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Gentle
Yoga for Beginners, Seniors and People with Disabilities
by
Marianne Woods Cirone, M.S., R.Y.T., Certified Yoga Teacher 
 Have you been intimidated
by pictures of yogis upside down and in knots? Then gentle Hatha
yoga may be perfect for you. Devotees of gentle yoga will tell
you that yoga does not necessarily have to physically demanding to yield
great benefits. Gentle yoga is really a subcategory of classical
hatha yoga that has been adapted to the needs of beginners and those with
limitations. It is often used as a warm-up for a more rigorous yoga
practice.
Gentle yoga is an ideal place for many beginners to start yoga.
The focus is on warming up the body, and beginning to work the
joints and glands. At the Himalayan Institute where I received some of my
yoga teacher's training, these gentle warm-ups are known as "Joints and
Glands" exercises because the emphasis is on the movements which gently
warm up the joints and glands. The Himalayan Institute offers a book and a
tape called
Joints and Glands Exercises which features these gentle movements
primarily for the face, arms, shoulders and neck. There
are many classes which offer gentle yoga-- if you find a yoga studio or
yoga classes in your area, gentle yoga will sometimes be one of the
options available. Names that are used in conjunction or even
interchangably with gentle yoga are restorative yoga and senior yoga,
although they are not necessarily the same. Often, the classes focus
on yoga for people with limitations or disabilities, although they are a
great place to start who just want to take it slower.
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you are interested in reading a book on gentle yoga, there is a great book
by Alice Christensen called Easy Does It Yoga. This book is
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pictures and descriptions of movements which can be done in
water, in bed, in a chair or on the floor. There are also lots of
testimonials from people, who due to age, inactivity or disability, have
been limited in their activity who have found renewed vigor through yoga. One
of my yoga students who limited her practice to primarily what she could
do from a chair really enjoyed this book as it gave lots of options.
This is a good library addition for teachers.
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There are also books called
Yoga Made Easy by Howard Kent, shown left, and a
Gentle Introduction to Yoga by Kareen Zebroff which make excellent
references for gentle yoga poses.
Yoga for the Young at Heart: Gentle Stretching Exercises for Seniors
(shown above right) by Susan Winter Ward has been a popular book for
almost a decade.
For
those who are looking for a gentle yoga video,
Lilias
Folan has a great series of videos which could be classified as
gentle, including Lilias! Discover Gentle Yoga - PM Workout.
Lilias, who has been on teaching yoga on television and tape for over 30
years, has an easy accessible style. She has the Silver series of
tapes which are targeted to mature students: one of her popular silver
series tapes is Lilias!
Silver Yoga Series Morning Workout for Beginners.
There
is also a yoga tape called Kripalu Yoga: Gentle
which is well-liked by many users. Students have liked the teacher's soothing voice and
selection of movements. Kripalu yoga tends to emphasize the
meditative nature of the yoga practice. Yoga Zone also has a gentle
tape called
Yoga Zone - Gentle Yoga for Beginners, shown above right. Don't
mistake tapes labeled "For Beginners" as necessarily being
gentle. Many tapes that I have used that were called
"Beginner's" tapes would be extremely challenging for most
beginners. No matter what style of yoga you select, take the
Beginner's label with a grain of salt and do your own research. Ask
around and read reviews.
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