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When one is over forty or fifty and has no prior stretching experience, yoga may seem like a chore. In spite of this, it doesn’t need to be complicated. As long as you can do breathing exercises and meditation, yoga is for you. Meditation and breathing techniques, as well as maintaining energy flow, require daily practice. Mediation’s contemplative aspects facilitate stress management and cultivate peace of mind.

Certain forms of yoga have slow movements and deep breathing to increase blood flow and warm up muscles. It is imperative to listen to your body and push only to the point where it feels comfortable and safe. As you age, yoga might help you stay flexible and build strength through low-impact movements.

Yoga practice has also been shown to have positive neurological and mental health benefits. Additionally, it can assist the body in healing at any stage of life, especially if physical capabilities have declined due to aging. Studies also show that yoga can help improve arthritis, diabetes, insomnia, depression, and other conditions that arise with aging.

Be sure to find a type of yoga that works best for you, looking for classes titled restorative, hatha, beginner, or chair yoga. Chair Yoga is ideal for those with limited mobility or those recovering from an injury. Staying seated while doing yoga means that even frail seniors or those who aren’t flexible can safely do the exercises. Restorative Yoga is a slow-paced class suitable for seniors, focusing on the mental and meditative benefits of yoga. Hatha yoga is most suited for those starting up, as this style is typically about breathing and stretching and not about complex yoga postures and it also doesn’t accelerate the heart rate.

What do researchers say about yoga? How are these claims validated by the scientific community?

Stress Management

People usually practice yoga to reduce stress and for relaxation. A number of studies have shown that yoga is a stress-relieving method backed by science.
When the body continuously experiences surges of stress hormones, such as cortisol, it damages the blood vessels and raises the blood pressure.
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have shown that when people practice yoga regularly for at least 3 months, cortisol and perceived stress are reduced, and pro-inflammatory cytokines that are responsible for inflammation can be reduced as well.

Mental / Emotional Health

People who have anxiety disorder or PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) can practice and benefit from yoga. Yoga has been proven to reduce anxiety levels, improve mental wellbeing and resilience by a significant amount in studies that have been conducted on the subject.
A study from NIH demonstrated that people who performed yoga showed higher level of a brain chemical called GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid). Low levels of GABA may be linked to anxiety or mood disorders. Researchers suspect that increased GABA may boost mood or have a calming, relaxing effect on the nervous system. Thus yoga can help people experience relief from anxiety and chronic stress.

Listed below are a few basic but essential points to be followed and abide by while doing Yoga:

Dos for Yoga

• Wake up early in the morning and then perform your daily ablutions mandatorily, brush your teeth thoroughly, clean your tongue and preferably take a bath and then begin your yoga.
• A fresh mind and well-rested body sync with yoga practice better so ensure you get sound sleep the night before and begin early in the morning. 
• To get the best out of yoga asanas practice early in the morning, it is preferred to practice yoga early in the morning, after taking a bath and on an empty stomach but can be performed without taking a bath. 
• Make sure to cool your body down post your practice of yoga and then go for a bath.
• Yoga asanas should be performed in a peaceful environment and should not be hurried.  Exertions, stress or strains are a big no-no. 
• Performance of the yoga asanas movements should be slow, rhythmic and non-jerky. Stick to yoga practice every day regularly and preferably at the same time. 
• If one experiences an urge to pass urine while or after doing Yoga and so one should avoid holding the urine back forcefully for a very long period. Also, try not to suppress sneezing, coughing and more. In case, you feel dehydrated or thirsty, you can drink water in small quantities.
• Include green, easy-to-digest vegetarian foods in your daily meals.
• If possible, perform yoga in open, or keep the doors, and windows open for fresh air and light.
• Always practice yoga using a mat or carpet on a levelled floor.
• Doing your yoga asana practice in a fixed place everyday benefits more, if possible choose a place which gets early morning tender sunrays first.
• While practising yoga, you must concentrate only on yoga and try to keep away from unwanted thoughts.

The practice of Yoga goes back thousands of years. In fact the mythological origins are supposed to be in the times of the Gods. Shiva, the Destroyer is the God who is supposed to have created the form. Through history, yoga was an integral part of Indian culture and tradition. From householders, to armies and to ascetics in the depth of the mystical Himalayas, Yoga was practiced to optimise the mind and the body. Various other well known physio mental arts are supposed to have originated via Yoga. The practice of the Shaolin temples in China and Kalaripattu in Kerala are closely connected to Yoga. In fact, recorded in history is the fact that large armies of a section of the Mughals and the Rajputs as late as the 17 th Century practiced Yoga regularly to increase and enhance their efficiency as fighting forces.

So I shrug off my apprehensions and started searching for a Guru. I found one in an ancient practitioner in an Ashram in Rishikesh. A believer in the Shivananda school of Hatha Yoga, my teacher taught me that Yoga, was first a mental and breathing art and only then is it a physical art. In fact each physical posture has deep meditational implications and an enhancement of the breathing mechanism that has far reaching wellness effects.

Once I started practicing, I started getting addicted. I found the breathing exercises and the relaxation extremely relaxing. I found the use of my own bodyweight in strengthening exercises and postures a liberating experience. I didn’t really need to go to expensive gyms just so I could hit the machines.

The only machine that I ever need are my mind and body. For me, Yoga was freedom. It was freedom from bad health. It was freedom from weak muscles and a freedom to exercise my mind and body wherever and whenever I wanted to. I found myself to be more alert, fresher, more flexible and supremely fit. Amazingly, as I practiced more, I found that other character flaws like Anger and Ego were also getting controlled. I really can’t explain that, other than – Yoga.

It improves focus

Meditation and breathing exercises in yoga can help silence the noise in the mind and declutter your brain allowing you to focus on your tasks at hand. Yoga leads you to being more mindful, alert and focused.

It enhances creativity

With better concentration and focus, yoga opens the mind and helps stirs your creative and positive self, prompting you to be more creative and original in your initiates.   Yoga connects the mind, body, and soul in a way that eases tension; promotes health and wellbeing. If practiced daily it improves your breathing and outlook on life. Yoga is a great exercise to improve endurance for your daily chores and other physical activities. Post workout, yoga may aid your body to relax while stretching and strengthening. Yoga does not work on your body alone, it also helps with mindfulness and meditation. By improving mindfulness, yoga simultaneously assists to boost the sense of compassion, gratitude, and “flow” states, leading to a sense of greater happiness and satisfaction. Breaking off from mundane life and practicing yoga will improve your focus and clarity on your being.