rate this

thank you for rating! Yoga as You Age

An old saying in the yoga tradition says that you’re as youthful as your spine is supple and flexible. The exercises in this workout liberate and increase the strength and suppleness of your spine. It feels great to have a limber spine that’s free to move in all directions. A spine that moves with ease is important for safety reasons, too.  For example, you’ll be able to sit on the floor and get up without assistance, and you’ll feel more youthful so you can do the physical activities that you really love.

Yoga-with-weights exercises also increase bone density.  An excessive loss of bone density in the process of aging leaves your bones weakened and susceptible to fracturing and breaking. That’s the bad news. However, there is also good news: bone is living tissue, so it’s in a constant state of regeneration. In a yoga-with-weights workout, your muscles have to work against gravity, and you increase blood circulation to your muscles, both of which build bone density and muscle strength. You work on keeping your body strong and upright, but at the same time you do exercises that are gentle on your joints and connective tissues.

Along with building up your bone and muscle, the exercises below also improve your coordination. Maintaining good coordination reduces your risk of falling and allows you to be more sure of yourself.

Older adult’s bodies need more rest on certain days than do the bodies of younger adults. Make sure you, as a senior, pay attention to those needs. However, as much as you can, try to stay on track and do some exercise like yoga every other day. By consistently practicing yoga and paying attention to your breathing, you discover more physical freedom in your daily movements and in your life. You gain the confidence to be able to move with ease. When you begin to consistently exercise, you’ll notice a greater level of mobility and strength. Exercise will help you maintain the strength and mobility that you already have, giving healthy support for years to come.

Never force yourself or push too hard as you do these exercises or any workout; use your internal wisdom and experience to recognize when you should rest and when you should press forward. The goal is to challenge yourself to do the exercises with a little more intensity and concentration each time you do them.

Exercise #1: Candle Blowing with Bicep Curls

Candle Blowing warms you up for other yoga exercises. Throughout the exercise, you breathe in and out with pursed lips as if you’re blowing out the candles on a birthday cake. As you concentrate on your breathing and warming up your body, you work your bicep muscles and increase your blood circulation.

You need hand weights for this exercise.  1 to 3 lbs of weights are suggested. If the weights feel too heavy you can do the exercises without them, add them when you feel ready.

 When you’re ready to go, follow these steps:

1. Start by sitting in a chair with your elbows bent and the weights held at your thighs. Sit upright with your shoulders squared, and purse your lips for the proper breathing technique.

2. Exhaling to a count of four, curl the weights to the level of your shoulders. In weightlifting, this action is called a biceps curl. Pull your stomach in, and use your stomach as well as your arms to support the weights. Feel the air leave your lungs as you exhale.

3. Inhaling to a count of four, lower the weights to the starting position. Inhale slowly and deeply into your abdomen as you slowly lower the weights in rhythm with your breathing. Repeat this exercise four to six times, pause to rest, and then do four to six more repetitions.

Exercise #2: The Champion

Try the following exercise after you have already warmed up and done some other exercises. This exercise will make you feel like a champion! The Champion strengthens, conditions and tones your trunk, shoulders and arms. It also brings more blood to your pelvic girdle, which helps with movement. Stimulating the blood circulation will assist just about every body process of the body. Regular exercise of the pelvic floor muscles helps to maintain tone.

You need hand weights and ankle weights for this exercise. Have 2 sizes of hand held and one set of light ankle weights: a pair of 1-pound weights, a pair of 3-pound weights, with ankle weights in the amount of 1or 2 lbs maximum.

When you’re ready, follow these steps:

1. Straddle the right corner of a chair seat. Your bent right knee should be in front of you over the chair, your left leg bent and at your side and the toes of your left foot curled under for support. Your left knee should be a couple of inches from the floor in this position.

2. Start by twisting the trunk of your body slightly to the left, and lift and extend both your arms to shoulder height. Your shoulders should be directly above your hips. Look ahead toward the arm in front of you  your right arm.

3. Exhaling to a count of four, bend your elbows and lift the weights toward your shoulders. In weightlifting terminology, this action is called a biceps curl.

4. Inhaling to a count of four, extend your arms and return to the starting position. Repeat this exercise four to six times. Pause to rest, turn your body to the opposite side of the chair, and do four to six more repetitions for the other side of your body.


Bio:  Sherri Baptiste is the author of Yoga with Weights for Dummies (Wiley Publishers) and daughter of the American yoga and physical culture pioneers Walt and Magaña Baptiste. She has been associated with yoga since she took her first baby steps or assumed her first lotus position, whichever came first. She founded Baptiste Power of Yoga, a nationally recognized yoga method. A top expert in the field of health and wellness, she is an inspirational teacher at the forefront of yoga training in the United States and Canada. Sherri's way of teaching is accessible to everyone, offering depth, renewal, results and inspiration. Contact her at Sherri@smartnow.com or www.powerofyoga.com.