虽然瑜伽不是万能药，但它为老年人提供了无数的健康益处。

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/well/move/yoga-seniors.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

阿曼达·劳丹

·       发表： 2023 年 1 月 25 日

·       更新： 2023 年 1 月 26 日

60 多岁时，劳伦斯·尼斯 (Lawrence Nees)注意到一些以前没有的疼痛。从地板上站起来也感觉更困难，而且似乎不太灵活。尼斯先生的妻子练瑜伽多年。当尼斯先生，一位艺术史教授，从特拉华大学退休后，他决定开始练瑜伽。

尼斯先生现年 72 岁，也是一名瑜伽爱好者。他说他的灵活性更好了，平衡能力也更好了。 “我已经成为一名“信徒”（believer），”他解释道。 “这不是为了变得更年轻，而是为了减缓不可避免的衰老过程。”

除了定期练瑜伽外，尼斯先生还参加老年人的瑜伽课；他们每周有好几次瑜伽课。 研究表明 随着年龄的增长，平时做一些瑜伽练习可能是有益的（prudent）；一些研究甚至将瑜伽与专家用来跟踪细胞衰老的指标的改善联系起来。

其他研究则揭示了大脑健康的积极变化。例如， 最近的一个小型研究 发现健康的老年人练习哈他瑜伽（Hatha yoga）两年后，在某些认知检测项目（certain cognitive tasks），他们的表现优于对照组。

简而言之，瑜伽对老年人有益。但在开始新的实践（即做瑜伽）之前，有一些事项需要注意。

寻找适合你需求的课程。

尼斯先生和他的妻子在宾夕法尼亚州斯沃斯莫尔参加“温和”瑜伽（“gentle” yoga）课程。尽管不是专门针对老年人，但温和瑜伽的动作速度较慢，强度较低的姿势较少，并且通常包括更多的冥想或呼吸练习。

他们的瑜伽班由 52 岁的Ann Grace MacMullan 老师主持，她主持的课程主要由老年人参加。她自己也练习温和的瑜伽；这样做可以让她了解瑜伽对身体的影响。

老年人的其他选择（取决于个人的身体状况）包括椅子瑜伽、恢复性瑜伽和哈达瑜伽，它们都注重缓慢、受控的运动（slow, controlled movements）。

无论你选择哪种风格的瑜伽，找到一位能够根据你的需求进行个性化教学的老师很重要。在尝试上课之前，先联系一下老师，看看老师是否经常与教老年人瑜伽，或者是否能够解决特定的健康问题。例如，当尼斯先生加入麦克穆兰女士的课程时，他正遭受一种病毒的后遗症的困扰。这种病毒攻击了他的隔膜（diaphragm），使他无法做仰卧姿势的瑜伽动作。

“Ann和我一起努力，她帮助我做一些站立或坐着的姿势，”他说。

新泽西州 60 多岁的瑜伽教练特蕾莎·西蒙 (Teresa Simon) 表示，老年人在课堂上与老师沟通也至关重要。如果有人患有关节炎、或感到眩晕，她需要知道，以便可以提供特定（瑜伽）动作的替代方案，或者让老年人坐在椅子上或地上。

“如果你在课堂上感到僵硬，在合适的教练的指导下，你将能够度过难关，并且之后感觉会更好，”西蒙女士说。

了解（你的）极限。

然而，瑜伽并不是延缓衰老的灵丹妙药。 “随着年龄的增长，有两个主要方面的衰退，”理疗师兼马里兰州 Recharge Modern Health and Fitness 老板（owner of Maryland-based Recharge Modern Health and Fitness）吉恩·希罗科布罗德 (Gene Shirokobrod)解释道。也就是说，我们在失去肌肉，肌腱变硬了。瑜伽也不会逆转这些问题，但可以起到防止进一步衰退的小作用。

