There are various different yoga poses and they all focus on appropriate areas of body's health strength and flexibility.
The poses that are considered the most important are those that are performed while standing. Many people find these quite difficult when they start out with their yoga training and particularly those in poor health or elderly who don't have the strength to maintain good form initially.
These poses are extremely important because they help to build that strength. They also help to bring about alignment in the body which improves your posture and reduces other problems such as back pain that is particularly common with elderly people or those who have not done any form of exercise for some time.
The standing poses also help to build stability which is very important for the elderly who are susceptible to falls and the ongoing health problems that these can bring about.
By adding strength to your legs when performing the standing poses the biggest muscles in the body are working towards helping to maintain your balance.
Flexibility and the stretching of the hamstrings will also reduce the incidence of lower back pain.
The back is also strengthened by the various different seated poses particularly in the lower back and the flexibility of the hips.
Seated poses are also excellent for elderly or sick people who are just starting out with yoga and need additional support until they are able to move on to the standing poses.
They also allow for an excellent position to relax and concentrate on the breathing.
From the seated position people still have the ability to stretch the hamstrings and relieve tension throughout the body and particularly in those areas at the back of the neck, upper shoulders and spine.
This is one area that elderly people can find a buildup of tension as they tend to sit around much of the time without doing any form of exercise. Stretching from seated poses helps to eliminate that tension.
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