Yoga and Aging

Aging is an irreversible biological process. This process called senescence concerns all human beings, animals and plants. It occurs after middle age and is observed by the gradual and slow aging of our tissues and organs which causes the slowing of the activity of our organism and our vital functions. We weaken until we die.

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Our motor skills are reduced because we become more fragile, we are less flexible, less tonic, our intellectual and memory capacities are a little diminished. For some, the disease can accelerate the process of degradation of our vital and cerebral functions.

If aging beyond 80 years becomes a commonplace, it is important to consider the quality of aging and consider aging in good health. And this is primarily through the preservation of autonomy and mental function. Considerable progress has been made, but much more is being learned about aging. We are able to slow down and lessen the weakening of our brain abilities according to our way of life the way we move our body. Eating well, having regular and adapted physical activity, maintaining a good quality of sleep, fighting against the sources of stress would slow aging.

Those who practice walking, running, dancing, taichi, gardening have a lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who remain totally inactive.

Sexual activity is also to be considered. If it is not inherently painful, it causes a cascade of hormonal secretions that helps relieve pain. According to a study published in the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, orgasm would halve sensitivity to pain. Making love causes the secretion of two hormones in the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus: oxytocin and endorphin. These two hormones have the effect, among other things, to cause deep relaxation, promote sleep and muscle relaxation. It is also known that this would reduce the risk of prostate cancer, cardiovascular disease, that it increases overall and substantially life expectancy.

A common point with yoga whose virtues for a “well aging” are now recognized in many studies. Yoga reduces the wear of muscles which preserve the tone, it preserves the softness smoothly and without violence. It increases the level of antigens in the body strengthening our immunity and therefore our ability to defend ourselves against pathogens. In each of our cells, we find a lysosome, a vesicle whose function is to neutralize undesirable foreign bodies, and whose antipathogenic efficacy increases with the practice of yoga.  Getting

older with yoga

Yoga -Paris- is an activity that contributes to “getting older” in many ways.

First, yoga preserves balance, which is an essential component of many yoga postures. However, this ability to preserve balance involves our body as much as our brain and we can consider that there is a reciprocal interaction. When one is weakened, it causes the weakening of the other. Loss of equilibrium has the effect of causing falls and fractures. A phenomenon that affects one in two women and one in four men of 50 years.

Yoga is particularly recommended since it allows to synchronize the communication between the two hemispheres to train our agility.

As the body ages, we usually lose our flexibility and suffer an increase in pain and stiffness. Again, yoga is a remarkable practice because it offers a greater comfort of life. Asanas in yoga allow in the respect of the body to give it back its suppleness. Recall that breathing (Pranayama) and non-violence (Ahimsa) guide the practice of yoga -Paris-. It’s not about stretching, doing physical performance, but developing the space inside your body.

This is especially true for the spine, which, when stretched, creates space between the vertebrae. An additional asset since it promotes nerve conduction between all organs. The flexibility and inner balance found facilitate daily movements, comfort our backs, offer new freedoms in our movements and our movements.

Yoga is not a sport, it’s a philosophy of life. To consider yoga as a performance is intrinsically contradictory to the deep nature of yoga. But it is nevertheless necessary to announce it for the neophytes, the yoga undeniably develops the physical force and increases smoothly and progressively our muscular resistance. Our strengthened muscles contribute to the increase of bone density. Very classic postures such as the cobra, the board, the dog upside down and with age reduce the risk of fracture.

Aging well by breathing better

We reminded him, breathing is fundamental. The yoga breathing techniques are multiple and always accompany movements and postures. When the breathing is no longer blocked, when one is careful to prolong it, to extend it and to give it back its place, one removes its stress and the tensions of the body. In stressful situations, breathing is not consciously managed, it is short and fast, does not completely renew the air of the lungs. The residue of carbon dioxide has the effect of acidifying the blood. A change in acidity that results in muscle contractions and therefore tensions throughout the body. An exhalation a little longer than the inspiration will for example cause in the brain an increase of the parasympathetic nervous system while decreasing simultaneously the sympathetic system, responsible for the increase of the cardiac rhythm and the sending of the stress hormones like the cortisol .

