Ageing is an unavoidable phenomenon that every individual has to go through. Along with this ageing process comes the degradation of the human body parts; especially the bones and the muscles. In this age, yoga proves beneficial in curing various ailments that are a part of growing old. In this age even the immune system of the elderly goes down to make them more vulnerable to diseases. Performing yoga would help them manage pain and cope with other similar conditions.
Yoga also helps improve stability and balance. This decreases the possibility of falling or suffering from fatal accidents. Yoga also improves organ function as it helps massage the internal organs. The whole feeling of being engaged in performing yoga instills self confidence in the old people.
Some important yoga postures for the elderly are:
* Corpse pose or savasana: This is a calm yoga pose. You need to lie down flat on the mat. Your arms should be straight but slightly away from the body. You need to be sure that your back is totally straight and then raise the knee towards the chest area. This position will stretch your back muscles. Hold this position for some time and then return to your starting position. To come to the standing position, curl your legs up till the chest and then roll sideways to get on your knees. Now standing up would be easy.
* Easy pose or sukhasasna: Exactly as it sounds, this pose is the easiest. You must sit with your one leg crossed over the other and the hands placed on the knees. This is a meditative pose also.
* Kapalbhati- That which brings lightness to the skull, it is a technique of breathing (pranayama). This technique forces the mucus from the lungs and the nose. It also releases pressure from the head by clearing the sinus blockages.
* Cat pose or Bidalasana: This pose is very essential as it teaches how to synchronize the breathing to connect the body and the mind. The cat pose is great for spinal flexibility and it also strengethens the vertebrae. It also strengthens the pelvis to make hip movement easy.
* Dog pose or Adho mukha Shvanasna: This pose is very much similar to the cat pose with a little variation in breathing. The dog pose is very advantageous because it allows the oxygenated blood to circulate in the brain.
* Air releasing pose or the pavanamuktasana: This pose is said to be helpful in good digestion. Apart from giving a good digestive system, this pose also strengthens the muscles of the abdomen and stretches the legs.
All these poses or asanas are of great help especially to the old people. Performing these would make them healthy, active, confident and happy.
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