How to Adjust Your Yoga Practice For Your Aging Body

Aging is no joke!

From the moment you are born, you start aging. At first, the aging process is exciting! You learn new things, like how to walk, talk, and feed yourself. Eventually you reach an age when you are on your own, living your life, and feeling great! Maybe you choose to reproduce, maybe you don’t. Maybe you just have fun “going through the motions.

Then one day, your body starts to speak to you. It’s quiet at first so you ignore it, but then it gets louder and louder until you have to pay attention. Your life is suddenly filled with medical appointments just so that you can live your “normal” life.

Sound familiar? If you’re over 50, it might.

When you’ve been practicing yoga for any amount of time, you (hopefully) know that you are allowed and encouraged to adjust your practice to meet your needs. If you want to make it more challenging, do it! If you want to back off, do it! There is no one way to practice, no matter what age you are.

However, with aging comes some additional responsibility on your part. When you were 20, if you got injured, you’d be back to your normal activities in a short period of time. When you are north of 50, you path to healing is much longer.

Because healing from injury takes longer, you need to be even more mindful of what you do with your body. In this post I write about what it means to listen to your body, and why it’s so important, no matter what activity you do. Preventing injury is the name of the game as you age.

Modifying your yoga practice

Although we all get older every day, we “age” at different rates. This can be based on genetics, activity level, sleep, and other lifestyle factors. What matters most is that you work with the body that you HAVE, not the body that you HAD. Each day your practice will be different according to how you feel.

When you are tired, and haven’t slept well, you might need a more restorative practice, focused more on stretching and meditation. If your knees hurt when you practice, you might need more support, like placing a pad or blanket under your knee on the floor, or under your thigh if hip openers bother your knee.

You might need to let go of certain poses that you used to do, or do modified versions of them. I used to delight in deep backbends when I was younger, now I am more mindful when I practice them and don’t go as deep.

Rather than pushing myself all the time, I aim to find balance in my practice. I strengthen, I stretch, I work on balance, but each time I get on the mat it’s different. Some days I am just trying to loosen up from a night of sleeping. Other days I go upside down as much as possible. Some practices are simple, some are complex, but I always allow my body to be my guide. Child’s pose might be all I can handle, and that’s a perfect practice too.

General things to think about

1. Gluteal amnesia. It’s exactly as it sounds, where your Glutes (butt muscles) forget to work. Humans are master compensators, and we’ll do a movement even if it’s not the most efficient way to do so. Many times, the Glutes turn off, forcing the hamstrings to take over. This results in tight hamstrings and eventually a sore/tight lower back. Be sure to engage your glutes when you are standing, shifting weight from one leg to the other, or balancing on one leg. Off the mat, use them when walking, standing up from a chair, hiking up a mountain, or going up stairs. You gotta use ‘em or lose ‘em.
2. Be aware of your joints. If you are hypermobile like I am, hyperextending your joints over long periods of time leads to instability and injury. Being naturally flexible is fun when you are young, with so many yoga poses at your disposal. But with age, your body becomes less forgiving. Engage your quads (thigh muscles) when you straighten your leg to support you knee, in poses like Tree and Triangle. Engage your triceps (rear upper arm muscles) when you straighten your arms, in poses like Warrior 2 and Plank. When you hyperextend, you are stretching the ligaments, not the muscles. The ligaments need to stay tight to stabilize the joint. The muscles can stretch to improve range of motion, but you need the joint to be stable to avoid injury.
3. Whenever you stretch, don’t force it. “No pain, no gain” is crap with an aging body (and generally). Pain is telling you to stop what you are doing, especially sharp pain. When you stretch, try to relax into the pose, find that surrender. Let gravity do the work when possible, while stabilizing your joints. Find the balance between strength and ease. The body is like a rebellious teenager: if you force it to do something, it will fight back. But give it space and breath, and it will eventually do what you want it to, but in it’s own time, not yours.
4. Stretch AND strengthen, not just one or the other. If you only stretch, you will lose muscle tone, and once it’s gone, it’s hard to get back. If you only strengthen, you will lose range of motion, and eventually tight muscles cause dysfunction. I love yoga because it both strengthens and stretches your body, the best of both worlds. If you lift weights or do some other activity, be sure to stretch after (and foam roll before to warm up).

Balance movement and rest

What matters above all is that you keep moving, but rest when you need to rest. Sleep is when the body heals itself, so prioritize sleep and rest as much as you prioritize movement.

Notice the thoughts in your head and what they are telling you. Do you call yourself “lazy” when you are simply tired? Do you berate yourself when you lose your balance? Instead, can you be kinder and gentler to yourself, regardless of what you do on the mat? I know that you can.

Purple Room Yoga, Online Yoga Studio

Purple Room Yoga is an online yoga studio specifically made for active adults over 50 who want to stay active with yoga! I offer classes for both beginning and experienced students. Join me for live online classes Monday-Friday, or take classes on your own schedule using my extensive On Demand Library.

Classes include: 30 Min Fitflow, Movement and Meditation, Head to Toe Stretch, Beginner Yoga, and Mindful Core. There’s a little something for everyone. Get your 10 Day All Access Free Trial! Check out all the things at Purple Room Yoga!

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