Ann Dimon
Dr. Ron Kapp, a California-based longevity clinician, said a new field of medicine called Geroscience shows that living a long, healthy life depends on the foundations of strength, flexibility and balance. three, balance Maybe it’s the most important thing.”
Dr. Kapp, who has been practicing emergency medicine for 40 years, said that about 25 percent of all emergency room (ER) visits are for elderly patients, many of whom arrive at the ER because of falls. Some may break an arm, leg or ankle, but “the most unlucky people are those who break a hip, because in older people a broken hip is often life-threatening,” he says.
As more people embrace the concept that “self-care is the new health,” yoga teacher and retreat leader Howard VanEs, MA (counseling psychology) and Ph.D. Rick Harvey DC (Chiropractic Physician) wrote and published a book called Yoga for Better Balance. For San Francisco-based Let's Write Books Inc., 2023 is the perfect time.
Emphasizing Dr. Kapp's point, the book's introduction references the CDC's fall data on older adults.
- Each year, more than 800,000 patients are hospitalized due to falls.
- More than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falls, usually on the side.
- Women fall more often than men
- Women experience three-quarters of all hip fractures.
To get readers off to a good start, Chapter 1 explains how to use the book, and Chapter 2 (Are You Out of Balance?) provides a variety of self-test checklists to help you check yourself if you have any problems or need to. Work on improving your balance. For example, can you stand on one leg for 10 seconds? Do I need to use the chair arms to stand up from a sitting position? Try it now.
Featuring photos of various yoga poses and in-depth descriptions of each pose, the chapters include short yoga exercises for balance, full yoga exercises for balance, and lifestyle adjustments to improve balance and reduce the risk of falls.
Interspersed throughout the book are feel-good quotes like “The essence of yoga is to send the light of awareness into the darkest corners of the body.” ~ Jason Crandell. And “Yoga is not a religion. It is a science, a science of well-being, a science of youth, a science of integrating body, mind and spirit. ~ Amit Ray.
Even if you're new to yoga, Yoga for Better Balance has options for every level.
Finally, Dr. Kapp says: “Balance + strength + flexibility go a long way in preventing the dire consequences of falls. Practicing balance skills makes your muscles and joints happy. Balance is the fundamental key to health and longevity.
Yoga for Better Balance is available through Amazon.
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Two other yoga articles you might find interesting:
Strengthen your mental health with yoga
Seven reasons why yoga is more essential than ever