Yoga offers abundant benefits to people of all ages. As we age, yoga helps retain strength, flexibility, general health and mental function. In addition, the regular practice of yoga can prevent or improve a wide range of health conditions, including osteoporosis, chronic pain, arthritis, Alzheimer’s and others.
If you are looking for a good resource book that addresses how to live longer and healthier with yoga, pick up The New Yoga for Healthy Aging: Living Longer, Living Stronger and Loving Every Day by Suza Francina.
Francina is an experienced Iyengar yoga instructor and author of several books on yoga and aging. In this book, she addresses the preventative health benefits of yoga. The book features yoga students of all ages, in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s and older that are living strong, vibrant lives with yoga.
There are sections of the book devoted to specific health concerns associated with aging and how yoga can benefit in terms of prevention and treatment. These include cardiovascular health, arthritis, yoga therapy after surgery, and conditions that include Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Many of the poses use props to modify the pose and teach proper alignment. Some of the props used in various poses include blankets, bolsters, chairs, ropes, straps and more. The use of props makes the practice accessible to all people, regardless of age and level of flexibility.
The book includes discussions of props and has sections that address using yoga props, including standard yoga props and items from around the house. There are detailed instructions on the use of using ropes, walls and chairs as well as many other props to enhance your practice.
Francina provides clear instructions with modifications and photographs for yoga poses that can be used to prevent specific ailments or just to improve general health and wellness as we age. The clarity of the instructions and photographs make it easy to follow along and learn to perform the asanas correctly.
In addition to poses for specific ailments, the book includes several short sequences. There are sequences for standing, seated, inverted and lying down poses that are easy to follow for students of all levels of practice.