The state of calm is achieved by slowing the heartbeat, breathing and lowering blood pressure. The yoga learning of a better control of his breathing and the evacuation of the situations of stress which it then allows, offer a state of better being which increases the quality of life. The stress is known by the wear of the body and the spirit that it generates, numerous studies attesting that it reduces the life expectancy. responsible for increasing the heart rate and sending stress hormones such as cortisol. The state of calm is achieved by slowing the heartbeat, breathing and lowering blood pressure. The yoga learning of a better control of his breathing and the evacuation of the situations of stress which it then allows, offer a state of better being which increases the quality of life. The stress is known by the wear of the body and the spirit that it generates, numerous studies attesting that it reduces the life expectancy. responsible for increasing the heart rate and sending stress hormones such as cortisol. The state of calm is achieved by slowing the heartbeat, breathing and lowering blood pressure.

The yoga learning of a better control of his breathing and the evacuation of the situations of stress which it then allows, offer a state of better being which increases the quality of life. The stress is known by the wear of the body and the spirit that it generates, numerous studies attesting that it reduces the life expectancy. The yoga learning of a better control of his breathing and the evacuation of the situations of stress which it then allows, offer a state of better being which increases the quality of life. The stress is known by the wear of the body and the spirit that it generates, numerous studies attesting that it reduces the life expectancy. The yoga learning of a better control of his breathing and the evacuation of the situations of stress which it then allows, offer a state of better being which increases the quality of life. The stress is known by the wear of the body and the spirit that it generates, numerous studies attesting that it reduces the life expectancy.

Yoga to finish teaches us kindness, it sharpens our body awareness. It allows us to better understand the pain, the bodily troubles. He invites us to listen attentively to our real needs, be it emotional, physical, mental or nutritional. It also responds if necessary also to spiritual quests that can go on increasing with the aging that calls little by little and more and more strongly our need for harmony.

Telomeres

Chromosomes contain our DNA. At the end of the chromosomes there is a kind of helmet, the telomeres, which prevent them from degrading. The comparison is regularly made with the plastic that surrounds the tip of our shoe laces and prevents them from fray.

The length of telomeres tends to shorten with age. The older we get, the less our DNA is protected. Cell degeneration gives rise to the malfunctioning of vital organs such as the brain, heart, liver and pancreas and of course to the onset of diseases such as progeria, Alzeihmer’s disease, cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers . However, if studies are still in progress, it is now strongly assumed that the daily practices of yoga and meditation slow down the decline in telomerase production that protects our cells. It would slow down our aging.

Yoga at any age

If the practice of yoga is recommended from childhood, it would be wrong to believe that a late initiation would be without interest. It is a philosophy, a way of life that can guide us throughout life, but we can at any time integrate the basics. In retirement homes, yoga can achieve remarkable results by ignoring some a priori. Too often we hear that osteoarthritis is an irreversible handicap that prevents any form of exercise – we’ll come back to this point. Of course, teachers in yoga must take into account the limitations of each practitioner in accordance with the benevolence without which yoga loses its essence. We can fight against vertebral compression,

Even if our limbs can not move because of a spinal cord injury, for example, the yoga that surrounds the breathing and the work on the energies, invites to a state of mindfulness and stimulates a better circulation of the energy. It promotes flexibility, physical tone, good flow of energy, postures can always be arranged. One can very well adapt postures while sitting on a chair for example. Yoga brings to the elderly a greater comfort of life.

Yoga for the articulations

The joints which assemble the different parts of the skeleton, are the point of support of the bone levers, and it is of them on which the movements of the bones depend (simple sliding, flexion-extension, adduction, abduction- rotation and circumduction).

The most common conditions in the elderly are osteoarthritis, a chronic non-inflammatory degenerative disorder of the joints characterized by cartilaginous lesions, crunches, deformities whose pain occurs during exercise and ceases to rest.

These articular alterations lead to real disability situations. They hinder in all the acts of the daily life (standing, walking) but often prevent to engage in a bodily activity.

Yoga -Paris- allows, because its practice is soft, a joint mobilization of small amplitude which maintains the mobility of the body.

The causes of osteoarthritis are mechanical. This includes :

– The acts of life that mistreat our body every day and over time as the bad postures of work (in certain professional activities) that create tensions of the ligaments. A phenomenon accentuated by muscular insufficiency.
– The repetition of shocks during activities as in some sports for example can also later constitute a factor of joint lesions.
– Finally, the weight of the body, increased by obesity or muscular atrophy due to inactivity plays a key role on skeletal wear and weakening of the joints.

The areas most affected by arthritis are the hips, knees and hands. Yoga helps to create more space in the joints, for example, facilitating the circulation of synovial fluid in the knee, restoring strength in the thighs and muscles of the calf. From now on, it strengthens the balance, gives a better support. It is therefore important from an early age to be alert to anticipate the complications that will occur with age.

