Susan: Yoga will help boomers maintain and develop strength and flexibility which keeps us safe as we get older; if we fall we will not get hurt as badly or even at all. Yoga also helps to prevent osteoporosis by keeping bones strong because muscle working against the bone encourages the bone to develop more strength. It helps to keep the circulatory system clear.

Yoga also keeps the heart and the brain healthy. For a lot of women going through menopause, yoga is a saving grace–it is very relaxing and helps with hypertension. Every system of the body benefits from a yoga practice. As people get older, everything they deal with in their daily lives will benefit from yoga practice. The sun salutation pose moves every bone and muscle in the  body, it is very restorative, healthy and a detox. Twists squeeze the abdominal organs and flush out the old blood and allow new blood to come in. It also keeps your spine flexible and hydrates the discs between the vertebrae.

Susan: A lot of people think a yoga diet is to be a vegetarian and there is nothing wrong with that. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables is a very healthy way to eat. There is so much controversy now about where meat comes from and some of it is kind of nasty. Often,the more people do yoga, the more in touch they get with their bodies and the less they want to eat heavy meats like hamburgers. It just doesn’t feel good in the body anymore. They may not even realize it, but their taste has changed. Some people jump into it and decide they are going to do yoga and become a vegetarian–in those cases it is really important to get some coaching and understand where your nutrition and protein are coming from. If you allow the yoga to take you down that path it will be much more gradual.

Susan: There are yoga studios all over the country and the cost of a yoga session varies. You might pay $6 a session in one studio and $30 in another. You can purchase yoga videos for $20 and do yoga from home. You can have a private yoga teacher who can charge anywhere from $20 an hour up to $120.Yoga mats aren’t expensive. When contemplating the cost, remember yoga is preventative and could ultimately help you save on medical expenses.

Susan: Because yoga is a body, mind and spirit practice, everything is integrated. Our minds affect our bodies and our spirit; yoga practice takes you on a journey into yourself. It is a very personal practice and what you take away from it is what you choose to take away and what you are open to. For people who say they can’t do yoga because maybe they are bed ridden, or they are in a wheel chair, I would say if you are breathing, you can do yoga. There is a whole practice of yoga called pranayama, which is about the prana, the life force energy that is in our breath, and yama is a practice of learning to use and participate with the breath. There are different patterns of breathing that bring about different frames of mind. Asana is the actual physical form of the poses. My yoga teacher has said when you have mastered the poses, that is when the real yoga begins because then you are doing the yoga from the inside out, rather than trying to master a pose from the outside. When I teach yoga workshops, my goal is to teach as many of the poses as I can, because learning the poses and the alignment allows students to do their own practice from the inside out.

Susan: Yoga is referred to as a practice because there is no goal; every day is different and every yoga class is different because every day we are different. The word yoga means to yoke: to bring balance between opposing forces, it is finding balance between stress and repose and between effort and relaxation. It really is a body, mind and spiritual practice. So it can be any of these things depending on the student. A lot of people come to yoga looking for an inner spiritual guidance or a guru to follow. There are people who come to yoga for physical reasons. From a physical perspective, yoga addresses every system of the body: the nervous system, circulatory system, digestive system, musculature and the bones, every part of the body’s physiology benefits from doing yoga.

Susan: For a baby boomer the most important thing to start with is an open mind, just take your body and go to your yoga class. My suggestion is to go twice a week for a month before analyzing, judging or deciding whether you like it or not.

On a more practical than psychological level, dress comfortably in clothes that allow you to move. You need a yoga mat and they come in different thicknesses depending on which one makes you comfortable sitting on the floor. You may also need a belt or a strap to help you reach your toes or stretch your legs. Every yoga instructor is different, so find a teacher  that is inspiring and makes you feel good about yourself. Don’t be competitive, there is no competition in yoga, there will always be someone ahead of you and someone behind you. Be gentle with yourself, take it easy and just coax your body lovingly in and out of the poses. Yoga is about relaxing and accepting yourself just exactly where you are in the moment.

Susan: I’m sorry to hear that you are dealing with arthritis, but I know that gentle yoga can help to maintain and even increase your range of motion and flexibility. Keep your body moving! Above all, be very gentle and careful with your poses, and listen to your body…respect your limitations. Yoga shouldn’t hurt; it should feel like a good stretch.

You may want to start with my Sitting Fit Anytime DVD. Do the poses at your own level of ability and modify them as you need to so that you’re comfortable with the stretches

I hope this helps and that your yoga will help you to be more comfortable in your body.

Susan: Yes, yoga will help…if you DO it! Sometimes the commitment to keep up an exercise routine is the greatest challenge.

I’m sure that if you make your yoga practice a priority, it will help you become more fit, lose weight, become more flexible, strong and generally feel better all over!

Yoga shouldn’t hurt. Above all, be very gentle as you begin and really respect your body’s limits. If you haven’t exercised for a while, your body will resist and you can gently coax it, as you would a child, into the new experience of movement and poses.

Its natural to feel a bit sore after you begin a new exercise, but it should be a “good soreness”, telling you that you’re doing something really positive for yourself. Eventually you’ll appreciate the feeling and the results of your discipline.

I hope this helps… I know you’ll be glad you discovered yoga!

Susan: Hi Michael, and thank you for your service in our military. It must have been a very traumatic experience and I’m sure that your healing will progress with your yoga practice. I’m honored that you are inquiring about doing yoga with me in your home.

I’m sure that any of my DVD programs will be helpful. You can start with “Yoga for the Young at Heart”, the first class in the Basic Series and progress to the other two DVD classes from there. They are offered individually or as a set on my website.

Yoga is an inner practice and, like life itself, you get out of it what you put into it. If you dedicate yourself to your practice, the peace and comfort yoga offers will unfold within you.

There’s a saying, “When you master the poses, the real yoga begins.” I’m sure you will find the healing and tranquility you desire through your practice.

Susan: Thank you for your question regarding the best type of chair to use for your Sitting Fit yoga sessions. Here are some guidelines:

• The seat should be firm, not too soft.
• Your feet should touch flat on the floor when you sit forward on the chair.
• Choose a chair that is steady and won’t slide or tip.
• The chair should have a straight back that you can lean against.

I find that a strong, straight-backed wood chair works the best.
I hope this helps! Enjoy your yoga practice!