One of the most important yoga accessories that Shona loves to keep by her side, is the inimitable yoga rope. Mrs. Shona is all of 85, and yet is in top fitness form. She is the first to attend her yoga class online. She lives in the Bay area of California and her yoga teacher lives in Chennai, India. One of the most important yoga accessories that Shona loves to keep by her side, is the inimitable yoga rope. “It’s power is indescribable; it is an extension of yourself; It’s like my third hand and my third leg”, she says. What on earth does she mean? Well, once her session starts, look at her speed! She has highly developed and active motor skills – even at her age! Like many seniors, she attributes the credit to the presence of the yoga straps (or yoga rope). She can do everything with it.
What Are the 9 Best Yoga Asanas for Seniors Using Yoga Straps or Ropes?
- The Standing Position (With the Hands Clasping the Rope)
- The Side Leg Raise Stretch
- The Apanasana Stretch
- Dual Stretch for Legs
- The Tricep Stretch
- The Single Leg Stretch
- Vakrasana or the Lumbar Twist
- The Squat
- Butterfly Asana or the Titli Asana (In The Air)
Before we discuss each of the 9 best yoga asanas for seniors using yoga straps or ropes, we must discuss the many benefits for seniors. Let’s go back to our favorite yoga strap enthusiast senior, Shona! In fact, the very presence of the rope simplifies her flexibility and agility in doing some very difficult poses are decoded and simplified because of the presence of the rope. She is full of pride and appreciation for herself (it’s quite okay to appreciate yourself)! She even says that at her age, she is more flexible than her son! Not to mention, her son is forty years old, and is a gym freak. She says that the gym workout gives the body much needed exercise. However, when it comes to flexibility and agility of movement, yoga is a superior practice. Additionally, more enhancement and empowerment happen with the yoga rope in hand.
It looks really deceptive when it comes to appearances, yet , its presence will not allow us to grope around. Yes..of course! I am talking about the ubiquitous rope. It’s common, yet special. It’s not got anything extraordinary, yet, it helps us customize our asanas as per our body’s capabilities. Doing the asanas with a rope gives us the feeling of unconditional support. This couldn’t be more true as in the case of seniors, mainly because, as age advances, we are more unsure of being surefooted than anything else. By using the rope, which gives us both the emotional and physical support, it becomes easy for us to do those asanas too, like squats and stretching, that otherwise are difficult.
Seniors can also try the following mudras for better circulation and more energy. Also, check out these mudras for brain power.
1. The Standing Position (With the Hands Clasping the Rope)
As age catches up with us, so do mobility and flexibility issues. So, one of the best warm up stretches is the back rope stretch. When done with a rope, this increases the stay- power of the asana. You will feel proud and joyful after completing this difficult back stretch with so much ease. All thanks to the rope!
Go here for 5 ways baby boomers can age gracefully with koshas.
2. The Side Leg Raise Stretch
This stretch is another one, where one needs to stand near a wall for the standing support’ from here, a hand (starting with the left hand), is kept or placed on the wall for the grip. Now, take a rope and loop it around the right foot and hold the rope with the right hand.
Now, slowly, pull the rope up with the help of the right hand. This process will help you raise the right foot from its position of standing to that of being raised. Then, you can see, the leg has been able to be raised up to quite a distance or height. It is a stretch that gives a lot of pull to the glute muscles. Also, to the pelvis, the lower back, the biceps and the hips. This stretch is a perfect coordination of all these pivotal muscles.
3. The Apanasana Stretch
The Apanasana is an asana that requires one leg to be stretched straight on the ground, and the other one to be folded at the knee, or bent at the knee. This becomes easy, when you have two sets of ropes: one rope , to nicely knot at the end, and then put it around one thigh. Now, slowly, fold this leg- around whose thigh, the rope has been circled, or wound around.
Then, with the other leg that is straight, take the other end of the rope ( whose ends are not open, in fact is knotted and appears like a ring), and pull with the toes. This gives the legs , as a unit, a cohesion. This also helps give the person practicing the stretch, a kind of safe feeling- that the legs have a small support system, and that they need not worry that the legs may not have the requisite grip to attain the stretch.
4. Dual Stretch for Legs
As shown in the image above, after you get to the first stretch of the rope around the thigh, slowly, take the same leg up. While one rope is around the thigh of one leg, the other leg has the rope being pulled down. This creates the right kind of tension, pressure and play between the ropes and the legs, and helps with the stretches better. It definitely helps to practice this way, for those who are chronologically mature- having turned beyond 50 but is also going to be a great support for others as well, irrespective of the age factor. As we pull the leg stretched up, with a rope that starts its pressure point at the curve of the foot, it helps to add support to the stretched lag, making sure the hamstrings and the calf muscles get stretched.
5. The Tricep Stretch
Now, put the rope around a stable rod- preferably the safest one would be the window grill. Then, check to see that both the lengths of the now divided rope are equal. Stand a few inches away from the window sill, maybe about 6 inches forward and away; and then, hold the rope with your hands from behind, and then walk forward, and then lean forward. It will feel as if the weight of the body now rests on your feet, as you push yourself nicely forward. The stretches impact the triceps, the shoulder blades, the palms of the hand, affording a nice firm grip and the feet. This is a medium impact stretch. It should not be attempted by one who has no firm gait, and whose stance is wobbly wobbly.
