Yoga After 50 for Dummies

Improve balance, flexibility, and overall well-being

Yoga is a terrific way to stay fit and improve mental clarity, balance, agility, and flexibility. Written by the founding president of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, this book takes the guesswork out of starting or continuing yoga at 50 and beyond. You’ll learn how to adapt stances and breathing to your changing body to reap the benefits of this ancient practice and use it to calm your mind and body—one pose at a time.

• Discover step-by-step instructions for more than 45 poses
• Relieve stress
• Leverage your breathing
• Target weak spots, avoid injury, and deal with pain and chronic conditions
• Discover yoga apps and videos

Larry Payne, Ph.D. is the founding president of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and coauthor of Yoga For Dummies. Named "one of America's most respected Yoga teachers" by the Los Angeles Times, he also developed Yoga programs at UCLA School of Medicine and Loyola Marymount University.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond the Book 3

Where to Go from Here 4

Part 1: The Age of Yoga 5

Chapter 1: Yoga Over 50 is Just Smart 7

Understanding the Benefits of Yoga 7

Yoga at 50-plus 9

Yoga reduces stress 9

Yoga helps you breathe easier 10

Yoga helps your body 10

Yoga for meditation 12

Yoga improves your mental health 12

Check with your healthcare provider before you start 13

Finding Your Place in the World of Yoga 13

Selecting the Right Place and the Right Teacher for You 14

Selecting classes wisely 14

Home 16

Gym 16

Houses of worship, community centers, and libraries 17

Practicing without Injury 17

Playing It Safe 18

Warming up 18

Preparing the joints 19

Performing magic with PNF 19

Modifications 21

Chapter 2: Preparing to Practice 23

You Don’t Need a Lot of Equipment to Practice Yoga 23

Comfortable clothes 24

Mats 25

Blocks 25

Blankets 27

Bolsters, cushions, and pillows 28

Straps and other accessories 29

Proper Sequencing 31

Before You Begin 33

Chapter 3: Breathing through Your Yoga Poses 35

Benefiting from Breathing in Yoga 36

Leveraging Your Breathing 36

Breathing through the nose 36

Extending the exhalation 37

Four-part breathing 38

Breath surrounds movement 38

Three Ways to Breathe When Moving 39

Advanced Breath Work 40

Preparing for breath work 41

Bellows variation routine 42

Left nostril breathing 42

Alternate nostril breathing 43

Bee breath 44

Part 2: Yoga on the Mat 47

Chapter 4: Twenty Great Postures for the 50-Plus Yogi 49

Remembering Function over Form 49

Listening to your body 50

To modify or not to modify 50

Focusing on the spine 51

Forgiving limbs 52

Fascia (or as I like to call it, your leotard) 52

Yoga is not a competition 53

Asymmetrical Forward Bend 55

Bent Leg Supine Twist 55

Boat Pose 56

Bridge Pose 57

Child’s Pose 57

Cobra Pose 58

Corpse Pose 59

Downward Facing Dog 59

Easy Pose 60

Great Seal 61

Half Chair Pose 61

Half-Standing Forward Bend 62

Knees-to-Chest 63

Locust Pose 64

Mountain Pose 64

Revolved Triangle 65

Seated Forward Bend 66

Standing Forward Bend 67

Supported Shoulder Stand 68

Warrior I 69

Chapter 5: Meditation for the 50-Plus Mind 71

Benefiting from Meditation 71

Steady the Mind 72

Types of Meditation 73

Yoga postures 74

Mindfulness meditation 74

Transcendental meditation 74

Loving-kindness meditation (metta meditation) 75

Guided meditation 75

Kirtan Kriya 76

Meditation Routines for Home 76

Mindful meditation routine 77

Loving-kindness meditation 77

Kirtan Kriya routine 79

Part 3: Yoga in Your Everyday Life 83

Chapter 6: Yoga, Your Food, and Your Weight 85

Reaping the Benefits of a Balanced Diet 86

You do not need to be a vegetarian 86

One food plan does not fit all 87

Stress eating 87

Smartphone apps 87

Don’t Forget the Cardio 88

Practicing Yoga while Seated 88

Fifteen-minute routine 90

Five-minute routine 99

Chapter 7: Connecting Yoga and the Power of the Mind 101

The Mind/Body Connection is Real 101

Mind/Body Activities 102

Yoga without the Postures 102

Yoga and the Power of Imagination 103

Visualization 103

Affirmation 104

Goal setting 105

