5 Ways Yoga Keeps You Young: Yoga Benefits for Healthy Aging
5 Ways Yoga Keeps You Young: Yoga Benefits for Healthy Aging
In a world where the pursuit of anti-aging has become a multi-billion-dollar industry, we often forget that true youthfulness resides within. Yoga, a practice with roots traced back 3500 years, has stood the test of time due to its incredible benefits for the body and mind at all ages and stages of life.
Most people treat yoga the same as any other fitness modality or exercise – going to class, moving through the physical poses according to instructions and checking it off the list for the day. When you can approach it from the mindset of a holistic health activity you regularly and consciously engage in to keep your body, mind and even spirit functioning as optimally as possible for your lifetime, it becomes so much more than exercise – it gifts you with a pathway to find your very own fountain of youth.
How does yoga promote healthy aging? Well, there are many ways, but here are some of the most significant:
- Flexibility and Mobility
One of the first things many think of when they hear the word yoga is stretching exercises. Consistent practice can significantly improve your range of motion, making your body feel more agile and youthful.
As we age, our muscles tend to tighten. This is attributed to age-related changes in the nervous system, muscle-tissue changes and decreased water content in the tendons. Without any preventative measures, this will naturally lead to decreased mobility and maybe even joint pain.
Many common yoga poses stretch and lengthen muscles as well as move joints in the various directions they are meant to move, reducing stiffness and keeping healthy ranges of motion. When you feel good in your body and are able to move with ease through the various activities of your life, you can’t help but feel many years younger than you actually are!
- Stress Reduction
Stress is one of the primary culprits that accelerate the aging process. In fact, medical research estimates that as much as 90% of disease and illness is stress-related.
Yoga provides an oasis of calm in the chaos of modern life. Through the deep breathing, meditation and relaxation techniques built into many classes, yoga helps regulate the body’s stress response, reducing cortisol levels and promoting a sense of calm and peace.
Regularly focusing on techniques to reduce stress not only enhances our mental well-being, but also slows down the physical wear and tear as well as reduces the inflammation associated with chronic stress. This will result in less illness, reduce your risk of many age-related diseases and keep your youthful vitality intact!
- Improved Posture, Balance and Bone Strength
As we age, maintaining good posture, stability and balance becomes increasingly important. After age 50, most people begin to lose more bone tissue than they are able to build, increasing the risk for osteoporosis, falls and breaks. There are many yoga poses accessible to people of all ages that help maintain great postural alignment, core strength, balance and strong bones. There are even opportunities to mindfully add light hand weights into yoga movements to put healthy stress on bones and in turn build bone density. This all results in feeling stronger and confident as you get up there in years and also helps prevent pain and injuries associated with falls, brittle bones and bad backs.
- Enhanced Circulation and Vitality
The practice of yoga involves various poses and movements that stimulate blood flow throughout the body. This, coupled with the deep breathing practices taught in many classes, improves circulation and enhances the supply of oxygen and nutrients to cells, promoting cell regeneration and overall vitality. A well-nourished body is better equipped to repair and maintain itself, contributing to healthier cells and a lower biological age.
- Increased Energy and Endurance
Doing yoga a few times per week can go a long way in boosting energy levels and improving stamina. As we age, it’s common to experience a decrease in energy, but yoga can reverse this trend. The combination of breathing techniques, physical postures and meditation energizes the body and mind, leaving you feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on what life brings with a calmer mind, a stronger body and a more resilient spirit!
Call us biased, but we fully believe in this ancient practice as one of the very best holistic health approaches – allowing you to live a full, happy and vibrant life, regardless of age. In teaching tens of thousands of clients over the years, we’ve encountered many older adults who were so appreciative they found yoga when they did to help them reverse some of the normal age-related issues aging adults experience while also helping them feel better than they ever anticipated.
So, roll out your yoga mat, take a deep breath, and soak in all of the benefits of yoga that can set you on a path toward a more vibrant and biologically younger version of yourself!
Local to Columbus, OH? Join us for a class to start enjoying the many yoga benefits for healthy aging! Get started here.
Not in Columbus? Check out our selection of yoga and meditation videos on our YouTube Channel.
