180
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Not only is it possible and safe to practice yoga during different life stages—
from childhood to pregnancy to old age—but research is now building to show
that yoga and its accompanying practices, such as meditation, can have
additional benefits at these times of life.
LIFE STAGES
Q
Does yoga
benefit children?
A focus on academic performance
can result in children sitting for
long periods of time and can lead
to other vital life skills being
overlooked. As a holistic practice,
yoga emphasizes the whole child,
so it fulfills an important need for
social and emotional learning (SEL).
Yoga can affect all components of
the social and emotional learning
model, which include:
Self-awareness: recognizing
and identifying emotions
Self-management: regulating
emotions and managing stress
Social awareness: acknowledging
the perspectives of others
Relationship skills: creating and
maintaining a social network
Responsible decisions: making
conscious, positive decisions.
A review of research from Harvard
and the Kripalu Center for Yoga and
Health, for example, found that
using yoga therapeutically was a
viable way to improve the physical
and mental health of children and
adolescents. Meditation programs
in schools have also shown strong
improvements in resilience to stress
and cognitive performance.
Yoga emphasizes
the whole child,
so it fulfills an
important need
for social and
emotional
learning.
There are over
900
“yoga in school”
programs in
North America.
Did you know?
research suggests
that yoga could
improve core
symptoms of attention
deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD)
such as INattention,
hyperactivity, and
impulsivity, in children
and adolescents,
when Practiced as a
mind-body therapy
and form of exercise.
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181
Q
Is yoga safe during pregnancy?
Does it have any benefits?
Yes. Prenatal yoga classes are
widely available and are often
recommended by doctors.
Research, including a 2015 study
from the Alpert Medical School at
Brown University, has suggested
that prenatal yoga is not only safe
for both the expectant mother and
the baby (as measured by fetal
heart rate), but it can also be
beneficial for the fetus and mother
while pregnant, throughout labor
and delivery, and postpartum. Small
studies have also suggested that,
during pregnancy, yoga may have
the positive effects shown below.
Meditation may
slow or even
prevent some
of the natural
degradation of
brain tissue
that happens
with aging.
REDUCES
pelvic pain and overall
pregnancy discomfort
signs of stress, depression,
and anxiety
postpartum depression.
IMPROVES
optimism, empowerment,
well-being, and social support
birth weight (by reducing
risk of preterm labor).
Q
How does meditation affect my
brain as I age?
Many areas of your brain tend
to shrink with age, but Harvard
neuroscientist Sara Lazar, PhD, and
her team have shown via MRI brain
scans that 50-year-old meditators
have key brain structures similar to
that of 25-year-old nonmeditators.
This suggests that meditation may
slow or even prevent some of the
natural degradation of brain tissue
that happens with aging. This is
thanks to neuroplasticity (see pp.26–
27). While it is likely that other factors
are involved, such as lifestyle and
diet, it is feasible that meditation
and the resulting mindset contribute
significantly. Research also suggests
that your brain can start to make
these changes in eight weeks. A
daily 30-minute mindfulness practice
(including a body scan, yoga, and
seated meditation practice) has
been shown to change the brain in
ways that result in better memory
and improved problem-solving. A
mindfulness questionnaire also
showed that eight weeks’ instruction
and practice improved three key
qualities that may contribute to a
positive mindset as we age:
observing internal and external
environment; acting with awareness
instead of reacting; and the non-
judgment of inner experience.
Continued
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182
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Just
8 weeks of
mindfulness practice
could slow brain
changes associated
with aging.
Q
How does
yoga affect
how we age?
According to experts, yoga has
the following benefits that
support healthy aging:
builds muscle strength to
counteract the natural skeletal
atrophy that happens with aging
improves flexibility to prevent
the loss of range of motion
improves dynamic and static
balance, reducing your risk
of falling
improves mental and physical
agility so you can react faster.
Yoga improves strength, flexibility,
balance, and agility in both physical
and mental realms. Together, all
of this may help improve your
healthspan—the number of years
you live without illness.
Q
Can yoga help
me keep my
independence?
Yes. Practicing yoga can help
you maintain independence by
preserving functional abilities so
you can perform daily activities
and continue doing what you love.
Applying the philosophy of yoga
to your life can also help you find
purpose and meaning, which
contributes to independence and
well-being. For example, the yogic
concept of equanimity (mental
calmness) teaches us to handle
change and challenges with grace.
Did you know?
In 2050, one fifth
of the world’s
population will be
age 60 or over.
This makes it more
important than
ever to prepare our
bodies for healthy
aging with practices
such as yoga.
The yogic concept
of equanimity
teaches us to
handle change
and challenges
with grace.
MYTH-BUSTER
I’m too old to practice yoga.
Studies of yoga and older adults
have shown improvements in
flexibility, strength, balance, and
functional activities, such as
getting up from a chair. Yoga is
also highly customizable. You can
practice simple breathwork and
adapt any asana, for example by
using a chair, blocks, or blankets.
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183
Q
How does yoga affect my bones
as I age?
Yoga can feasibly protect you
from fractures associated with
osteoporosis by preventing falls
and strengthening the bone and
muscles around common fracture
sites, such as T9 and T10 (vertebrae
at the base of the upper back), wrists,
and the hip, particularly with asanas
such as the below. Yoga also helps
maintain the ability to safely get up
and down from the floor so you can
protect your joints and keep active.
Muscles around
the wrists are
strengthened
Muscles that support
the neck of the femur
are strengthened
Muscles along the
spine and core are
strengthened
Yoga is becoming
more popular with
those age 65
and over.
LOCUST
CAT
WARRIOR II
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