The word “yoga” means “union,” and the practice is designed to help us remember the connections among our mind, body, and spirit. It’s also meant to bring us into union with our deepest, truest self. In contrast to the busy, outward focus of daily life, yoga practice invites us to slow down and turn our attention inward, to move mindfully and listen deeply to the quieter wisdom of our inner life.
Just as you would prepare for a reunion with friends and family, you will want to carefully attend to the details that will make your experience smooth and enjoyable. It’s important to recognize that, unlike Western exercise, yoga is noncompetitive and does not involve strain. In fact, a central intention of yoga is to cultivate steadiness and ease. Here are some guidelines that can make your practice—this reunion with your self—steady and comfortable.
You don’t need fancy equipment, a large space, or expensive clothing to practice yoga. Any area in your home that is big enough for you to stretch out your arms and legs on the ground (or in bed) will do.
When we enjoy and feel comfortable doing something, we are much more likely to do it again. This is also true with yoga—so set up your space to best support an enjoyable practice. Pick a spot with a comfortable temperature. If the room is too hot or too cold, it will be less enjoyable, and your body will have to work harder to warm or cool itself. If there is a beautiful window you would like to practice in front of, time your practice so that the sun is not overheating the space.
Set up your practice space with an eye toward safety and comfort. For many older adults beginning a yoga practice, having a chair or a wall nearby can be useful for balance. We all have days when we feel steadier on our feet than others. The chair or the wall can provide great support on those wobblier days. If coming up and down from the ground isn’t something that you have done in a while, a chair can be a particularly helpful tool for reclaiming this important life skill.
You might also want to have a few props nearby to make your practice more comfortable. Many people like to use a yoga “sticky” mat, especially if they will be practicing postures on the ground. A folded blanket or pillow can be helpful to cushion your head or knees if necessary. A strap can make some of the postures that stretch the legs more comfortable. But you don’t need to buy a special strap; a bathrobe tie or a necktie can work quite well.
As your yoga practice will be a precious time for nourishing your body and steadying your mind, you might enjoy placing one or more special, inspiring objects in your practice space. For example, a photograph of a loved one or favorite pet, a treasure from a special trip, or even a fresh flower can reinforce for you why it is important to continue practicing. These reminders of afternoons with a grandchild, walks with a beloved pet, or time in your cherished garden may be a strong motivator for keeping your body and mind as healthy and functional as possible.
The yoga practice asks us to use our bodies and minds in new and sometimes unfamiliar ways. To prepare for these challenges, make sure you are well hydrated and nourished. However, it is not recommended that you practice directly after eating. Allow your body a couple of hours to digest a full meal, and thirty to sixty minutes to digest a small meal, prior to practicing the postures. Drink some water and, if you like, have a light snack—such as a piece of fruit or glass of milk—before practice. For people living with diabetes, monitor your blood sugar and eat a snack if necessary before beginning a yoga session.
As it doesn’t feel great to practice with a very full belly, consider practicing first thing in the morning just after you wake up or before lunch or dinner. Some people enjoy a gentle practice in the evening before bed. If you choose this end-of-day rhythm, you might want to focus on relaxing, simpler poses, since some of the stronger postures can be quite invigorating and may make falling asleep more difficult.
Wear comfortable, nonrestrictive clothing. And to reduce the risk of falls—as well as to stretch and strengthen your feet—we recommend practicing barefoot. If you need the support of shoes as you are developing your practice, that is fine. However, it is not advisable to practice in your socks, as they are quick to slide, especially on tile, wood, or other smooth-surfaced flooring. If you have cold feet or prefer to wear socks for any other reason, invest in a pair of yoga socks, which have gripper dots on the bottom and separate each individual toe.
Always check in with how your body is feeling overall. If you feel stiff or sore, allow time for a slow warm-up before moving on to more challenging postures. If you are fatigued, try some gentle stretches and relaxation, and then see how you feel—you might be surprised at how invigorating a simple practice can be.
Just like you might set a resolution at the new year to take better care of yourself or be more available for your loved ones, you can set an intention for each practice session. In the yoga tradition, sankalpa is the term used to describe such resolutions or intentions. We suggest setting the intention to stay present—so that if you find your mind wandering off during your practice, you will do your best to bring your attention back to the present moment.
Yoga is a practice of awareness designed to quiet your mind and help you connect with your innermost self.
Yoga, as it has been passed down through the ages, is fundamentally a practice for cultivating awareness, for being fully present with all that arises in your life in an open and nonjudgmental fashion. The postures are a tool for refining awareness of what is unfolding in your body, mind, emotional heart, and spirit. For example, deepening your relationship to the sensations in your body can be helpful in recognizing when patterns of tension or stress first arise. Or you may notice that certain emotional responses arise in reaction to a particular posture (that is, fear when feeling unsteady in a balance pose or frustration when encountering a physical limitation). As your practice deepens, you will become better and better at recognizing when the commentary in your mind is causing additional stress in your body and be able to make more skillful choices.
Many of us have habits of multitasking, reactivity, and distractibility. Yoga can shed light on these habits of heart and mind, so maintaining a steady and disciplined practice can help you learn healthier ways of being.
We recommend practicing the postures at least three times a week and the breathing practices daily. Even if you only have ten minutes to practice, it is better to do a little practice than no practice.
Please recognize that yoga is not just about training your body—you are also training your mind. So during your yoga practice, when you notice you are thinking about what you will have later for dinner or how a difficult conversation went earlier, simply notice the tendency of your mind to lose focus. Without judgment or frustration, redirect your attention to your breath and/or to the sensations of your movements. Likewise, if you experience a strong emotional current, see if you can stay steady by trying to simply feel the feeling without trying to explain it, force it to go away, or change it. Just feel how it feels in your body, then see what happens. Remember: steady and comfortable is the intention.
In addition to helping you stay present in the moment, focusing attention on your breath can also be a powerful tool for staying steady and comfortable by alerting you to times when you cross the line from challenge into strain. If you find yourself holding your breath as you practice a posture, or if your breath becomes ragged or shallow or compromised in any way, it may be a sign that you are doing too much and should back off the pose until you can breathe comfortably. Let your breath be your teacher, giving you insight into what is true for you in this moment.
The Relax into Yoga program is designed to ease you into a regular yoga practice during the course of six weeks, and we recommend that you make a commitment to practice regularly so that you can enjoy the full benefits yoga can offer. During the first week, you will learn the foundational skills of the Three-Part Breath, the Range-of-Motion Sequence, and Relaxation pose—all of which are described in chapter 5 (week 1).
During each of the following weeks, please begin each practice session with the Three-Part Breath, then warm up with the Range-of-Motion Sequence. Next, you’ll try a new sequence each week (“Standing Poses to Enhance Strength and Balance” in week 2, for example, and “Seated Poses to Improve Alignment, Flexibility, and Strength” in week 3). Be sure to finish each practice session with Relaxation pose. This approach will incorporate some practices that are familiar and some practices that are new each week. At the end of the six-week exploration, you will have experienced dozens of postures and have a good sense of how they work in your body, and the ways in which they support your daily activities.
As you build your practice, it is helpful to also begin incorporating brief mini-practices into your daily life. For example, try to:
Integrating yoga’s teachings into your daily life encourages your practice to become even more vibrant and supportive.
This approach to practice is sometimes referred to as “yoga off the mat.” Integrating yoga’s teachings into your daily life encourages your practice to become even more vibrant and supportive.