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Senior Living

The face of aging is changed by the baby boomer generation and they are teaching the younger generations that growing older does not necessarily have to mean moving slower or growing sicker. Choosing to remain active throughout their retirement life is one way in which baby boomers are leading the charge toward healthy aging. While some seniors are lifting weights or running marathons, many are falling in love with the age-old practice of yoga.

Yoga can be great for people of all ages. Owing to many props and adaptations, yogis can take [art in sessions no matter their flexibility, strength, or popularity. Some of the important benefits of yoga as per experts in senior care are shared below.

Improved Flexibility

Practicing yoga can increase the flexibility of the practitioner. Increased flexibility can reduce the chances of injury from falls and can also help recover fast from pain or other injuries.

Enhanced Balance

Our balance can decrease as we age, which is quite natural. When elderly adults take part in yoga, they are working on their balance and various yoga poses can help improve the balance of the participants. When the balance of seniors increases, they are less likely to fall.

Enhanced Brain Activity

A yoga class can offer much more than just physical benefits. Many yoga poses involve reaching an arm across the body, which is called crossing the midline, and have been shown to improve body coordination and brain activity.

Improved Body Awareness

In yoga sessions, the participants are made to pay attention to various parts of their bodies. This can improve body awareness and can help to reduce falls and increase awareness of when they are ill or fatigued.

Enhanced Relaxation And Mindfulness

One of the biggest benefits of yoga for practitioners is the relaxation that it offers with focused movement. As yogis are focused on their movement only, they are living in the moment and practicing mindfulness. This can enhance their feelings of calm, peace, and happiness. Studies show that increased feelings of calm can result in reduced feelings of anxiety and decreased stress.

If you are planning to start a yoga practice, discuss it with your physician first. Your physician can offer you the precautions that you need to consider as you start your yoga practice. After that, you can search for yoga classes in your locality. If you happen to live in a senior living community, you may be lucky enough to have regular yoga sessions in your apartment. You can take advantage of these classes and try them out with your neighbors or on your own.