In my professional opinion, yoga, properly instructed, is safe for everyone.
Whether you are in a wheelchair or pregnant, a very young child or a very old person, a highly fit triathlete or a very unsure middle aged person, there is a way for you to begin a yoga practice that will be safe and appropriate, challenge you and delight you at the same time.
I have taught yoga for 17 years. The oldest person I have ever instructed is 88 years old.
The mother of one of my regular students, she came to my yoga class for the first time when she was 87.
She delighted and inspired all the rest of us.
“This is how we are all going to be practicing when we are 87,” I explained to the rest of the class.
She completed every pose perfectly. We brought out chairs and used a chair as a prop for many of the poses.
She came to me the next day for private instruction to heal her hips. We have worked together a couple of times since, and it has been important for me to teach her how she can get up and down off the floor safely and easily. Many older people have a fear of falling because they aren’t confident they can get off the floor if they do fall.
If you have doubts about whether you can practice yoga, find a highly trained teacher and ask for private instruction. You will be amazed at what you can accomplish, but you just have to start someplace!
