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
