Pranayama For Seniors: Gentle Practices for Maintaining Vitality

Pranayama is a set of breathing exercises used in yoga, has been practiced for centuries, and offers numerous benefits for people of all ages, including seniors. Its gentle practices such as deep breathing techniques, and mindfulness practices, can help seniors improve their vitality, mind and body relaxation, concentration, stress relief, and improve their general wellness and quality of life. Unfortunately, Improper pranayama for seniors can lead to chronic stress, reduce flexibility and interfere with hypertension.

Additionally, some breathing exercises are contraindicated by the health conditions of seniors. For example, for people who do not know how to breathe correctly and have anxiety, high blood pressure, and heart disease, holding their breath is contraindicated.

Here is a curation of gentle practices pranayama or breathing exercises for seniors that they can easily add with yoga for seniors to their daily routine and help improve the vitality and quality of life for themselves and those around them.

Pranayama For Seniors to Maintaining Vitality And Mobility

The practice form of the pranayama breathing technique for elderly seniors is mentioned below and explained in detail. Follow the following steps:

Anulom Vilom

Anulom Vilom, also known as Alternate Nostril Breathing, is a popular and highly beneficial pranayama technique for seniors.

Practicing Anulom Vilom pranayama can help seniors enhance their lung capacity, strengthen their respiratory muscles, and improve overall lung function. This can be particularly helpful for seniors who may experience respiratory issues or reduced lung capacity due to age. This breathing can also contribute to optimizing oxygen intake and utilization in the body and improve a senior’s endurance levels.

Sit at your convenience. Close the right nostril with the thumb of the right hand and inhale through the left nostril to the count of 4 and then close the left nostril with the two fingers next to the thumb. After that, remove the thumb from the right nostril and exhale through the right nostril. Now inhale through the right nostril for a count of 4, close the right nostril open the left nostril, and exhale for a count of 8.

Brahmari 

This yogic breathing technique involves making a humming or murmuring sound during exhalation.

Brahmari breathing is excellent for stress reduction and anxiety management in seniors. It may enhance concentration and focus by calming the mind and reducing mental chatter.

During Bhramari Pranayama, you close your eyes and ears with your fingers and take a deep breath in through your nose. Then, as you exhale, you make a humming sound, similar to the buzzing of a bee. The sound is produced by constricting the back of your throat and using your vocal cords while exhaling.

Ujjayi 

Senior citizens can benefit from this yoga’s most delightful pranayama to increase vitality in the body and mind, to calm and balance the nervous system.

Take long, deep breaths slowly through your nose. Then open the mouth and exhale slowly through the sound “Ha”. You should hear a soft hissing sound. Repeat several times. Start with 5 to 8 minutes of exercise, gradually increasing your time to 10 to 15 minutes.

Conclusion

Hopefully, the above breathing techniques act as catalysts for senior improved physiological and mental health. To support seniors in achieving a healthy lifestyle, 7pranayam offers a host of services on the mobile app. Learn yoga, meditation, and mindfulness practice together with the pranayama App. Download Now!