为了避免肌肉流失，你应该建立一个练瑜伽之外的 力量训练 。 “瑜伽会挑战你的身体，但通常不足以提供持续的肌肉生长，” Shirokobrod博士说。

瑜伽练习也不会显着增加肌腱的灵活性。 “老化的肌腱正在变得僵硬，因为它们正在失去液体并且变得不那么柔韧，” Shirokobrod博士说。 “你无法通过保持瑜伽姿势来改变这一点。”

你可能无法增加肌腱的灵活性，但通过将关节和肌肉推至其运动范围的末端，你可以提高它们在该范围内的运动程度。

但即便如此，也需要注意：如果你是有关节问题的人，在他们的极限范围内摆姿势可能会感到不舒服，尽管通常没有害处。关键是要保持在身体的极限之内——好的教练可以帮助你识别这一点。

“如果你在教练的指导下练习时考虑到了这些身体变化，那么你就会处于一个更安全、更现实的环境中，” Shirokobrod博士说。

 你的平衡能力 随着年龄的增长而下降，也是正常的。一种常见的解决方案是在学习单腿姿势时使用椅子或墙壁来保持身体的稳定。

还有其他注意事项需要记住。如果你患有骨质疏松症，请避免某些动作，例如 猫/牛 或者 向前折叠（这些瑜伽动作）。麦克穆兰女士说：“使劲弯曲（你的脊椎）并不明智，因为你面临更高的风险。造成你的上脊柱 压缩性骨折 。”

此外，骨关节炎可能会在对手腕或脚踝造成压力的姿势中引起不适，因此请务必告知你的教练（你有这些问题），并在需要时要求进行修改瑜伽动作。如果你担心身体状况或受伤，麦克穆兰女士建议更短、更频繁的练习，而不是更长、偶尔的练习。 研究表明 为了增加骨密度，患有骨质疏松症的参与者需要每天花 12 分钟，每周至少做 5 次相同的瑜伽动作。

“将练习融入你的日常生活中，而不是花上一个小时练瑜伽，”她在一封电子邮件中写道。 “瑜伽不仅仅是一种锻炼。它是一种生活方式。”

瑜伽也有益于心态。

衰老可能会带来压力。大多数老年人都经历过悲伤、孤独、行动不便的问题，以及可能令人不安的变化和过渡。帮助（改善）情绪和心理健康也许是瑜伽最吸引人的地方。 “这不仅仅是身体姿势，”麦克马兰女士说。 “这是一整套道德、冥想和呼吸的体系，可以解决我们的思想、精神和情感问题。”

来自宾夕法尼亚州的 72 岁退休人员玛吉·林恩 (Margie Linn) 看到了她的瑜伽练习带来的三个好处：身体、情感和社交。 “我期待着去上课时见到其他人，”她说。 “这里有一种真正的社区意识（a real sense of community）。”

目标是每周坚持几次瑜伽练习，最好是至少有一次瑜伽练习是在课堂上进行。如果你足不出户，可以参加实时在线课程，这仍然可以提供社区感。

虽然瑜伽不是抗衰老的灵丹妙药，但它可以对提高生活质量大有帮助。 “它让你动起来，”希罗科布罗德博士说。 “如果你想知道瑜伽对于这个年龄段的人来说是积极的还是消极的，答案是：瑜伽对老年人是一种积极的运动。”

从这些动作开始。

如果你想轻松地进行温和的瑜伽练习，或者只是在日常生活中添加一些姿势，麦克马兰女士建议“在很多身体部位做一点瑜伽运动”。这看起来像是移动整个身体，探索每个关节的运动范围：左右倾斜头部、前后滚动肩膀、轻轻拱起背部。使用核心肌肉扭转躯干。你可以坐着、站着、或躺着做这些动作中的任何一个。

以下是麦克穆兰女士建议开始的一些其他练习。如果它们很困难或者你难以平衡，请将手放在椅子或墙上，也许在尝试任何可能感到不舒服的瑜伽动作之前，咨询你的医生。

脚趾瑜伽（Toe Yoga）

首先从你的基础、你的脚开始。站立时，抬起所有十个脚趾，将它们张开，然后再放下。抬起大脚趾，把其余的脚趾压下去。然后抬起这些脚趾，把两个大脚趾向下压。有些脚趾可能不配合；没关系，试试吧。

