Yoga’s booming popularity has brought with it a huge surge in classes—some of which are taught by instructors with minimal training in yoga and/or the physiology of aging. To gain the benefits of yoga and minimize the risks, be sure you are working with an experienced, well-qualified instructor in a class that is at an appropriate level for your abilities. Ask prospective teachers how long they’ve taught yoga, where they studied, if they have experience teaching older adults, and, equally important, how long they’ve practiced yoga. Authentic yoga instruction is rooted in a teacher’s own yoga practice, and the best yoga teachers live their yoga on and off the mat. You might want to observe a class before you participate, and be sure to communicate with the teacher any health considerations that might affect your practice.
Consider trying classes offered at a hospital wellness center or integrative medicine facility. Many offer general yoga classes as well as classes designed specifically for groups, such as cancer survivors, people with heart disease, or those with arthritis. Yoga studios and senior centers often offer classes designed for “mature” bodies, with names like “Yoga Over 50,” “Gentle Yoga,” or “Senior Yoga.”
In addition, try these resources:
Yoga for Seniors
is a network of yoga teachers dedicated to making yoga practices available and appropriate for older adults. Founded by Kimberly Carson and Carol Krucoff, the organization’s mission is to advance the art and science
of adapting the yoga practice to older bodies, minds, and spirits. They offer training programs to help yoga teachers learn how to work safely and effectively with older adults, as well as an intensive certification program for yoga teachers who wish to become Certified Integrative Yoga for Seniors Instructors. For more information, and to locate a graduate in your area, please visit http://www.yoga4seniors.com
.
The International Association of Yoga Therapists
supports research and education in yoga and serves as a professional organization for yoga teachers and yoga therapists worldwide. The organization’s mission is to establish yoga as a recognized and respected therapy. To find a yoga therapist in your area, visit its website, http://www.iayt.org
.
The Yoga Alliance
is an organization that registers both individual yoga teachers and yoga teacher-training programs (schools) that have complied with minimum educational standards. For referrals to yoga instructors in your area, visit its website, http://www.yogaalliance.org
.
The Internet offers a wealth of medical information—some excellent and some completely false. To find reputable information, look for sites sponsored by the federal government (ending in .gov), educational institutions (ending in .edu), or professional organizations (ending in .org). Be cautious of sites with a monetary agenda—that is, those that sell products or services that stand to benefit from information the sites provide.
Here are a few trusted sites:
Medline Plus:
The National Institutes of Health’s website for patients, their families, and their friends offers information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues in many languages. You can find out about latest treatments, get
information about medications, and view medical videos and illustrations. https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus
.
HealthFinder:
This federal government website is managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and offers resources on a wide range of health topics selected from about 1,400 government and nonprofit organizations. Its mission is “to bring you the best, most reliable health information on the Internet.” http://www.healthfinder.gov
.
PubMed:
A service of the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, this site includes more than 25 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles dating back to the 1950s. PubMed includes links to full text articles and other related resources. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/
.