Mind, body, heart and soul – the key to becoming a healthy and happy human being lies in maintaining the wellbeing of these four components, no matter what your age.
As you age, it is natural that your body and mind experience a certain degree of physical changes that can lead to fatigue. Your joints begin to get rusty, your reflexes slow down, the body starts losing its elasticity, the muscles get weaker, and the mind, too, shows signs of exhaustion.
There is no shame in admitting and accepting that you are growing old; in fact, it happens to be one of the best phases of your life.
However, given the aforementioned facts, it is important that you pay extra attention towards your physical and mental wellbeing. One form of exercise that manages to let you do this is yoga.
Yogic asanas or poses/postures are known to be the near-perfect way of ensuring strength, flexibility, stability, mobility and wellness. Here’s looking at five easy yoga postures that you should incorporate in your daily morning routine.
1. Tadasana
The ‘mountain pose’ is one of the easiest asanas in yoga and is considered particularly beneficial for those who are 60 years and above in age. Essentially meant to correct bad posture by working your abs, back, legs and core, this pose helps you:
- Improve your blood circulation
- Relieve stress
- Work on your stability and mobility
- Enhance the functioning of the digestive system
- Improve your posture when you stand or sit
2. Uttanasana
The classic inversion pose is an excellent way to deal with (or avoid) back-related problems. By standing in an inverted position, the asana stretches out your hamstrings, calves, lower back and puts pressure on your ankles, hips and abdomen. Uttanasana is known to:
- Relieve chronic back pain
- Aid blood circulation
- Lower stress levels
- Strengthen your hamstrings
- Make you more flexible
3. Baddha Konasana
The butterfly pose, as we all know it, is a great way to engage your groin area, which is usually a stiff and ignored part of the body. Ideally meant to be done early in the morning on an empty stomach, the Baddha Konasana helps:
- Stimulate your urinary bladder
- Manage kidney problems
- Improve the functioning of your digestive system
- Deal with the menopause process
- Relieve fatigue
4. Bhujangasana
A pose that resembles the rising head of a cobra, Bhujangasana is best known for its ability to engage the lower back, shoulders and chest. Individuals with spine injuries, back problems or lower back pain should ideally practice this asana every single morning. Bhujangasana helps you:
- Deal with lower back stiffness
- Address spinal pain
- Relieve pressure from the shoulders and chest
- Stretch and engage the abdomen
- Improve flexibility
- Get rid of hunching problems
5. Shavasana
Amongst the most popular and easiest of yogic asanas is the Shavasana. Meant to be done at the end of every yoga session (or workout), this posture involves lying down on your back and breathing uniformly, while relaxing every muscle in your body. Shavasana helps:
- Cure insomnia (a common problem during old age)
- Deal with constipation
- Improve concentration levels
- Ease stress and anxiety
- Improve mental health
- Rejuvenate your body
While there are several other asanas in yoga that can improve your overall health or target specific groups of muscles and joints in your body, the ones mentioned above are ideally recommended for seniors. Some other popular yoga postures include the likes of Vajrasana, Virabhadrasana, Trikonasana, Vrikshasana, Paschimottanasana, Balasana, Ardha Pavanamuktasana and Setu Bandhasana.
It is important that you only practice those asanas that you are comfortable with. If you find it difficult to carry out any such exercises at home, it is best that you visit a doctor and discuss what set of poses and asanas is ideal for your body.
Yoga is effective and all it takes is 30 to 60 minutes every morning for you to kick-start your day on a healthy note. Live strong, live long!
