Yoga and health after 60

 

Image from Iyengar Hatha Yoga Center of Hawaii - Manoa Yoga Centerwww.manoayoga.com

'I don’t consider fifty as old. Over sixty, the life energy begins to decline and it is important to use the skills and intellect to counteract this decline in life energy. This energy is very sensitive and when it detects a weakness it (Flows less?) and the body quickly becomes stiff and weak.' --I remember reading this somewhere I think it was in BKS Iyengar's book, Light on Yoga.

For someone over sixty, health is a much deeper and more complicated issue than “fitness” and “weight. It is the very flow of life itself. 

As Iyengar said, it is very important for someone over sixty to use intellect and skills to stay healthy. The body/mind detects weakness in bio-life energy and reacts accordingly by further restricting this energy.

This may be why an hour a day of gentle yoga can make such a profound difference in health after sixty.