Start now as it’s never too late to take up yoga

THERE’S no age limit for yoga.

Children can start at age five and some will enjoy it so much they continue through adulthood, and then as senior citizens for as long as their bodies and health permit.

But what about those no longer in the first flush of youth who decide to take it up for the first time?

More and more of those who can only be described as elderly are putting on yoga pants and rolling out their mats each week, and medical experts increasingly agree that this is a good thing.  Some studies have even linked yoga to an improvement in the readings that are obtained when monitoring cellular aging.

Yoga can also bring positive changes to brain health, with a recent study finding that healthy seniors who practised Hatha yoga for two years performed better than a control group on certain cognitive tasks.

A no-longer young beginner will probably be happier attending a gentle yoga class, although further options – depending on their physical limitations – include chair yoga, restorative yoga and Hatha, all of which focus on slow, controlled movements.

Not that yoga is a cure-all for ageing. People lose muscle, their tendons toughen as they get older and health professionals recommend practising other types of strength training at the same time as yoga.

Meanwhile, instructors and instructed both maintain that yoga is more than physical postures as it addresses the mind, the spirit and the emotions at any age.

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