Relax into Yoga for Seniors presents twelve principles of yoga practice for seniors, including those with limited mobility. This evidence-based workbook will guide you safely—step-by-step, and with posture illustrations—on a six-week program for improved balance, flexibility, and overall well-being.
Managing the emotional and physical challenges that come with aging can be difficult. Seniors face a number of age-related issues, such as chronic pain, hypertension, heart disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, and anxiety and depression. And while some people may consider yoga a young person’s practice, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests yoga can be beneficial for a wide variety of age-related ailments.
Relax Into Yoga for Seniors—based on the innovative Yoga for Seniors program, and including new material for fans of the Relax Into Yoga for Seniors DVD—provides a step-by-step guide that combines the best of modern, evidence-based medicine with the ancient wisdom, experience, and tradition of yogic teachings. With this book, you’ll explore what yoga is and how to do it safely, including important movement considerations like how to get up and down from the floor with care, and how to stand and sit with healthy postural alignment.
With this popular program, you’ll be able to create a safe and effective individualized practice that will address your needs, take personal limitations into consideration, and help you relieve pain, become more flexible and active, and connect more deeply with your inner experience.
Relax into Yoga for Seniors includes free downloadable guided audio practices and printable PDFs. Instructions for downloading these extra features can be found on page 229 of the book.
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Elena –
I am a yoga teacher and I teach yoga to seniors. I was hoping to find some inspiration in here but I found the book quite basic. I appreciate the authors efforts in sharing this information but I was hoping for more poses and more instructions.
mameeskye –
Kimberley has 20 years of teaching yoga experience, and like Krucoff with 30 years of practi3 and 18 years of teaching has spent a decade teaching at the Duke University Integrative Health Care centre, producing the first teacher training for Therapeutic Yoga for Seniors in Autumn 2017, where they married safety aspects, knowing the conditions many western seniors presented with , to the Eastern philosophy and practice that is Yoga using the central tenet from practise of “I am not the physical form I experience today. I am not my thoughts. I am not my feelings. These come and go. I am the awareness that doesn’t change.” combined with, as the introduction says, “if you can breathe, you can relax into yoga.”
Asanas shown are shown in variations for less strong physical bodies, suitable for more Golden Beginners, along with the message that ‘the critical counterbalance of undoing, of slowing down, of savoring the moment and knowing more fully what life is presenting right now.’ Is key. The authors have 10 principles in their method
1. First, do no harm
2. Create a safe environment
3. Encourage yogic balance (sthira and Sukha, effort and ease)
4. Meet yourself where you are
5. Emphasis feeling over form
6. Honour the inner teacher
7. Encourage gratitude and joy,
8. Emphasise Fluidity
9. Use skilful language
10. The practice is about you, not the pose.
This list to me should speak to ever yoga teacher in every class, not just in a ‘yoga for seniors’ setting. If this was the case how many more yogis would be uninjured, how many would not come up with the saying I can’t do yoga as I am too inflexible, can’t touch my toes etc. A common list of golden age ailments is provided along with suggestions for how and why to practice before the Asana are commenced. The emphasis is on breath, being aware, creating a safe space and practice and functional movement, even going as far as showing how to get up and down off the floor. Additional resources are provided on line for teachers, readers etc. with complete audio of each weekly class to help you follow. With the six week practice building slowly and, in my opinion, safely, building up your powers of interception and proprioception. This book would be safe, in most cases, for a Golden Age Yogi to follow at home, but I would also recommend for all yoga teachers, as you never know who might show to your classes. The approach definitely embraces a yogic philosophy for an Asana practice and provides the central requirement of universal love and by following the 10 principles in all yoga classes will make yoga for more accessible to all who wish to experience it.
Kay Foster –
I’m a very unfit lady in my mid-sixties with a lot of potentially stress-related symptoms (migraine, psoriasis, rosacea etc). After a lecture from my GP about trying to take care of myself a bit better I looked for a yoga programme that is really suitable for someone of my age and physical condition and I found this. No doubt it would drive a serious yoga bunny to distraction, but it’s just what I need: calming to the mind and gently exercising for the body in a six week programme. After a session I actually feel better. The authors explain on their DVD of the same title, which I also bought, that they take account of Western medical opinion in selecting poses, so there are no forward bends, for example, which can be unhelpful for older people. There is lots of advice on how to modify poses to make them easier or suit particular health problems, and no preciousness about getting the poses ‘just so’. If you can breathe, as the authors say, there are things here that you can do even if you need to do them lying on a bed. It’s just what I needed.
SS –
I’m a yoga teacher, have taught yoga many years. This book is the best, compare with all the books I have read. Almost perfect. I also bought the DVD.
Free Spirit –
Started using this after having treatment for chronic backache. It’s a really well- presented and easy intro into yoga to strengthen muscles especially if you have not done too much exercise before. Commenced about 5weeks ago and have noticed I am more mobile so can recommend.
i –
I think a cd would have been better, a bit difficult to read and do actions
M –
This book is well designed for home practice use as a gentle program for yoga beginners and also as a guide for teachers who want to gear their classes to older and possibly disabled adults whose abilities and needs are not the same as younger students. The written cues, cautions, and illustrations help guide the beginner. I value and use the downloadable audio sessions (6), which introduce six different basic lessons. They serve as great role models for teachers. The audio segments be used to take a student through a 20-minute lesson. The book, downloadable text, and audio lessons give examples to teachers for presenting and teaching effectively. The book emphasizes using language that is welcoming rather than directive, inviting rather than ordering. I have been pleased to use it in combination with the Yoga U webinar to present yoga to beginners who are ages 60+ to 80+. I appreciate the specifics the book offers for doing yoga safely and discussing numerous cautions for vulnerable bodies, such as students with artificial joints, heart disease, arthritis, and other conditions common in older populations. The six-week program is a great introduction to yoga, and the “forms” (postures) are often adaptable even for people in chairs. I did find that some of the lessons take place reclining on the floor with no chair adaptations, but on the whole, this is a valuable program offering improvement in function, mobility. and spirit for older people, whether or not they have physical limitations.
eswaine –
As a yoga teacher i had hoped for some insight from a specialist teacher Unfortunately while the book has given some ideas , there’s nothing I didn’t already know. The different ailments descriptions are what you could Google and don’t give any help with postures.
I think this is more a book for anyone practicing yoga perhaps into their senior years . To be fair it doesn’t advertise as a teaching aid , I would recommend iyengar yoga for health and light on yoga for this , but it was interesting to see a different perspective.
Van Hoof Irena –
very good
Alan Inglis –
Fab easy to read
Geraint –
if you are a senior , and would like to some yoga at home you will find this book helpful.
Jim C. –
As a yoga teacher and aging practitioner, I found this book to be a great resource to make my teaching more accessible to older students or people with mobility limitations that are new to yoga.
egunter –
My favorite Yoga book.