Practising into older age

The population that benefits most is least served by ordinary classes.

Balance, mobility and the confidence to move are among the most valuable things a person can maintain into later life, and this practice addresses all three. The general class, oriented toward a demanding sequence, is a poor vehicle for delivering it.

What is needed is different rather than lesser: positions supported by a chair or a wall, avoidance of positions that load the spine in flexion where bone density is a concern, more time in fewer positions, and an instructor who knows why those modifications exist.

Classes designed for this exist and are frequently labelled in ways that put people off, since nobody wants to attend the class for old people. The ones that fill tend to be named for what they do rather than for who they are for.

Anybody with reduced bone density, joint replacements, or a cardiovascular condition should get specific guidance from a health professional about which movements are appropriate, since some commonly taught positions are genuinely contraindicated and a general class will not know.

The other thing worth arranging with age is company. Practising alone at home is efficient and provides none of the social contact that keeps most people attending, and for older practitioners in particular the class is frequently valuable for reasons that have nothing to do with the movement.