Yoga for Senior Citizens

The whole life of an individual is a continuous process of ageing. Ageing is an inevitable truth, it is a normal biological process and it is not a disease. Ageing refers to slow, progressive, structural and functional changes that take place at cellular, tissue and organ level.  Every Individual is born healthy – free of disease but during the passes of the aging process, the elderly get different problems at the body and mind level.

Seniors need support – physical and emotional from their family, friends and society. In India, the support network is also weakening due to splitting up of the traditional joint family system.

This is the need of the hour, that the seniors themselves make their life better and look forward to living longer and more productive lives without depending on others.

 Graceful aging should be the main objective of elderly people. According to J.S Ross “You don’t heel old age. You protect it, you promote it and you extend it”. We cannot stop the changes of time, but we can modify lifestyle and activity as we age through -Yoga as a way of life.

Modern science defined health as moral, physical, mental and spiritual well being. This definition is very close to the Ashtanga yoga or eightfold path yoga. In which the Yaman and Niyaman deal with the moral aspect Asanas and Pranayama as deal with the physical aspect, Pratyahara and Dharna with the mental aspect and Dhayana and Samadhi with the spiritual aspect. Yoga gives a total picture of health.