抬起脚尖（Calf Raises）

站立并抓住某物作为支撑时，抬起脚尖，然后返回。上升时吸气，下降时呼气。慢慢练。

如果你愿意，你可以增加手臂的运动，当你吸气和抬起时，手臂向两侧伸展，当你呼气时，手臂下降，双脚放回原位。做 5 ～ 10 次这样的举重，看看你的感觉如何，然后按照自己的节奏做更多。

轻轻扭转身体（Gentle Twist）

坐在椅子上，将右膝交叉在左膝上。然后，利用核心肌肉，向右扭转，手臂在感觉最好的地方垂下。换边。

或者在垫子或床上尝试一下。仰卧，双膝弯曲，将右膝交叉在左膝上，然后让双膝向左倾斜，双臂向两侧伸出。换边。

火烈鸟姿势（Flamingo Pose）

每天单腿站立一分钟，每侧站立一分钟，必要时使用支撑。如果你有膝盖或臀部问题，你可以根据身体感觉缩短时间。或者通过保持该姿势时的呼吸次数来测量单腿保持平衡的时间 - 可能是两次呼吸，也可能是 15 次（对于普通人来说大约是一分钟）。

 后注：我在疫情开始后，就没有再去瑜伽馆。但是，我依然常常做一些简简单单的瑜伽动作。

You’re Never Too Old for Yoga

While not a cure-all, yoga offers countless health benefits to seniors.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/well/move/yoga-seniors.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

By Amanda Loudin

·       Published Jan. 25, 2023Updated Jan. 26, 2023

In short, yoga can be beneficial to seniors. But before jumping into a new practice there are a few things to keep in mind.

Look for a class tailored to your needs.

Mr. Nees and his wife attend a “gentle” yoga class in Swarthmore, Pa. Though not specifically geared to seniors, gentle yoga moves at a slower pace, with fewer intense positions, and often includes more meditation or breath work.

Their class is led by Ann Grace MacMullan, a 52-year-old instructor, who leads sessions primarily attended by seniors. She also practices gentle yoga, giving her an understanding of its effects on the body.

Other options for seniors — depending on limitations — include chair yoga, restorative yoga and Hatha, which all focus on slow, controlled movements.

Whatever style you choose, it’s important to find a teacher able to personalize instruction to your needs. Reach out before trying a class to see if the instructor regularly works with seniors or is able to accommodate specific health concerns. For instance, when Mr. Nees joined Ms. MacMullan’s class, he was suffering from the aftereffects of a virus that had attacked his diaphragm, making poses that required lying on his back impossible.

“Ann worked with me, helping me to do some of the poses standing or sitting,” he said.

Teresa Simon, a New Jersey-based yoga instructor in her mid-60s, said it’s crucial that senior students communicate with their teacher during class as well. If someone has arthritis or experiences vertigo, she wants to know so that she can offer alternatives to specific moves, or keep the client in a chair or on the ground.

“If you show up to class feeling stiff, with the right instructor, you will be able to get through it and feel better after,” Ms. Simon said.

Know the limits.

Yoga, however, is not a cure-all for aging. “There are two chief areas of decline as we age,” explained Gene Shirokobrod, a physical therapist and owner of Maryland-based Recharge Modern Health and Fitness. Namely, we lose muscle and our tendons stiffen. Yoga will not reverse either, but it can play a small role in preventing further decline.

To stave off muscle loss, you should build a strength training habit outside of yoga. “Yoga challenges your body, but generally not enough to provide continual muscle growth,” Dr. Shirokobrod said.

A yoga practice won’t significantly increase your tendon flexibility either. “Aging tendons are stiffening because they are losing fluid and becoming less pliable,” said Dr. Shirokobrod. “You cannot change that by holding a yoga pose.”

You may not be able to increase tendon flexibility, but by pushing your joints and muscles to the end of their range of motion, you can ‌improve how well they move within that range.

