If your senior is looking for a way to improve her health, yoga might be a great option for her. But can she really try yoga now, if she’s never done it before? She absolutely can, as long as she keeps some tips in mind.
Yoga Is Fantastic for Balance and Flexibility
Balance and flexibility are typically two areas on which seniors need to focus. Yoga is full of poses that help with both issues, and your elderly family member doesn’t have to worry about high-impact activity that might jar her joints or be uncomfortable. That makes it a possibility for her new exercise plan.
Talk to Her Doctor First
Before your elderly family member starts any new exercise plan she should always have a conversation with her doctor. That conversation needs to include what types of exercise your senior is planning to do and how your senior’s doctor feels that activity will impact her health.
Yoga Classes Vary Greatly
It’s also important that both you and your senior know that there are a lot of different types of yoga. There are extremely vigorous styles of yoga that are complex and might be frustrating for her and there are relaxing, restorative yoga styles. Your senior may want to try a few different types of yoga to see where she feels best.
She Should Use Assistive Yoga Tools
Plenty of people use assistive yoga tools, and there’s no shame in that. There are straps, blankets, bolsters, and blocks specifically designed to help people to adapt yoga poses safely and easily. Classes in a yoga studio will have these tools available, but if your senior is practicing at home, she can use rolled up towels and other items as assistive tools.
Only Do What Feels Okay to Do
Your senior should only do what feels okay and comfortable for her to do in her yoga practice. If she’s overdoing things or overstretching, she can injure herself and that’s not the goal of any yoga practice. As she keeps doing yoga, she’ll gradually improve her flexibility and her balance, which will help quite a bit.
Having help when she’s practicing something new like yoga may be a good idea. That’s especially true if the help your senior needs is in getting to in-person classes that she wants to try. Senior care providers can be great cheerleaders, excellent transportation managers, and they can help her to be safe as she goes through her day.
If you or an aging loved one needs Senior Care in Roseville, CA, remember Senior Home Care Services. Call us at (916) 514-7006 for more information.
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