The mudras

As we age our fingers tend to close, to tense. This may reveal a heart problem or osteoporosis but it is known that this is frequently accompanied by a shoulder closure that affects our breathing abilities.

However, it is essential to remain open both literally and figuratively. The hand is a great gripping tool that facilitates all of our most trivial daily acts, washing, dressing, eating, etc. By freeing the fingers, wrists and hands we preserve this autonomy in everyday life without which we can lose footing. There are specific exercises for this: the mudras.

Mudras are those delicate movements of hands that are often attributed to Indian dances. Aesthetic, each of these gestures, however, has a special meaning and is practiced as an art in its own right. There are a lot of mudras, all dedicated to the well-being of body and mind. It is interesting to note that the Sanskrit terms “mud” means “joy”, and “ra”, “trigger”, or “mud” means “happiness, happiness”, and “dhra”, “dissolution”.

Mudras are a kind of hand yoga, and, practiced regularly, they allow us to take advantage of our ten fingers to bring more energy into our lives, soothe the body as well as the spirit and come to our rescue to settle specific problems. The mudras are considered by Ayurveda as a source of stimulation and harmonization of the chakras. There is a gesture dedicated to the health of the bronchi, another that helps to wake up in the morning, another to generate compassion or strength, and even a mudra that helps to reconnect with the Earth. Mu dras often accompany meditation.

Yoga and meditation: benefits for the memory

Meditation would boost concentration and delay brain aging, mental control would restructure certain areas of the brain affected by the negative effects of chronic stress.

All those who regularly practice meditation or relaxation techniques and mental control, claim that it increases their concentration, their alertness with surprising results on their health in general. Studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have already demonstrated the positive effect of these techniques.

Sara Lazar, a neurologist at Harvard Medical School, has shown that 20 to 60 minutes of daily meditation can thicken brain regions that have the focus of attention and emotions or the cerebral cortex. Normally the cortex, a continuous zone of gray matter 3 to 4 mm thick and occupying the entire surface of the cerebral convolutions, becomes thinner with age. Meditation, Yoga -Paris- or other forms of mental exercise such as psychosomatic relaxation, could thus lead to significant changes in certain areas of the cerebral cortex for cognitive functions, emotions and well-being. .

Dr. Richard Davidson, director of the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin, found that brain circuits are different in people who regularly practice meditation or relaxation techniques than people who do not practice them. Normally when a person is under stress, anxious, depressed or angry, some brain regions become very active and when you experience positive feelings, calm or joy, these areas are instead less active and cerebral. other areas associated with the feelings of joy and happiness become them, much more active.

These same studies have demonstrated that the regular practice of these techniques can reprogram brain connections so as to activate mainly areas associated with feelings of well-being and joy. Meditation would also boost concentration even in a situation of sleep deprivation. The state of meditation is not acquired by will alone but by a concrete practice of exercises that combinations of postures and breaths of yoga favor.

One can practice Mantra-Yoga which consists of a repeated sound. To better enjoy the vibratory aspect it will be pronounced more often aloud but it may be a more internalized sound. The vibrations have the ability to harmonize the energy centers inside the body: chakras and nadis. They participate in the circulation of vital energy, the “Prana”, this subtle energy that animates the whole body and mind. The mantras must be pronounced respecting the appropriate sound.

Facial yoga

Aging affects the tissues of the epidermis, our skin relaxes, wrinkles settle. There are plethora of cosmetic products that promise to make them disappear, cosmetic surgery suggests that it can freeze the process. But the term freeze is very appropriate because the results are all too often catastrophic and highlight our desire not to age, that of feeling good in its aging. However, we can delay the process of loosening the facial tissues by giving them tone by the mobilization of many muscles. A laugh, a blow of stress, a grimace and the wrinkles of the crow’s feet appear, before imposing on the duration. In one gesture, facial yoga avoids the installation of these marks that some consider as unsightly.

Facial yoga is a form of facial gymnastics that tones, firms and slows the phenomenon of sagging skin. A few goals can be achieved that will give a feeling of being better like firming the contour of the mouth, carving his neck, limiting the double chin effects but you have to work the yoga of the face in the softness and in the duration, it is not a miracle cure even if, on the other hand, the face being an osteopathic zone, it has very appreciable and complementary skeletal repercussions. What we do to the face can impact the rest of our metabolism by participating in our overall well being.

It will be understood, yoga is an art of living, but it is also an art of aging well.