Yoga Articles

While B.K.S. Iyengar may still be teaching at 93, Guinness World Records has awarded the distinction of “oldest yoga instructor’ to Bernice Bates, a 91-year-old who instructs yoga at the Mainlands Retirement Community Center in Pinellas Park, Florida. Bates has been practicing and teaching hatha yoga since about 1960, according to Today.com. She currently offers a once-weekly hourlong yoga class that includes 10–12 poses and ends with relaxation. Personally, she practices several postures before getting out of bed every morning.

In our high-stress, hurried world—filled with financial pressures, information overload and “terror alerts”—many people feel the weight of the world on their shoulders. Add to this emotional tension the physical stress of sedentary lifestyles with long hours spent hunched over computers and, all too often, the result is a serious pain in the neck. Chronic neck pain is linked to a host of related disorders, including headache, jaw soreness, and pain radiating into the shoulders, upper back and arms.

How many times does the staff email blast urge you to “talk up other classes on the schedule?” It’s a good idea, but by the time you get to the studio, cue the music and lead people through your own class, either you forget to mention the vinyasa yoga class or participants leave before the cool-down, which is when you usually share announcements. Why not use the warm-up instead? This dynamic, yoga-inspired warm-up works for a step, dance, boot camp or strength circuit class and serves many purposes:

Yoga and yoga-related activities continue to increase in popularity, although the growth rate has slowed somewhat, according to the 2011 Tracking the Fitness Movement Report by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. In 2010, approximately 21.9 million people participated in yoga and yoga-related activities compared with about 20.1 million in 2009, representing an 8.8% growth.

Yoga may help teens to curb anxiety, be more resilient and effectively manage stress and mood, suggests a study published in The Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research (2011; doi: 10.1007/s11414-011-9249-8). Mental health conditions like anxiety, depression or related behavioral problems disrupt life for as many as 7.5% of adolescents. Many adults who suffer from these same issues started experiencing symptoms during the teen years.

Are you or your facility offering any yoga therapy programs for individuals or groups? If yes, what type of programs have you been offering and what has been the response? How have you recruited yoga therapists, and can you give examples of their training and background?

An 8-week yoga therapy course helped older stroke survivors improve balance, endurance and confidence in a pilot study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine’s 58th Annual Meeting. Researchers from Indiana University–Purdue University and the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center (Roudebush VAMC), both in Indianapolis, sought to explore whether yoga practice would help stroke survivors reduce the risk of falls, since an estimated 80% of people who have strokes also have impaired balance. Poor balance increases the risk of falls and of hip fractures.

In the April issue of IDEA Fitness Journal, you asked if anyone was using music to enhance the experience of clients. I am a clinical musician intern playing harp for patients in the hospital as well as in hospice care. I include harp playing to induce the relaxation response during my yoga classes. I use the musical scale to tone the body to get ready for exercise and then use harp music at the end for relaxation, meditation and visual imagery.