This article examines how to use anti-aging yoga to keep your spine healthy and your body young after menopause. Everyone ages, but after menopause the aging process can escalate unless you take steps to prevent it. The yogis say you're only as old as your spine. Start today to keep your spine young and flexible. Here's how!
* Find a well-padded mat or carpet
* Do some anti-aging yoga warm-up exercises for your spine first
* Yoga Pose of the Child.
While on hands and knees, lean back, arms extended on the floor and buttocks close to the bottom of your feet. Breathe and feel the stretch. Optional: make your hands into fists and gently pummel up and down your back and buttocks.
* Yoga Anti-Aging Spine stretch.
Sit on the floor, right leg straight and left leg bent over it at the knee. Right elbow pulls back left knee and your left palm is on the floor behind left hip. Remember to breath and feel the stretch in your spine. Use gentle movements (and in all poses that follow; never force. Keep your chest and head up. Look behind you. Smile. Breathe and hold the posefor up to 15 seconds. Repeat other side.
* Yoga Anti-Aging Side stretch.
Sit cross-legged. Bring your arms up above head and let them join making a church steeple. Breathe and hold for up to 15 seconds, keeping your weight on your sit bones. Bring your left hand down on the floor to the side of your left hip, let right arm come up and over the head to the left side as far as you can while keeping your weight on your sit bones.Breathe. Smile, Feel the stretch up your right side and arm.
*Yoga Anti-Aging Spine Strengtheners
*Get on your hands and knees. Keep your abdominal muscles tucked in, but keep breathing throughout. Round your back like a cat and hold for up to 15 seconds, then release and flatten your back. Repeat.
*Still on hands and knees, extend your right leg out straight behind you and your left(opposite) arm out in front. Balance, hold for 15 seconds, breathe, smile. Repeat with other arm and leg.
* Get into plank position, as if you're going to do pushups, with your legs behind you and weight on hands and toes. Slowly bring in your right leg to your abdomen, breathe, smile, and return that foot to the floor behind you. Repeat with your left leg. Repeat both legs X 5 times, continuing to breathe and smile.
* Lie on your stomach. Extend both hands in front of you, off the ground. Breathe. Now clasp your hands behind you at your waist, while continuing to breathe. Repeat up to 10 times. Feel how this stimulates your upper and lower spine and trims your tummy too!
* Get on knees. Extend your left leg to your side and clasp your hands behind your head. While continuing to breathe in and out normally, bend your upper body toward your left knee. Hold, then repeat up to 5 times. Repeat with other leg.
* Lie on stomach and prop yourself up on your elbows. Breathe, smile and feel the release in your lower back.
* Repeat warm-up exercises
* Lie flat on your back and enjoy the sensations of your back relaxing into the floor.
Enjoy...
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