Relax into yoga for seniors : a six-week program for strength, balance, flexibility, and pain relief

by Kimberly Carson

Other authorsCarol Krucoff (Author), Mitchell Krucoff (Foreword), Jim Carson (Afterword)
Paperback, 2016

Publication

Imprint: Oakland, CA : New Harbinger Publications, Inc. 2016. Edition: First edition. Responsibility: Kimberly Carson, MPH, E-RYT; Carol Krucoff, E-RYT; foreward by Mitchell W. Krucoff, M.D.; afterward by Jim Carson, PhD. OCLC Number: 923795441. Physical: Text : 1 volume : xxi, 244 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm. Features: Includes bibliography, resources, Includes downloadable guided practices.

Call number

Yoga / Carso

Barcode

BK-08029

ISBN

9781626253643

CSS Library Notes

Description: Managing the emotional and physical challenges that come with aging can be difficult. Seniors face a number of age-related issues, such as chronic pain, hypertension, heart disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, and anxiety and depression. And while some people may consider yoga a young person's practice, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests yoga can be beneficial for a wide variety of age-related ailments. Relax into Yoga for Seniors--based on the innovative Yoga for Seniors program, and including new material for fans of the Relax Into Yoga for Seniors DVD--provides a step-by-step guide that combines the best of modern, evidence-based medicine with the ancient wisdom, experience, and tradition of yogic teachings. With this book, you'll explore what yoga is and how to do it safely, including important movement considerations like how to get up and down from the floor with care, and how to stand and sit with healthy postural alignment. With this popular program, you'll be able to create a safe and effective individualized practice that will address your needs, take personal limitations into consideration, and help you relieve pain, become more flexible and active, and connect more deeply with your inner experience. -- from publisher

Table of Contents: Part 1: Yoga for Healthy Aging --
Introduction: If You Can Breathe, You Can Relax into Yoga --
Yoga for Every Body --
Yoga for the Perfectly Imperfect Body --
Yoga for the Functional Body --
Part 2: Relax into Yoga Practices --
Practice Guidelines and Essentials --
Week 1: The Foundational Practice to Relieve Tension and Enhance Flexibility --
Week 2: Standing Poses to Enhance Strength and Balance --
Week 3: Seated Poses to Improve Alignment, Range of Motion, and Strength --
Week 4: Balance Poses to Boost Strength and Reduce Fall Risk --
Week 5: Back Strengthening to Support Healthy Posture --
Week 6: Core Strengthening to Enhance Spinal Health --
Additional Practices to Enhance Vigor and Relaxation --
Continuing Your Journey.

FY2019 /

Physical description

xxi, 244 p.; 26 cm

Description

Managing the emotional and physical challenges that come with aging can be difficult. Seniors face a number of age-related issues, such as chronic pain, hypertension, heart disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, and anxiety and depression. And while some people may consider yoga a young person's practice, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests yoga can be beneficial for a wide variety of age-related ailments. Relax into Yoga for Seniors--based on the innovative Yoga for Seniors program, and including new material for fans of the Relax Into Yoga for Seniors DVD--provides a step-by-step guide that combines the best of modern, evidence-based medicine with the ancient wisdom, experience, and tradition of yogic teachings. With this book, you'll explore what yoga is and how to do it safely, including important movement considerations like how to get up and down from the floor with care, and how to stand and sit with healthy postural alignment. With this popular program, you'll be able to create a safe and effective individualized practice that will address your needs, take personal limitations into consideration, and help you relieve pain, become more flexible and active, and connect more deeply with your inner experience.--… (more)

Language

Original language

English

User reviews

LibraryThing member hubblegal
This is an excellent introduction to yoga. It’s geared towards seniors but I think it would be beneficial to anyone learning the poses and setting up a home routine for themselves.

The book starts off with several chapters detailing the benefits of yoga, particularly for seniors. It talks about
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the vicious cycle of inactivity as we age. Movement hurts so people stop moving. Unused muscles become weak, which leads to more pain and immobility so people move even less. Not moving leads to weight gain, increased pain, plus the increased risk of heart disease and other health issues. The basic message of those first chapters is to keep moving and yoga is a great way to do that. Those first chapters also delve into what movements you should or shouldn’t do if you have specific health problems, such as heart and circulatory problems, osteoporosis, joint problems and arthritis, joint replacement, lung disease, cancer or chronic pain.

This is a six-week program so that yoga positions are separated into six sections. The first section describes the foundational practices that should begin and end each yoga session. That includes the three-part breath and range-of-motion sequence that would start your session to relax you and loosen you up. Also it describes the relaxation pose that you would end each session with.

For the remaining five weeks, you would start off with the three-part breath and range-of-motion sequence, then add that week’s poses, ending with the relaxation pose. Some of the poses require a chair, most don’t. Each of the poses have very detailed instructions, including tips you should remember as you do the pose and cautions that you should take if you have limited movement or a particular health issue, including a picture of the pose. The book ends with additional practices to enhance vigor and relaxation and also how to set up your own personal program. I haven’t finished all six weeks yet but I haven’t come across any that I’ve found hard to do.

What makes this book unique from any other yoga book that I’ve had is ability to download audio guided practices. You should look through each pose explanation very carefully so you have a good understanding of what you will be doing in the session and then download that week’s practice and just follow the very calm, relaxing voice of the instructor who will slowly walk you through each pose. The only thing I wish they had done with the audio downloads is to include the beginning and ending poses with each week’s new poses so you don’t have to first listen to the beginning of week one, switch to the week you’re on and then go back to the download of the first week to end. I’m sure as you keep practicing, those beginning and ending poses will become routine and you’ll no longer need to listen to them. These audio downloads are like having your own personal yoga instructor in your home.

Highly recommended to anyone beginning a gentle yoga practice.

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and have no obligation to write a review.
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Rating

(2 ratings; 4.3)
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