexible, so too are its many variations. With yoga, there’s always a form of practice that suits any body – or any age.

To increase your flexibility, release stress and lose weight with the only doctor recommended yoga DVD designed by a licensed rehab clinician get Beginners Dynamic Yoga Release Stress and Lose Weight.  Now available for 19.99 (plus $4.99 for S/H) at:
http://healthwiseexercise.com/shop.aspx?p=4899&k=Beginners-Dynamic-YOGA-for-STRESS-RELEASE-and-WEIGHT-LOSS

Or for faster shipping, call now to order at 1-877-523-4848.