Power of Pranayama for Seniors Being content, grateful, and devoted to life itself is the source of ultimate happiness. It is a stage where people can simply be blissed out and experience life to its fullest without doing anything. Literally anything but by being there, in that moment, extracting and experiencing every ounce of life that a moment brings in.
Such happiness can be attained by practicing yoga. Volumes can be talked about yoga but the benefits that it can shine upon one’s life are not to be told but experienced! Simple yoga postures (asanas) can reap life-changing benefits irrespective of your age, gender, and even health condition. The goodness of yoga as a whole are beyond this blog. But this attempt is to shed some light on the power of meditation and pranayama in the context for elders. Combined with a few breathing exercises for seniors, people who practice meditation and pranayama not only attain good health but also find solutions for their chronic ailments such as hypertension, palpitations, arrhythmia, and so on. Meditation for seniors is a known term and many yoga studios and assisted living centers practice it as a lifestyle. Meditation, pretty much everyone knows and would have practiced at least once in their lives.
But what is pranayama, how to practice it, and how exactly it helps seniors to tackle their day to day physical, and mental health issues while improving their quality of life to a great extent. What is pranayama? The term pranayama is derived from Sanskrit and it is a combination of two words - prana (the source of life) and ayama (gaining control). Pranayama is a yoga practice that helps you gain control over your mind, body, and life. Pranayama is a practice to control and regulate breathing. And, breathing is the source of life. In yogic scriptures such as Hatha Yoga Pradipika, it is said that the one who gains control over their breath, gains control over their brain, and eventually life! Unveiling the power of meditation and pranayama Practicing yoga is a tremendous possibility. Certain types of yogic asanas will have a certain impact on the body and mind. Pranayama is to regulate the prana, the life source itself. Pranayama is one of the elements in ashtanga yoga and it mainly consists of 3 stages - inhalation (puraka), hold the breath (kumbhaka), and exhalation (rechaka). In the eight elements of yoga, the first and second elements focus on the discipline aspects and they are known as yama and niyamas. The third element involves physical aspects of yogic practices. Known as pranayama and pratyahara, the fourth and fifth elements focus on concentration and bridge the gap between inner and outer self. The sixth and seventh elements known as dharana and dhyana together lead to spiritual liberation or samadhi which is the ultimate and eighth dimension. The ultimate benefits of meditation and pranayama Pranayama practices are focused to regulate breath. It will enhance the blood circulation to the entire body, increases oxygen levels in cells, and
clears the obstructions or vibrations to facilitate free movement inside the body. There are a plethora of physiological and psychological benefits that pranayama brings upon those who practice it. Here are a few that give you every reason to make pranayama as part of your lifestyle, starting from today. Starting from relieving anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues, pranayama is a perfect remedy for hypertension, lack of energy, and chronic health issues. Many instances people perceive pranayama as merely one of the stress relieving techniques or breathing exercises and it could be the wrongest way to understand it. Thanks to initiatives such as World Yoga Day and other awareness campaigns on the importance of yoga, people are slowly leaning towards this ancient way of attaining ultimate peace in life. Pranayama is simple, flexible, and almost everyone can start practicing it and perfect their practice in simple ways. Not just pranayama but many other simple but powerful yogic postures can become a part of daily senior living activities. Realizing the potential and other health benefits of meditation and pranayama, numerous assisted living facilities, advanced senior living homes, and rehabilitation centres are including them as part of their seniors’ activity curriculum. Book a visit to Athulya Senior Living Facility to witness how pranayama and many other holistic senior activities have become a part of every senior’s life.