Senior seated yoga can help you feel better whether you’ve recently moved too much, or too little.
Ever experience pain after sitting too long?
Have you experienced pain after doing too much as well?
Senior Seated Yoga Can Help!
Who Can Benefit from Senior Seated Yoga?
I thought it might be appropriate, after publishing those last 4 articles about travel, to address some of the issues that can pop up when we travel as older folks.
- Pain or cramps after sitting too long in a crowded airplane seat
- Pain or cramps after sitting too long in cars, train, or bus seats
- Pain or cramps from sitting too long in lecture halls or auditorium seats
- Discomfort from hotel beds or pillows
- Discomfort from walking too long, or over rough terrain
- Tightness from stress, or adaptation to new events and environments
- All those general aches and pains that just come up – and we have no idea why!
Travel presents all sorts of changes, sometimes surprises. If we aren’t prepared for these, they can totally ruin the experience for us. All our vacation money is wasted if we can’t do what we came to do, or see what we came to see, without pain!
I remember driving to Boston with my girlfriend in my 20’s. It was an 8 hour car ride from Buffalo. Though we stopped a few times for potty breaks, my legs were so tight from sitting by the time we finally arrived.
As I stumbled awkwardly into the motel room with my bag, my underperforming travel leg kicked right into the metal bed frame rail, promptly slicing a gash into my ankle. Much blood ensued.
“Oh, this is a great way to start our vacation!”, I said. After all the bad words had been used up.
We iced and wrapped it in a towel as we got back into the car for a ride to the nearest emergency room.
Five stitches and I was good to go. Except it hurt like hell to walk. And that’s what we came here to do!
Luckily, I was still young then and didn’t let pain stop me. We (I) limped around Boston and Cape Cod for several days until it was time to return home.
This might have been prevented if I had given more thought to staying loose, stretched, and flexible as we traveled.
So…
How Can You Prepare For or Prevent Travel Pain?
One of the coolest new discoveries I’ve made this year is Seated Yoga. And more specifically, Seated Yoga for Seniors!
Yoga is a great way to de-stress, stay stretched, toned, and flexible. And prevent those annoying aches and pains!
Turns out yoga could be the fix for all those potential ailments plaguing travelers. All those pains listed above might be prevented, eliminated, or at least minimized by 10 minutes of simple yoga movements – while seated in a chair!
When my daughter used to do yoga by following along on YouTube videos, I was foolish enough to try and keep up with her. Now, I’m not unfit by any means, but once I got down on the floor beside her, I quickly discovered the limitation of my flexibility.
Seated chair yoga solves those issues! And all can be done regardless of your current comfort level. You just do what you can, to your limitations, then watch as improvement comes with practice.
What Do I Need for Seated Yoga?
The best part about seated yoga is you only need a solid chair to sit on. Perhaps a dining room chair. Or a folding chair. You could use a bench, or sit on your cedar chest. If you have a wide stair, you could sit on that in a pinch. Anything that’s fairly hard and stable. (No rocking chairs, or cushy couches or upholstered arm chairs or such)
No doubt your home already has a chair you can use. Hotel rooms almost always have a desk chair or other solid chair, or a hassock you can use.
And that’s it. You need almost nothing to do this. Comfortable, stretchy clothes are best, but you can do it in your underwear if need be. Barefeet, or non-slip sneakers are good to keep your grip.
You don’t have to travel with a yoga mat, and you certainly don’t have to entertain lying down on the hotel carpet. Yuk!
When Is The Best Time To Yoga?
The best time to start yoga was 10 years ago. The second best time is right this very minute.
We can all benefit from taking 10 minutes a day to de-stress, and re-stretch our bodies.
Stress is never appreciated by the body, and to rebel, the body will often create pain to signal your brain to chill out. Many of our unexplainable aches and pains are induced by stress. Tightness.
Who doesn’t wish they were more flexible? Had a greater range of motion? Wishes that they didn’t feel pain or cramps after doing some activity? Moving your body, gently stretching your body through yoga can make you less susceptible to all those annoying aches and pains.
Start now to put yourself on the path of prevention. And to help work out any current pains you may be experiencing.
[OK. Time for the public service/legal/safety announcement. I am not a professional doctor, nor physical therapist, nor medical professional of any kind. THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE! Everyone is encouraged to seek the advice of their own personal medical professional before beginning any program of physical fitness. I don’t know you personally, or your afflictions, preconditions, or predilections. We are all unique. And while yoga is generally considered safe for most, it may be injurious to you. I have no way of knowing. You are solely responsible for your actions.]
How to Do Senior Seated Yoga
As I said earlier, I’ve just discovered senior seated yoga recently, but have been very pleased by my results so far. That said, I won’t attempt to be your teacher or guide here, but will direct you to several sources I found which I feel you may enjoy too. Some are videos, because I find it easiest to watch and see first. But I do like to have a printable reference as well, so I don’t always have to have computer access to participate. I’ve included a link to a that free yoga pdf you can download or print as well.
Here’s the free stuff I have to share with you…
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/yoga-for-travel/
https://videos.aarp.org/detail/video/6148434772001/10-minute-chair-yoga-flow-with-lorraine-ladish
https://happilyharper.com/10-seated-yoga-positions-for-seniors/
https://f.hubspotusercontent30.net/hubfs/5835435/Chair%20Yoga%20Illustrations%202021-1.pdf
If you want to really get serious about improving your range of motion and flexibility, and don’t mind investing a few coin toward that end, I would really recommend you check out this guy, Alex Larsson and his hyperbolic stretching program.
Whatever you decide, I hope you decide to do something to keep your body moving. The body likes that. Hence the popular phrase, “Move it or Lose it!”.
Yoga and other exercise programs give us the opportunity to stay healthier and more active as we age. The greater the mobility you have, the greater the range of motion you have, the more things you can do, and do comfortably.
It’s a steep road to 100, and keeping the car in tune is the surest way to get there and enjoy the ride.
Spare a few moments each day won’t you? And dedicate them to keeping your body in tune.
Your body will surely reward you.
To your continued good health,
“Bene Vivere!”
Bob “Elderbob” Schwarztrauber
P.S. If it’s your knees specifically which suffer most, this Pain Free Knees program is great. You can get my report by clicking on the link below.
(Required Legal Notice: In the course of presenting the best information possible in each article I write, I may recommend products or services from time to time with which I have an affiliate relationship. Meaning, they may reward me with a few coin for referring my readers to their products or services should you invest in them. This does not increase or affect your payment in any way, but does help to offset the cost of running this website. Rest assured, I would never recommend anything which I would not recommend even if no affiliate arrangement were present. Just the good stuff.)