But even that comes with a caveat: If you’re someone with joint issues, taking poses to their end range might be uncomfortable, though usually not harmful. The key is staying within the limits of your body — something a good instructor can help you identify.

“If you’re practicing with an instructor who teaches with these body changes in mind, you’re in a safer, more realistic environment,” Dr. Shirokobrod said.

It’s also normal for your ability to balance to decline with age. One common solution is to use a chair or a wall for stability as you learn one-legged poses.

There are other considerations to keep in mind. If you have osteoporosis, avoid certain moves, like cat/cow or forward folds. “Rounding the back aggressively isn’t wise,” said Ms. MacMullan, “because you are at higher risk for compression fractures in your upper spine.”

Also, osteoarthritis might cause discomfort during poses that stress the wrists or ankles, so be sure to inform your instructor and ask for modifications if needed. If you are worried about a medical condition or injury, Ms. MacMullan suggested shorter, more frequent practice rather than longer, occasional sessions. One study showed that to increase bone density, participants with osteoporosis needed to spend 12 minutes per day at least five times a week doing the same poses.

“Weave the practice into your daily routine, rather than committing to an hour long practice,” she wrote in an email. “Yoga is not just an exercise. It is a way of life.”

Yoga can benefit the mind as well.

Aging can be stressful. Most seniors have dealt with their share of grief, loneliness, mobility issues and perhaps unsettling changes and transitions. Helping with mood and mental health is perhaps where yoga shines the most. “It’s not just physical postures,” said Ms. MacMullan. “It’s a whole system of ethics, meditation and breathing that address our minds, spirits and emotions.”

Margie Linn, a 72-year-old retiree from Pennsylvania, sees three benefits to her practice: physical, emotional and social. “I look forward to seeing others when I go to class,” she said. “There’s a real sense of community.”

Aim for a consistent practice a few times each week, ideally in a class setting for at least one of those sessions. If you are housebound, there are live online classes to join, which still provide a sense of community.

While not a magic elixir for aging, yoga can go a long way toward higher quality of life. “It gets you to move,” said Dr. Shirokobrod. “If you’re looking at whether yoga is a net positive or net negative in this age group, it’s a positive.”

Start with these moves.

If you’d like to ease into a gentle yoga practice — or simply add a few poses to your daily life, Ms. MacMullan recommended “a little bit of movement in a lot of places.” This can look like moving your entire body, exploring range of motion in every joint: Tilt your head from side to side, roll your shoulders back and down and gently arch your back. Twist your torso using your core muscles. You can perform any of these moves seated, standing or lying down.

Here are a few other exercises that Ms. MacMullan suggested to get started. If they are difficult or you have trouble balancing, place a hand on a chair or wall and perhaps consult your doctor before trying anything that might feel uncomfortable.

Toe Yoga

Start by working with your foundation, your feet. While standing, lift all ten toes, spread them wide, and plant them back down. Lift your big toe, pressing down with the little toes. Then lift the little toes, pressing down with the first two toes. Some toes may not cooperate; that’s OK, just give it a try.

Calf Raises

While standing and holding on to something for support, lift up onto your tip toes and return back down. Inhale as you go up, exhale as you go down. Try to go slowly.

If you want, you can add arm movement, extending one or both out to the sides as you inhale and lift up, the arms descending as you exhale and plant both feet back down. Do five to 10 of these lifts and see how you feel, working up to more at your own pace.

Gentle Twist

While seated in a chair, cross your right knee over your left. Then, using core muscles, twist to the right, arms draping down wherever feels best. Switch sides.

Or try it on a mat or bed. Lying on your back with both knees bent, cross your right knee over your left and then let both knees drift over to the left, arms out to either side. Switch sides.

Flamingo Pose

Stand on one leg for one minute per day per side, every day, using support if needed. If you have knee or hip issues, you can shorten the amount of time based on how your body feels. Or else measure the time you can balance on one leg by the number of breaths you take while holding the pose — it could be two breaths, it could be 15 (that’s about a minute for the average person).