Hi Lydia
Thanks for asking this question via the forum. I am sure there are teachers out there in Yin-Land who can also add to this discussion.
Short answer: Yin is great for seniors.
Long answer: see below.
I often get seniors attending my Yin Yoga classes and they say that the practice is very helpful, however I do not have classes specifically for seniors. (How old do you have to be, to be a senior by the way? I am 55 - do I quality yet?
) I am waiting for some entrepreneurial Yoga teacher to starts a "Boomer's Yoga" class, targeting those born around 1950 or earlier. We do have different needs than the 30-somethings.
A good way to think of this is using a metaphor from Paul Grilley - the trajectory of aging. We all follow this trajectory, but some follow it faster than others. Yoga helps to slow it down. The trajectory begins with birth: the most yang stage of our life. Babies are all mobility and flexibility and need to gain stability or strength. The first stages of aging are about gaining strength, not flexibility. In this stage, yang forms of yoga are very beneficial. Focus on the muscles! Get stronger.
From the day we are born we become more yin-like. Yin is stability versus Yang's mobility. At some point, perhaps in our 20's or 30's, we reach that mid-point. We are balanced between yin and yang: we have the flexibility we need and the stability we need. But, unfortunately, the trajectory continues...we keep getting more yin-like. If only we could hit the pause button and stay there, but we can't.
As we age, we get stiffer and stiffer. We can be strong well into our declining years, but the real health issues develop out of stagnation. Our joints shrink-wrap. Our ligaments shrink. Our brains shrink. We dry up and curl up, until, like a leaf in autumn, we crumble into dust and blow away. As we age, we need more yin practice to combat the growing rigidity.
Youth is a time for yang: Seniors need yin. Of course we need it all, but it is the relative importance that changes. Most of the seniors that come to my class are looking to regain mobility, especially in their joints, or to rekindle the flow of energy through their bodies. They can all benefit from yin yoga.
The chances that a senior student has serious conditions and ailments are high. It may well be that a private class, or a Yin Yoga class with restorative elements would serve them very well. But, as I mentioned, many seniors benefit from the general classes I offer as well: they just modify the poses as directed, when the full pose is not available to them. As the teacher, you do have to pay attention to the older students who don't seem able to do the pose as you describe it: just go up to them and ask what they are feeling. Based on the feedback, you can adjust the pose, add some props or put them into something different and more appropriate for them.
I hope this helps ... and if other readers have some experience to share, please do so.
cheers
Bernie
ps - I am not sure why you haven't been getting notifications from the discussion board! Very mysterious this stuff.
