8 benefits of yoga for elderly care at home

Today Yoga is proving to be the best way of taking elderly care at home. Doctors also accept the benefits of regular yoga exercises for giving both mental and physical relaxation for elderly persons. The benefits of performing yoga are endless. This has been proven by many experts and people from different age including the elderly has been happily keeping themselves fit by doing yoga. 

Why is yoga important for elderly care?

Seniors often come up with this question whether they are too old for doing Yoga. The answer is simple. Starting yoga at old age may seem a bit intimidating at first. But if you chose the right poses for yoga, then you can enjoy the benefits and keep your mind and body healthy and flexible.

Let’s check the 8 benefits of yoga for elderly care at home.

1. Improving better mental health for elderly persons

Yoga can be very useful in elderly care at home when it comes to providing better mental health in elderly people.

● Elderly persons rely on Yoga-Nidra or Yoga-sleep for improving their sleep technique.

●  Marjariasana is mostly used in relaxing the mind.

●  Shishuasana also is a proven yoga pose that calms the whole nervous system in elderly persons.

2. Give relief from the muscular joint pains

We often hire physiotherapists or give painkillers to elderly persons for better relief from muscular or joint pains.  Instead of depending on these chemicals, Yoga can be a good alternative. Yoga techniques are harmless and help to reduce muscular and joint pain problems. An easy way to treat the aches and take elderly care at home.

● Through the sitting asanas like Badhakonasana, the elder one can get relief from joint stiffness of thighs and knees.

● The Yoga postures help both men and women to develop better muscle tone and muscle strength too.

3. Providing muscle flexibility for better muscle movement

Aging brings in another common problem amongst the elderly person is to lose the flexibility of muscles. You should believe this old form of treatment for treating problems like backaches, shoulder, and back pains as well.

●Yoga exercises like Bhujangasana help to improve the flexibility of the shoulders. Seniors will feel a lot more energetic and also feel relief from back and shoulder pain.

●  Locust posture or Shalabhasana also helps in toning the back and neck muscles.

● Cat-stretch pose or Marjariasana also helps to maintain the flexibility of the spine and helps to reduce muscle stiffness.

4. Improving the breathing and lungs capacity

Elderly persons suffering from lung disease or any nasal problem can rely on yoga

●  Researchers show that pranayama techniques help to improve the baseline expansion of lung capacity in elderly persons. Elderly persons can get rid of respiratory problems through short-term yoga techniques as well.

●Yoga like the wheel, bridge, and Upward-facing Dog open stretching of the chest are even used in the treatment of asthma. 

●Anuloma and Biloma, Kapalabhati, and sitali pranayama are the most common pranayama used for improving the breathing technique. If you are a carer then pranayama can be a good option to take elderly care at home.

5. Help in strengthening the bone

Osteoporosis is another symptom of aging and poor bone health, especially amongst the elderly women.

● Weight-bearing yoga poses can help to reduce the risk of Osteoporosis.

●ArdhaMatsyendrasana or Seated twisting pose and UtthitaParsvakonasana also protect the lowering of bone density in elderly persons.

●The Meditation techniques also trigger the release of calcium secretion in elderly persons that help increase bone density in elderly persons.

6. Improving body balance

Undoubtedly, yoga techniques are the most proven tools for maintaining a perfect body balance even after the age of ’60s or ’70s.

●Tree pose or Vrikshasana helps to keep a perfect body balance and improve muscle flexibility for elderly

● Yoga techniques like Katicahkrasana, bridge, and low lunges are also helpful yoga poses for the elderly that help in maintaining body posture and prevent slouching.

●  Elderly persons in India can also try techniques like Warrior II and extended puppy pose or even triangle pose to increase the flexibility of their hips joint.

7. Minimize heart disease and hypertension

Yoga has been able to reduce the habit of taking a large number of medications for hypertension and heart diseases. A professor at California state university reveals the report of 17 studies that prove the benefits of Yoga in reducing blood pressure and reducing the risk of heart failures.

●  The controlled breathing exercises help to release the hormone which relaxes the blood vessels and reduces blood pressure.

●  Balasana or Child-pose yoga helps better blood circulation in the elder’s body.

●  The easy pose or Sukhasana gives the elder relief from high blood pressure.

8. Improving the digestive health of Indian elderly persons

Yoga is the most modern approach to develop the digestive health of elderly persons.

●Various Yoga like Bhujangasana and Shalabhasana help to reduce disorders like Intestinal Bowel disorders and improve blood circulation as well.

●Pavanmuktasana helps in proper bowel movement in elderly persons and helps in the treatment of common issues related to the digestion of elderly persons.

● Yoga Asanas reduce the constipation problem amongst the elderly persons. It also helps in the release of interleukin-6 which prevents the risk factors of any cancer related to digestive tracts.

Knowing all the benefits of Yoga taking elderly care at home will be much easier. Yoga helps elderly persons from getting rid of various chronic diseases. It is essential to encourage their lively spirits and make them believe in the fact that it is possible to stay fit at any age.