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Old age brings a lot of positive things such as maturity, wisdom, and experience. But as older adults probably know, they are also followed by conditions such as osteoarthritis, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes, among others. In the United States, two out of three seniors suffer from some type of chronic disorder. Treatment of chronic illnesses is responsible for 66% of this country’s healthcare budget.

As you know, there’s no escaping old age. But seniors can live happily and healthily if they make the right choices. One of the ways in which elderly adults can live gracefully is by doing yoga. Yoga is beneficial for both mind and body. It helps our organs to function normally, and it does the same for the endocrine system. By practicing yoga on a regular basis, older adults will be able to do everyday chores without issues. They will also have more flexibility and strength in their bones and muscles.

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To commemorate International Yoga Day here are just some of the yoga poses that seniors can do on their own without the help of a trainer.

4 Yoga Poses That Seniors Can Do By Themsleves
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Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

This pose is one of the foundation poses, and it helps you with breathing. Furthermore, it will help you to prepare for other postures. It is suitable for the strengthening of your ankles, knees, and thighs. This pose is done by putting your hands on your waist. This way lumbar stability will be ensured. Your vision should be directed straight ahead with your weight distributed equally between your feet. What you do next is inhale deeply and raise your hands above your head and interlock them above your head. After this, you should lift your toes. The goal is to be in this position as long as you can. You finish this pose by exhaling slowly, lowering your hands while relaxing the shoulders. Move to the next posture after ten breaths.

Easy Pose (Sukhasana)

This pose justifies its name as it’s one of the easiest in yoga. It looks a lot like sitting with your legs crossed. By sitting in this posture, you will loosen stiff hips joints, strengthen the spine, and also calm your mind. This pose starts with sitting and crossing your legs. Hands should be put on your knees with palms positioned upwards. The tips of your thumbs and index fingers should connect. While sitting erect, inhale and exhale with focus on your breathing. Many older adults use this pose as a warm-up. The best would be to practice it for ten minutes a day.

Half-Waist Wheel Pose (Ardha Katichakrasana)

This posture is so comfortable that even those without a high fitness level can perform it. This pose is used for aiding in flexibility, digestion, blood pressure, back pain, and to strengthen waist muscles. You start this posture by standing erect with your hands by your side. While inhaling you should raise the left hand so that it touches your left ear. While bending to your right, you should exhale. Your left hand should be lowered after a few seconds. After this, you need to repeat the same movement, only switching sides. To achieve a healthy fitness level, you should practice this pose at least three or four times a day.

Yoga Cat Pose (Marajariasana)

This pose is mostly used to add flexibility to the spine. It also helps digestion because it massages our internal organs while we perform it. If you do this exercise, often it will remove the stiffness from both your neck and spine. This pose starts with you being in a tabletop posture which means resting your body on your knees and hands. The head needs to be in a position where your eyes are resting on the floor. While exhaling, you need to push your spine upwards without your arms or legs lifting from the ground. Be in this pose for 15 seconds. While inhaling return your spine to the original position.

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