Blog: Yoga for all ages
Yoga is an ancient physical, mental, and spiritual practice that originated in India. Today it is practiced by people of various faiths and none.
The United Nations has proclaimed today, June 21, as the International Day of Yoga to raise awareness worldwide of its many benefits. Research suggests older adults who practice yoga are more likely to be in better mental and physical shape. Yoga can be readily adapted to suit various age-related conditions and diseases.
Amrit Kaushal, a Glasgow-based yogi who is 82, puts his robust health down to a regular yoga practice. After retiring in 2005, he threw himself into yoga and continues to teach it at the Hindu Mandir centre in Glasgow.
“There are three parts to yoga,” he explains. “Movement, meditation and breathing,” Amrit is passionate about sharing the benefits of yoga with others who are in later life. “Take meditation,” he says. “I’ve been reading about a study by neuroscientist Dr Andrew Newberg that looked at whether a daily twelve-minute meditation over 8 weeks could improve the memory of people with dementia. It did, by between 10 and 15 percent.”
“You cannot prevent ageing and death, but you can delay it by many years,” says Amrit. “At age 82, I can walk easily, do physical exercises and have no arthritis,” says. “Your age or health doesn’t matter, and it needn’t take up much time. But you do have to practice regularly and consistently.”
To get started, Amrit suggests simple exercises. “Here’s one for eye health,” he says. “Select an object on the ceiling, and one on the floor. Slowly move your eyes up and down between these, ten times. Next, hold your arms out to either side with your thumbs up, and slowly move your eyes from thumb to thumb ten times. Last, still with arms out, look at one thumb, then slowly up, to the other thumb, and down, in a diamond.”
“You could also hold out your arms in front of you, with your hands in light fists together. Rotate these away from each other, then towards each other, slowly ten times. This is good for your wrists.”
“For breathing, one I do is close a nostril with my thumb, breathe slowly in, then open it and close the other before breathing slowly out. I do this 20 times daily. Breathing through the nose helps purify air coming into the body. You should also breathe from your belly.”
“For meditation, sit a chair with your head, neck, and body in a straight line. Choose something to focus on. Some people use ‘mantras’, which is a word or sound such as ‘om’ your repeat to aid concentration. Some people prefer to focus on breathing. Any time you are distracted, return to whatever your focus is. This brings calm, quietness and peace.”
Amrit believes yoga is transformational, leading to a more positive mindset, healthier choices in other areas such as nutrition, and a happier life overall. “But the starting point is simple: just a little daily yoga movement, meditation and breathing.”