Stress as the great saboteur 105

Spending time with your family 107

Laughing 107

Chapter 8: Bedtime Yoga 109

Your Mind and Sleep 109

Yoga and Sleep 110

Blue light versus Yoga 111

Rose-colored glasses 111

Don’t Forget Your Vitamin G 112

Things to Think About 112

Yoga Sleep 113

Yoga sleep scripts 114

Developing an intention or resolve 114

Yoga Sleep at Home 115

Yoga and Intimate Matters 118

How yoga can support intimacy in physical expressions 118

Yoga and sex 118

Yoga and optimal pelvic floor health 120

Yoga after medical procedures 120

Celebrating what we share 121

Part 4: Adapting Your Practice to Common 50-Plus Conditions 123

Chapter 9: Keeping Your Balance 125

Proprioception: The Key to All Yoga Poses 126

Practicing Poses: Pointers to Keep in Mind 127

Practice up against the wall 127

Keep your eyes steady 127

Remember breathing is everything 128

Alignment and Balancing Poses 128

Balancing cat 128

Karate kid 129

Tree 131

Warrior III at the wall 132

Chapter 10: Love Your Lower Back 135

Back Pain is a Common Problem 135

It Hurts When I Bend Forward 136

Yoga postures to avoid 137

Yoga postures that may bring relief 137

It Hurts When I Bend Backwards 138

Yoga postures to avoid 139

Yoga postures that may bring relief 140

At-Home Routine 140

Chapter 11: Tending to Headaches, Asthma, and Your Upper Back 149

Age of Rounding 150

Tension and Stress 151

Tension Headaches 152

Breathing for Better Health 152

Diaphragmatic breathing 152

Belly breathing routine 153

At-Home Routine for Upper Back 153

Chapter 12: Dealing with Needy Knees 165

Are Your Knees Making a Crackling Noise? 165

Yoga can help your knees stay healthy 166

Smarter, not tougher 167

Getting to Know Your Knees 168

Yoga Routine for Your Knees 169

Chapter 13: Handling Hopeful Hips and Hamstrings 177

It’s All in the Hips 178

Bearing the Weight 178

Hamstrings 179

A Hips and Hamstrings Sequence for Home 180

Chapter 14: Dealing with Joint Replacements 187

Refining Your Yoga Practice 187

Hip Replacements 188

Anterior replacements 189

Posterior replacements 190

Knee Replacements 190

Types of knee replacements 191

Yoga and knee replacements 191

Poses to make you wary 192

Chapter 15: Boning Up on Osteoporosis 195

Who Gets Osteoporosis 196

Osteoporosis Symptoms 196

Yoga and Osteoporosis 197

Hinging from the hips versus bending from the waist 197

Yoga routine for bone health 199

Chapter 16: Handling Arthritis 211

What is Arthritis? 211

Common symptoms 212

Contributing factors 212

Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis 213

Discovering How Yoga Can Help 213

A Joint-Freeing Routine for Home 214

Chapter 17: Understanding Menopause and Andropause 229

Hormonal Changes in Women and Men 230

Menopause 230

Post-menopause 231

Andropause 231

Breath Work at Home: Cooling Breath 231

Yoga at Home 233

Chapter 18: Helping the Pelvic Floor 243

Both Women and Men Have Pelvic Floors 243

Making a Move 244

Knowing When to See a Doctor 245

Yoga and the Pelvic Floor 246

Home Yoga Routine for the Pelvic Floor 247

Part 5: Routines for Home 249

Chapter 19: Five-Minute Routines for Home 251

What You Need to Know 251

Routine 1 252

Routine 2 253

Routine 3 256

Chapter 20: Fifteen-Minute Routines for Home 261

Routine 1 262

Routine 2 267

Routine 3 273

Chapter 21: Thirty-Minute Routines for Home 281

Routine 1 282

Routine 2 292

Routine 3 302

Part 6: The Part of Tens 313

Chapter 22: Ten Tips for Your Yoga Practice: On the Mat 315

Avoid Pain at All Cost 316

It’s Okay to Change Your Mind 316

Modify when Necessary 316

Choose Forgiving Limbs 316

Prepare the Muscles and Joints 317

Use the Power of Your Breath 317

Selecting a Studio 317

Assessing Yoga Online 318

Be Realistic about Your Time 318

Include Meditation 318

Chapter 23: Ten Tips for Your Yoga Practice: Off the Mat 319

Take Your Vitamin G 319

Eat Well 320

Find a Cardio Workout You Like 320

Get a Good Night’s Sleep 320

Avoid the Blue Light before Bedtime 321

Communicate to Enhance Intimacy 321

Find Time to Meditate Off the Mat 321

Say Goodbye to Your Ego 321

Invite Others to Join In 322

Start Today 322

Index 323

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