Combining slow movements with a focus on breathing is good for everyone’s body and mind.
The most suitable style of Yoga for the elderly is definitely the oldest one: Hatha yoga.
This style is more stable, slower and calmer than more modern styles and includes meditation that offers a sense of calm and peace.
Yoga brings many benefits to the elderly:
relieves chronic pain
combats the risks of sedentariness
improves sleep
lowers the heart rate, improving blood pressure
Another benefit that gives Yoga is to shift the attention towards itself.
Many old people tend to think of their children, their grandchildren, forgetting to take care of themselves. This practice leads the elderly to focus on themselves and regain a sense of the pleasures of life.
Having reached wisdom and maturity, the elderly tend to be more reflective and introspective: overcoming the cultural barriers that lead them to judge this discipline as an "exotic practice", they could manage to improve their body and their mind also through the Pranayama (breathing techniques) and Yoga Nidra (deep guided meditation).
The restorative styles such as Yin Yoga (with no muscle contraction) act on the joints giving mobility and pleasure for your body, keeping them functional longer. This practice also affects the senses, keeping active the attention and listening preventing falls and restoring the function of the respiratory system, improving the quality of life.
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