AT 90 PLUS YEARS YOGA KEEPS THEM YOUNG!
by Kathy Arthurson
When I attended Tania Dyett’s yoga class, I immediately knew what kind of older woman I want to be. Aged 92 her wicked sense of humour made the class an absolute delight. We learnt her unique ‘My Pussycat Pose’ which involved ‘tail wagging’ and loads of laughter.
Tania is one of 14 yoga teachers (aged 60 plus) I interviewed recently for a research project about yoga and ageing.
Vivian (aged 95, pictured left) surprised me during our interview by performing her favourite pose, the headstand. I was amazed at her strength and flexibility.
Right away she emphasised the safety aspects: the headstand is an advanced pose, and not appropriate for everyone.
Watching Vivian and Tania (and the other yoginis) move their agile bodies through poses is a testament to the benefits of yoga.
Meeting them made me think that practising yoga keeps you young forever. But I’m not talking about a lack of wrinkles and grey hair, or looking like Cher or Madonna. The yoga women here share a joy and vigour for life that belies their real ages. It sounds corny, but honestly they glow from the inside out.
Here are Tania’s instructions for one of her favourite poses, to avoid developing Kyphosis (shown in the image below right) – an abnormal outward curvature of the upper back thoracic vertebrae – and for keeping the body in first-rate condition.
Right away she emphasised the safety aspects: the headstand is an advanced pose, and not appropriate for everyone.
Watching Vivian and Tania (and the other yoginis) move their agile bodies through poses is a testament to the benefits of yoga.
Meeting them made me think that practising yoga keeps you young forever. But I’m not talking about a lack of wrinkles and grey hair, or looking like Cher or Madonna. The yoga women here share a joy and vigour for life that belies their real ages. It sounds corny, but honestly they glow from the inside out.
Here are Tania’s instructions for one of her favourite poses, to avoid developing Kyphosis (shown in the image below right) – an abnormal outward curvature of the upper back thoracic vertebrae – and for keeping the body in first-rate condition.
REVERSE PRAYER POSE – for a healthy spine, wrists and shoulders
- Start by relaxing into the shoulders:
- Then take your hands behind your back, fingers facing down to start, and press the fingertips together.
- Then turn the hands upwards, and try to bring the palms together so that the little fingers press into the upper back.
Tania maintains that this is a good pose for the wrists as well; it assists her with continuing to play the violin.
As she says, ‘The body is like a musical instrument – you need to play it to keep it in good health.’
YOGA HELPS MAINTAIN FLOOR-TO-STANDING MOBILITY
I was also astounded at how effortlessly these women can get down onto and up from the floor. Vivian’s advice is to, ‘Use it or lose it,’ because, she says, ‘I don’t know of anyone else my age (95) who is as healthy as me.’
Why is it important to maintain floor-to-standing mobility as we age? Because a reduction in this ability for adults (aged 51–80) is associated with earlier death and increased dependency.[i] Even simple mishaps, like dropping reading glasses onto the floor may pose a challenge.
So, whatever your age (and depending on your physical limitations), if you can, sometimes swap a chair for sitting on the floor. Or practise different ways of getting up from the floor without using your hands.
Practising yoga can assist to maintain this important capability. Tania likes to move into downward dog pose before coming up from the floor, and other poses incorporate a range of motion from standing to sitting or vice versa. Or you can start by practising in a chair (a form of yoga known as chair yoga) and rising up and down from the chair.
If you haven’t tried yoga before don’t be put off by glossy pictures of yoginis in advanced practises or even Vivian in her headstand. Yoga is definitely not all about twisting the body into hard or bendy poses. There are many different styles and levels of yoga to choose from.
These yoginis maintain that any age is the right age to start yoga. It won’t get rid of wrinkles or change your hair colour, but it will build flexibility and balance, and strengthen muscles. And maybe, just like these women, you’ll still be practising yoga in your 90s.
You can have a peek at Vivian Vieritz and Bette Calman practising yoga in YouTube clips (located on the right-hand side of the Inspiration page).
For more information about the book, Yoga Years, True Stories of How Yoga Transforms Ageing or to purchase the book see the Publications page.
© kathyarthursonyoga.com
As she says, ‘The body is like a musical instrument – you need to play it to keep it in good health.’
YOGA HELPS MAINTAIN FLOOR-TO-STANDING MOBILITY
I was also astounded at how effortlessly these women can get down onto and up from the floor. Vivian’s advice is to, ‘Use it or lose it,’ because, she says, ‘I don’t know of anyone else my age (95) who is as healthy as me.’
Why is it important to maintain floor-to-standing mobility as we age? Because a reduction in this ability for adults (aged 51–80) is associated with earlier death and increased dependency.[i] Even simple mishaps, like dropping reading glasses onto the floor may pose a challenge.
So, whatever your age (and depending on your physical limitations), if you can, sometimes swap a chair for sitting on the floor. Or practise different ways of getting up from the floor without using your hands.
Practising yoga can assist to maintain this important capability. Tania likes to move into downward dog pose before coming up from the floor, and other poses incorporate a range of motion from standing to sitting or vice versa. Or you can start by practising in a chair (a form of yoga known as chair yoga) and rising up and down from the chair.
If you haven’t tried yoga before don’t be put off by glossy pictures of yoginis in advanced practises or even Vivian in her headstand. Yoga is definitely not all about twisting the body into hard or bendy poses. There are many different styles and levels of yoga to choose from.
These yoginis maintain that any age is the right age to start yoga. It won’t get rid of wrinkles or change your hair colour, but it will build flexibility and balance, and strengthen muscles. And maybe, just like these women, you’ll still be practising yoga in your 90s.
You can have a peek at Vivian Vieritz and Bette Calman practising yoga in YouTube clips (located on the right-hand side of the Inspiration page).
For more information about the book, Yoga Years, True Stories of How Yoga Transforms Ageing or to purchase the book see the Publications page.
© kathyarthursonyoga.com
[i] Leonardo Barbosa Barreto de Brito, Djalma Rabelo Ricardo, Denise Sardinha Mendes Soares de Araújo (2012) Ability to Sit and Rise from the Floor as a Predictor of All-cause Mortality, European Journal of Preventative Cardiology, 21(7), pp. 892-898.
