2 Yoga Asanas That Help Senior Citizens Age Gracefully

• Senior citizens are slightly restricted in the exercises they can do.

• Yoga is the perfect physical activity for them to take up.

• Balasana helps to stretch the lower back and tones the abdominal muscles. It also stimulates digestion.

• Baddha Konasana is therapeutic for asthma and high blood pressure. It also stimulates the abdominal organs and improves blood circulation.

Yoga is beneficial for everyone irrespective of their age, but especially for senior citizens. With age, the elasticity of their muscles and joints starts reducing. The lack of flexibility increases the risk of injury. Yoga especially strengthens muscles and joints and increased lung capacity. Yoga also contributes to mental well-being.

Balasana (The Child Pose)

One of the constant complaints we’ve heard from elderly people is lower back pain. Balasana is a basic asana in yoga that stretches the lower back and tones the abdominal muscles.

How to do the asana

• Sit with knees bent with your hips gently pressed to your heels.

• Touch your forehead on the floor.

• Stretch your arms forward.

• Place your palms flat on the floor.

• Take slow and deep breaths while pressing your belly onto your thighs while inhaling.

• Continue for 5-15 breaths.

• To release place your palms right under your shoulder.

• Transfer your weight onto your palms and transition into a seated position

Baddha Konasana (The Bound Angle Pose)

High blood pressure is very common in older people. Baddha Konasana is therapeutic for those who’re suffering from asthma and high blood pressure. It also stimulates the abdominal organs and improves blood circulation.

How to do the asana

• Sit with your legs spread out in front

• Exhale and bend your knee

• Pull it toward your pelvic

• Drop your knees outward

• Press the soles against each other

• Pull your heels toward the pelvic

• Press the big toe of each foot with your index finger and thumb

• Sit straight and lengthen your spine

• Hold the position for 3-5 minutes and breathe rhythmically

Caution

Do not push your knees downward forcefully.

To know more about Yoga and healthy lifestyle, consult a Jiva doctor today. Dial 0129-4040404 or click on ‘Speak to a Doctor’ under the CONNECT tab in Jiva Health App.