* EXERCISE
Managing Menopausal Symptoms Research shows that yoga therapy can help reduce menopausal symptoms for women. A 2010 review of research on this topic, pub- lished in the Journal of Midlife Health, noted that because women are living longer, roughly one-third of their lives are now post-meno- pausal. The authors concluded that there is suf- ficient evidence showing that yoga can help reduce or manage menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats, and cognitive functions such as memory, attention and concentration, along with reducing stress and anxiety and improving sleep. They strongly recommended yoga for all post- menopausal women. The study’s authors also noted that yoga may reduce the symptoms and complica- tions of cardiovascular disease.
Beginners, Balance & Restorative Poses The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) website offers advice on beginner yoga poses for people in their 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond. Several restor- ative yoga poses, such as the tree pose, are illustrated in a video for people age 70 or above narrated by AARP Features Director Lorrie Lynch, a certified yoga instructor. Restorative yoga uses props to support the body in gentle poses that are held for an extended time. Lynch explains that the tree pose pro- motes balance and can help prevent falls. To perform the tree pose, she advises that you stand with your legs together and your hands on your hips. Shift your weight into your left leg, bringing your right heel to your left ankle. Then draw the right foot slowly upward to rest the sole of the foot on the inside of your lower leg. Hold on to a wall or a chair placed in front of you for balance, if need be. If you can hold the pose without any props, raise your hands upward as if they were tree branches and hold for 20 to 30 seconds. Then lower your arms and come down onto your two feet, before repeating with the opposite leg.
Visit
http://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/ info-2017/
restorative-yoga-after-70.html for more restorative yoga poses.
14 | MATTERS OF HEALTH
ISTOCK.COM
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