Whatyou Yoga for every body

For some, yoga might evoke the image of participants bending their limbs into impossible positions.

But at a free weekly yoga class meant for senior citizens taught from the Blue Cross Blue Shield retail center in the Maurice’s building in downtown Duluth, it’s a far more relaxed environment. Some participants wear blue jeans, while others employ a chair for extra balance.

For Margie Meyer of Duluth, 73, who’s had both knees replaced, yoga is all about staying active in retirement.

“You want to be able to do things when you retire. And in order to do that, you need to be healthy,” Meyer said.

The focus is on general well being and relaxation.

“Some yoga classes can become so serious,” Ann Robertson, their instructor, said. “This class we laugh a lot, we have fun.” continued on page 4

Eric Nurmi, 44, a yoga instructor at the YMCA yoga, said anyone can do yoga, regardless of age and ability.

“Not everybody can do all of yoga but there’s some yoga everybody can do,” Nurmi said.

Yoga is more than just bending and stretching and potential benefits include the body and mind.

“You can do a whole yoga class with just breath,” Robertson said. According to the Mayo Clinic, yoga can help reduce stress and anxiety and improve mood; improve balance, flexibility, range of motion and strength; and help control chronic conditions such as heart disease and high blood pressure.

But if someone can’t hold a yoga pose or position — referred to by the Sanskrit word “asana” — there is always an alternative for them. These alternative moves are called contraindicated yoga poses.

“I think the key thing in teaching seniors, kids, pregnant women, any particular group, is to be able to offer modifications for each and every asana,” Robertson said.

For some, this might mean sitting on a chair instead of the floor or using the chair as balance. Others might bring a pillow for extra cushioning.

Using a chair for balance was how Mary Mathews, 68, and her husband Wayne Nelson, 73, performed yoga when they started about three years ago. They regularly attend both Robertson’s and Nurmi’s senior yoga classes.

“We started doing chair yoga … gradually, as we’ve gotten more experience, we don’t need a chair anymore,” Mathews said.

She added that instructors take the classes slow and ensure everyone is learning at a comfortable pace.

Nurmi remembers when the couple had improved enough to ditch the chair.

Ann Robertson, group fitness instructor for Blue Cross Blue Shield, instructs the class to hold a Namaste pose in Tuesday's Senior Yoga class in the Duluth Retail Center in the new Maurices building.

Bob King / rking@duluthnews.com

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“I thought, ‘They don’t really need the chair anymore’ and so one day I just said, ‘We’re not going to use the chairs’ … we’ve been doing that way ever since,” Nurmi said.

“You don’t walk into the class and feel like you don’t know what you’re doing,” Mathews said. ”You’re not lost. You’re guided through and the class is based on everybody’s skill level.”

Mathews and Nelson do yoga three days a week and attend Silver Sneakers twice a

Nelson found it helps to improve flexibility and balance as he ages.

“I wish I had started this a whole lot sooner,” he said.

Wayne spent the summer working on a cabin — lifting things above his head and working on his knees. He said he doesn’t think he could have done that without yoga.

“I know you couldn’t have,” Mathews interjected. “You would have been in bed for days.”

Afterall, an object in motion tends to stay in motion.

“You don’t have to move fast,” Wayne said. “You just need to keep moving.” moments of joy throughout the day.

Plus, confidence in knowing your loved one is looked after and treated with great care and dignity means you can start enjoying quality time with them again.

Don’t wait to check out Betty’s Harbor at New Perspective today. And, be sure to ask about how our residents can age in place without disruptive moves.