Yoga & Aging Part 4: Yoga Styles for Aging Bodies

Too often I have heard the refrains "I am too old to start yoga now." or "I had to give up my yoga class because I can no longer do downward facing dog. Or "I cannot stand for long periods of time anymore or I am too old." These statements horrify me especially because they can be so far from the truth of what yoga really is. You are never too old for yoga. It is a lifelong practice.

Yoga in Life Stages

As we all know, the truth is that our bodies change as we grow from childhood to adulthood to old age. These different statuses in life are inevitable.

Yoga for kids is very different from yoga for adults. Their bodies and brains, while not fully formed, are extremely flexible. In kids yoga, we turn our bodies into animal shapes to define the poses. This makes it easier for them to comprehend and the body and mind more capable to absorb. The child below is in bug pose.

This is not something we do for fully formed adults. For an adult yoga practice we use a completely different vocabulary that can even include Sanskrit. Some adults may need to modify poses due to injury and those modifications are encouraged.

By the same token, as we close in on old age and the end of life, we modify yoga to meet our own special needs at this later stage. Our bodies and brains start breaking down and unwinding. Examining what you can and cannot do makes for an internal robustness as you start the slowdown process of life. We can learn even more about ourselves using the wisdom of age.

Different Styles of Yoga for the Aging Yogi

You will see chair yoga advertised as good for seniors. It may be true for some. Yet, not all. Chair yoga is good in that it gets you moving. It's also good if you have a hard time getting up and down off the floor.

Yet, some senior bodies can use a greater challenge to maintain their strength, endurance, and balance. Gentle yoga is an excellent place to start. It is good for both beginners and older, experienced bodies. Gentle yoga is all about using props and making modifications. Alignment based yoga such as Iyengar is an excellent choice for the older yogi as it emphasizes props and modifications.

A third option for seniors is a vinyasa style class. Vinyasa is a style of yoga in which you are moving most of the time. It can be challenging. These classes help you build or maintain a lot of strength. Vinyasa style classes are usually geared toward intermediate yogis. If you've been doing a vinyasa practice for a long time, this may be the class for you as long as you make modifications and use props as your body dictates. For example: use kneepads or a folded mat to support the knee in low lunge.

Some of us have hand and wrist issues. That may mean modifying or skipping downward facing dog (maybe use fists instead of flat hands). Some may have osteoporosis and need to avoid all the forward folds. These folds can be modified by using a completely different pose to continue to bring you benefit.

The key to any yoga style while you age is to find a good teacher who is able to accommodate your changing needs by making yoga accessible with personalized modifications.

My Advice

Some of us have a hard time facing these changes. My advice,

1. Embrace the changes.
2. Learn to have gratitude for what these changes mean for you in the present moment of your life.
3. How will you make the best out of these changes?

Remember that yoga can help improve flexibility, balance, strength, health and well-being making it ideal for embracing our aging bodies.