Tao Porchon-Lynch is a remarkable woman. She teaches yoga classes at the Westchester Institute of Yoga. Recently she released a new instructional yoga DVD with former model and instructor, Tara Stiles. She is also 94 years old.There are many styles and types of yoga, but one special trend is clear; older Americans are discovering it and reaping its many healthy benefits.

“With yoga gaining popularity among the post-50 set, Tao Porchon-Lynch has become an exemplar of yoga’s significant physical and mental health benefits — and its miraculous ability to slow (and in some cases even reverse) the aging process.” Today, the Center For Natural and Integrative Medicine presents you with four special benefits of Yoga after age 50, or 60, 0r 70, or, beyond. We hasten to add that these are not all of the benefits of yoga, but a few of the important ones for your consideration. You can find more listed at this source.

First Benefit: Improve your balance.

Yoga emphasizes standing and balance. With better balance, you feel stronger and more confident. According to the November, 2013 AARP magazine, “Real Possibilities,” physical balance is termed, “Proprioception,” and it resides mostly in your ankles, You can certainly see how strengthening and sharpening your sense of physical balance can be very important to you at any age.

Second Benefit: Sharpen your mind.

As we get older, we have to admit that our thought processes are not quite as sharp or fast as they were at one time. Yoga teaches us to focus on breathing and match it with precise movement. Not only does this clear the mind, but also helps keep your power of concentration well engaged.

Third Benefit: Elevate your mood. Yoga helps you combine breathing, meditation and movement, practitioners agree that “the “combination of breathing, meditation and movement creates an overall sense of well-being.”

Tao Porchon-Lynch explains, “Yoga is the joining of our mind, body and spirit.” She adds, “It is like nature, everything is always recycled and brought full circle. I find that I can heal myself if I do what nature does.” She refers to yoga like a natural and curative medicine, “It’s taken away stress and has helped me through crises.” The science behind this is that yoga boosts the brain chemical GABA, which is known to calm nerves. Find out more about yoga at this creative, informative source.

Life Lessons From The Mat

Older patients who are trying yoga agree with the philosophy of yoga teacher, Andrea (Andy) Gilats, Ph.D., R.Y.T. She finds no conflict between advanced years and the practice of yoga. She says, “If you come to yoga in your 50s, 60s, or 70s, you’ll carry the richness of your life history with you to the mat. There, to my surprise, I learned that my history didn’t limit me at all, nor did my age, nor did my myriad diseases and conditions. But to keep myself safe as an older beginner, I did need to pay closer attention to the postural alignment of my body and the rhythms of my breath, both in movement and stillness, than my younger, softer-boned classmates.”

We hope this small summary of health benefits has inspired you to try yoga, no matter what you age is in years. Please consider this a special invitation to join us as we of the Center for Natural and Integrated Medicine pursue flexibility, strength and wisdom. Mary Kay Berg leads us in Free Restorative Yoga Wednesday evenings from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, here at the Center for Natural and Integrative Medicine. After a session, we think you will find yourself relaxed, restored and re-invigorated by connecting with Yoga, regardless of years.