Who are Senior Citizens and Why Yoga for Senior Citizens
Senior citizens are the people who cross 60 years in their life. In this post, we give the idea on why Yoga for Senior Citizens? Actually, there is not any fixed age to be old. Especially, it is a psychological aspect but generally, people think that if someone is 60 years or more, he or she is old. Simply, this stage is the old age of every people which is naturally very sensitive.
We have to be very careful in our old age. In this age, we become mentally and physically weak so we have to be more careful than in our previous age. We feel lonely in this state. If we do yoga regularly in this state, we can be active like others who are not crossed 60 years in their life.
On the other hand, senior citizens are wise and experienced human resources so they should be healthy and active in their life. They can guide us in every sector of life. They can change the life of new generation by their golden experience of their profession. Yoga can be the best way of making them able to share their valuable experience.
If we apply yoga in our daily life, we never get old mentally. Our mind becomes youth but only our body gets old. For a yogic man, old age can be the blessing, rather than the curse. Yogic life is the best way of living without any mental retardation.
When they grew old in their life, older people have faced many challenges in the different field and that becomes the new formula for the newcomers. If we can grab their experience as the great opportunity to be the success in our life, we have to respect them and give them the chance to grow up with yoga. Yoga can heal all the physical and mental diseases so they can be creative in their life. The last day of their life also becomes active, if they live perfect yogic life.
In this stage, the older generation thinks that they are not useful to the society but that is not the reality. The society also thinks so and can't use the golden part of the society. We have to change the trend of our thinking and use seniors for the better world. The new generation is naturally aggressive and they don’t have patience.
The old generation is naturally practical because they have spent more years in this world by doing the profession in one field. If we can make the real combination of new and old generation, we can get the great achievement to establish a beautiful world. For that, we have to practice yoga regularly. We have to give the chance of yoga for every senior to develop their mind and reduce the rate of diseases in older people.
If we want to make our life beautiful without regret, we have to hear the seniors and apply their suggestion in our profession. The older people should also give the chance to the new generation in every profession thinking that they are capable. Older have to involve in the activities of yoga, Pranayama, and meditation. They have to share their experiences with the new generation.
What are the common problems in this state?
In the old age, there are a lot of problems. In this old age, our body becomes weak and the power of our brain decline. Our memory power also becomes less. We feel that people reject us and don’t give any attention to us, therefore, we think that we are neglected. The older people generally become psychologically and emotionally tired.
So, they should feel secure in their life by the practice of yoga. Yoga can be the solution to all the problems of old age because the most important purpose of yoga is to reunite with the higher self. If we can understand the higher self, we never weep for worldly affairs which are impermanent. By yoga, we can understand the way of life and mystery of life. We have to identify our problem in our old age and should start yoga for our betterment of our condition. These are the common problems in our old age.
1. Feeling of loneliness
2. Financially insecurity
3. Stress
4. Depression and anxiety
5. Blood pressure
6. Diabetes
7. Fatigues
8. Weakness.
Why yoga in Old age
We can see in points how yoga can be the great pleasure in our old age:
1. It maintains the balance in our old age.
2. It reduces the joint pain and our joint becomes flexible.
3. It helps for healthy bones and muscles.
4. It enables us to cope with the mental stress.
5. We are able to feel younger that really we are physically old.
6. It helps us to be relaxed with emotional level.
7. We can be happy even we are alone. The feeling of loneliness disappears by the practice of yoga.
What poses and Pranayama we can do in old age
There are a lot of poses in yoga but in our old age, we don’t have to practice difficult poses. We have to do easy and medium poses, by concerning our strength. We have to think our age while we do yoga. Yoga can strengthen our body and grow our mind. Some poses for the senior citizens:
Some Pranayamas for senior citizens:
1. Anulom Bilom Pranayama
2. Bhramari Pranayama
3. Kapalbhati
4. Bhastrika
Those are not the complete package for the senior citizens. We can do more poses and pranayamas but simply they are just the examples. The old people have to do poses and pranayama in slow motion. They should be careful in stretching and bending. They should do yoga very patiently by watching the sensation of their body.