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
