The philosopher George Santayana wrote, “Spirit can enter a human being perhaps better in the quiet of old age and dwell there more undisturbed than in the turmoil of adventure.” Santayana’s statement reflects the widespread recognition among diverse cultures that as human life advances through age-related phases, the process is accompanied by special growth opportunities. This truth is also highlighted in the ancient yogic texts, which describe “the four stages of life” (ashramas ). The stages are student, householder, retirement, and renunciation. According to yoga philosophy, retirement is an opportunity for individuals to hand over household responsibilities to the next generation and to gradually transition from a lifestyle focused on income, security, and material pleasure to one that emphasizes a deepening of spiritual practices. Ultimately, as physical abilities decrease with age, individuals ideally enter the stage in which they renounce all other pursuits and devote themselves fully to cultivating spiritual maturity, including profound peace of mind.
Given this ancient yogic perspective, Kimberly and Carol have crafted their Relax into Yoga program for seniors to not only focus on gentle practice of the physical aspects of yoga but also to foster mindful awareness—bringing careful moment-to-moment attention to the full range of experience, including thoughts, emotional currents, the quality of breath, and sensory feedback from one’s body.
Based on my immersion in the yoga tradition for twenty years as a swami (monk/teacher), followed by twenty-plus years of work as a clinical psychologist and researcher, I am certain that many aspects of yoga practice are readily accessible for most people, regardless of their cultural background, and also quite effective for helping them feel more ease and joy, and to function better despite chronic illness. Rigorous studies that we have published concur with the findings of other scientists: that yoga practices can improve pain, fatigue, emotional distress, sleep disturbances, and other symptoms among people living with conditions such as metastatic cancer, fibromyalgia, chronic low-back pain, and other illnesses.
As a result of this research, many traditional medical institutions—such as the Oregon Health & Science University, where Kimberly and I work—are rapidly integrating yoga into their programs as a complementary therapy. This book will therefore be very useful not only to yoga teachers and older adult yoga practitioners but also to the growing number of psychologists, social workers, physical therapists, and other professionals who are seeking to weave yoga practices into their offerings.
As this expansion of integrative medicine continues, we will hear more and more accounts of the kind of transformation that occurred for one of my patients. Debbie was a sixty-one-year-old registered nurse who had been forced into retirement by a combination of fibromyalgia and low-back pain. She also suffered from persistent anxiety related to her traumatic childhood. However, as she learned to meditate daily and to work mindfully with her breath throughout the day, she found that her pain began to improve and that she could more easily tolerate the pain that persisted. Debbie’s energy level gradually improved, her thoughts were no longer centered on a sense of distress, and ultimately she entered a phase of profound inspiration. She had always had artistic inclinations, but suddenly she found herself producing award-winning sculptures and jewelry. She has now launched a very successful second career and feels very grateful for what she has gained from her yoga practices. As you develop on your yoga journey, my hope is that you too will find rich benefit in your practices and relax into yoga.
—Jim Carson, PhDAssociate Professor, Departments of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine and PsychiatryOregon Health & Science University