Elderly going in for Micro yoga

Hyderabad: Yoga continues to evolve with time. The latest trend for the elderly is Micro Yoga. “Micro Yoga exercises, designed for the elderly, concentrate on breathing and joints. Joint pains are common in old age. The yoga poses in this category require bending limbs and is not too complicated and we often advise it to the elderly who join our yoga centre,” said Mr Praveen Kapadia of the Gandhi Gyan Mandir Yoga Kendra.

With the monsoon looming and increased traffic along with road works, elderly people find their morning walks a bit of a problem as they are advised not to walk on slippery areas. This has led to more people turning to yoga. “My doctor advised yoga  when I had chronic back pain and it has done wonders for me. I was told that yoga would improve the blood circulation to my spine and nerves. A good stretch loosens the tension in one’s body and my instructor advises me to do Anulom Vilom Pranayama which is an alternative nostril-breathing exercise that is said to relax one’s mind,” said Ms Vijayalakshmi M,  70.

Recent studies showed that yoga increases one’s concentration and makes one’s mind sharp. “A peaceful mind will always lead to a healthy body. The chanting of mantras while doing  yoga is to eliminate stress which will help overcome insomnia that many elderly people face. Some basic stretches in yoga help to reduce arthritis pain too. “The best part of yoga is that it can be done anywhere and the flexibility of a person increases if it is done frequently. Senior people cannot do vigorous exercises to maintain health but they can sit at home and do yoga. It builds a certain kind of discipline,” said yoga instructor Mani N.

Community yoga is on the rise these days. Buildings have begun their own yoga groups. “Initially my friends and I used to go for walks but we switched to yoga as it is good for our age group. It hasn’t led to weight loss but it has toned down our bodies. And the soothing effect on our minds is a benefit of yoga. Since we are all doing it together at one time, there is a sense of collective bonding even as we chant mantras,” said Ms Lanvi S of Durvesh Enclave.