I feel like a big old (hey, less of the 'old'!) hypocrite here for extolling the benefits of Yoga. Simply because I haven't the patience for it myself. I'm probably a prime candidate for needing yoga - I can't settle down, it's hard for me to watch a movie or veg out and my mind races a lot. What I need to do, what I can put on the back-burner, who needs what and on and on.
I can barely sit through a half hour tv show without jumping up to do something so sitting and meditating my way through a yoga session ain't happening. I am someone who needs to power walk for 45 minutes. That calms me.
I do appreciate people's love of yoga. But as an activity, it's not for me.
However, I was reading a report on yoga on CNN's Health Minute. Yoga makes sense for just about everyone. Maybe even someone like me!
"Adaptive Yoga" is becoming more common. This kind of yoga, as the name suggests, adapts to help anyone with any kind of condition, from obesity to Parkinson's to Multiple Sclerosis. People in wheelchairs have also seen great benefits.
"Physical therapist Sarah Knopf says the class' popularity is due to many patients asking what else they can be doing to strengthen their bodies or overcome a health challenge quicker.
"The adaptive yoga will take into consideration the patient's limitations," Knopf says. "A lot of patients with MS, for example, don't do well if they get overheated. So, with adaptive yoga, the instructor will take things nice and slowly, focusing more on breathing and relaxation.... If you are doing yoga in a gym, it's a little faster-paced."
Instructors say one benefit of adaptive classes is that more than one or two people in the group are doing something differently."
Source http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet.fitness/04/18/hm.adaptive.yoga/index.html
Yoga is a non-competitive exercise that really forces a person to calm themselves, breath deeply (excellent for posture development of people in wheelchairs) and focus on muscle development. Stretching is also a major component that people of all abilities can do. The techniques are simply adapted to suit their abilities. And no ageism here! Yoga is an activity suitable for everyone.
Check your local exercise and community centers for Adaptive Yoga classes and see for yourself!