6. The Single Leg Stretch
What we feature now is the rope stretch that helps each leg to be brought towards the chest , while lying down. Ordinarily, this stretch is not a possibility, because holding on to our outstretched leg with just our hands, will not allow for the entire leg to attain a forward bend with the pull of the hamstrings and the calf muscles being stretched, by themselves. Thus, this unique, yet quite simple stretch is possible only because of the rope that is solely responsible for bringing the leg forward towards the chest.
7. Vakrasana or the Lumbar Twist
With the ubiquitous rope being used to get the effective and expected stretches, the next one, many senior citizens say, is an asana which the rope helps to accomplish with much ease. The ideal pose would be to first lie down, with the legs completely stretched. Then , take the rope and lasso it around the foot of one leg- let’s keep the left leg stretched straight on the ground, and then the rope to be lassoed around the right food.
Now, slowly take the right food to the top, straight, by holding onto the rope with both the hands. This position means stretching the right leg really high. Then flex your right foot in such a way that the toes of the right foot feel the stretch in the hamstrings and the calf muscles. Then, slowly take the right leg to the right side, completely. This will ensure a perfect stretch for the right leg.
Also, stretch your head to the left side while the right leg is stretched to the right side. This brings about a nice lumbar stretch to the body. As for the outstretched hands, they should have the chin mudra and then slowly, the head should be turned towards the left, and the right leg stretched to the right. This stance is very effective on the spine and then we can feel the twist on the lumbar region. This is a very effective yoga position to straighten our nerves, the nadis that flow through us and ease the stiff muscles that are there and we don’t ever venture to employ these stiff muscles.
Using the rope (yoga straps) is essential for the seniors, as it gives them a sense of safety, structure and something to hold onto.
Our dependency on the rope is largely due to the fact that the rope is more a conduit in the scope of the asana series. Using the rope is essential for the seniors, as it gives them a sense of safety , structure and something to hold onto. You can safely venture to do the asanas with the rope as a safety catch. Mona, who is 43 years old, swears by the rope, while doing all the asanas. She says the sense of feeling safe comes onto her mental, when she has her rope by her side.
This helps her attempt those very arduous stretches as well. In the same breath, Yamini, a septuagenarian, is equally vocal about the use of the rope. He says it is a versatile instrument in the practice of the asana series that happens. One can safely do those stretches, in the belief and the faith that the rope’s support and strength will help us to try out very intense stretches. Ditto for the use and the versatility of the rope in the back hand and arm stretches and clasps.
Go here for Yoga Benefits, Classes and Poses For Seniors and Baby Boomers.
8. The Squat
We get adventurous with the rope with yet another stretch- the squat. The rope can be hung from the window grill of any window, and then we should face the rope from the front. Then we can hold on to the rope and then sit and stand repeatedly, in the squat position. This helps us to open up the stiff pelvis and the lower back muscles. Additionally, it helps strengthen our core muscles, which is the abdomen area. Doing the squats regularly gives one an edge over those who don’t practice, in terms of the flexibility and the ease of the muscles in that area.
9. Butterfly Asana or the Titli Asana (In The Air)
This asana is done when you are in the supine position- on your back; from here, gently fold your legs like the Sukhasana pose, but in the air, where, your feet touch each other. Then slowly, take the rope, wind it around the joined feet and hold the crossed ropes in both hands, and pull the feet together, towards your chest. This is an excellent stretch for the lower back, the pelvis and the glutes. Doing this with the help of the rope, helps address the stiff muscles in that area. Practice this asana in the seated position. When done with the legs in Swastikasana form in the air, it helps to make the pelvis and the glutes flexible.
For Seniors – Yoga Straps and Yoga Rope are Excellent for Flexibility, Agility, and Increased Safety!
There is ample scientific evidence that yoga is excellent for seniors and for healthy aging in general. Yoga straps and ropes can help seniors increase agility, strength, and flexibility. They also increase the safety of many exercises. So, never underestimate the power of the rope, when it comes to doing the asanas. The ordinary rope can help you do more asanas and stretches than you can even imagine!!! Keep using it, until it becomes an integral part of your yoga practice sessions.
Didn’t someone say: The ordinary helps to make things and events around them extraordinary? This also brings a value point that we need to focus on: that in the scheme of things in life, everything, including every small atom, every miniscule thing has its role to play for greatness to be achieved. The asanas themselves are guide points for us to learn many things in the philosophical way. Nothing in this earthly life is wasted; nothing is inconsequential. Everything is an aid for things to be enhanced or augmented. That is what the great saints want us to know. Never write off something as inconsequential.
You can even practice wheelchair yoga for better mood, strength and flexibility.
Shanti Arunkumar, Senior Contributor At L’Aquila Active
Learn more about Shanti by reading her bio below.
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