Advanced Yoga Teacher Training: Modifications for Aging Yoga Students

Advanced YTT: Modifications for Aging Yoga Students

Participating in advanced yoga teaching training is an opportunity to expand your teaching skills and help a wide range of students, including aging yogis.  

Aging yoga students will have unique spiritual/emotional needs and bodies that may require condition-specific modifications.   

Addressing the spiritual needs of aging students.

The human body changes over time, potentially losing flexibility and strength. The same applies to the mind of an aging yoga student. Research suggests that yoga may support a healthy nervous system throughout the aging process.

When working with aging yoga students, it is important to use encouraging and appropriate language to guide all poses presented in your classes. Goal-driven language can isolate, while language that builds asana from the ground up empowers, building confidence. 

Guiding the aging yoga student into the present moment brings immediate peace and works towards accepting the body as it is now. Calming music, soft lighting, the use of mantra when appropriate, and thoughtful guidance of prāṇāyāma also support clearing the mind of negativity.

Encourage the use of various props.

Props allow the human form to be supported and included in all asanas. The use of props also allows your students to take their practice into their homes! Props should be as diverse as the aging students in your care. 

·        Chairs and benches should be of varying sizes and heights to support both seated poses, standing poses, and student’s shapes.   

·        Bolsters can be quite heavy and cumbersome for aging yoga students. Offer round, rectangular, and even square bolsters in various sizes to suit everyone's body in any pose. 

·        Blankets are multi-functional, covering up for meditation and propping up for neck and limb support. Different fabrics allow for personal preferences and varied thicknesses. 

·        Blocks, when thick and sturdy, are safe modifiers for aging students. Placing blankets or towels under blocks will reduce any slippage, as well.   

·        Straps extend the limbs, helping flexibility and allowing for the push-pull that accompanies many poses. Overcome any compromised grip strength by looping straps before class.   

·        The wall is an accessible prop for all yogis, and railings may help aging pupils feel safe while standing.

Studying props and their applications in advanced yoga teacher training will also come in handy for your students of any age!

If you need more guidance in this, be sure to pursue an advanced yoga training course that specializes in teaching how to use props for aging yoga students. 

Learn about modifications for specific circumstances of aging yoga students. 

Address balance challenges of aging yoga students by strengthening the core muscles, highlighting the connection to the Earth, and sharpening the mind's eye to spatial awareness. 

·        Serve your aging students with osteoporosis and arthritis by emphasizing muscle development, balance and mobility. Both conditions rely on supporting muscles, and the movement of slow flow asana practice alleviates arthritis stiffness.  

·        High blood pressure is an indicator that pose modifications for inversions, heart openers, and even some standing poses are required. Focusing on supported relaxation and prāṇāyāma will significantly support the hypertensive student.   

·        Kyphosis is a condition best served by addressing the shoulders and spine. Gentle lengthening of the spine and heart-opening exercises ease the rounding and uplift the spirit.   

The transitions between poses carry just as much importance as your sequence as a whole. Use the transitions to reinforce the safe use of props, breathing, and mental focus.  

Consider enrolling in an Advanced Yoga Teacher Training to better serve aging yoga students.

Learning how to better serve your aging yoga students opens up freedoms for your students in their daily life. For example, balance challenges that make running errands difficult can be improved, strength-building increases feelings of independence, and improved posture fosters confidence.  

As you advance your yoga teacher training, your practice will grow, and you will be better able to serve diverse bodies and ages in your community.   

Be sure to check out the Prema Yoga Institute’s online advanced yoga teacher training in 2021, which offers many courses that emphasis teaching aging yoga students.  

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Currently, Prema Yoga Institute is offering online study options for ALL of our yoga trainings in 2021 and online options throughout 2022.  

We hope you’ll consider Prema Yoga Institute for your online advanced yoga training program. We’re an accredited program based in New York city, teaching students around the globe through online classes. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you advance your yoga practice and teaching!