The New Yoga for People Over 50: A Comprehensive Guide for Midlife and Older Beginners (Paperback)

~ (Author) "As a society and as individuals, we can expect that our notions of aging will continue to change dramatically in the years ahead..." (more)
Key Phrases: backbending bench, lower your bottom, folded sticky mat, Angle Pose, Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose, Upward-Facing Dog (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"No segment of our population can benefit more from yoga than people over 50," says author Suza Francina, Iyengar yoga instructor and director of the Ojai Yoga Center, where she specializes in classes for people over 50. The New Yoga for People over 50 shows how to adapt traditional postures to suit any age or fitness level with step-by-step instructions aimed at the older beginner. Photographs, quotes, and personal stories of yoga teachers and students--many in their 70s and older--add inspiration.

One key to modifying postures for older, stiffer bodies is the use of props that provide support to let the yoga student get into strenuous postures and hold them longer without pain or fatigue. The book illustrates how to adapt many postures with the aid of chairs, walls, wall ropes, bolsters, back-bending benches, and straps. Yoga decreases stiffness and inertia, and enhances health, energy, flexibility, posture, breathing, independence, and balance (physical and emotional). Francina explains how yoga may prevent the shortening and rounding of the spine and ward off osteoporosis. This book is an excellent companion to a yoga class or an inspiration to begin one. --Joan Price

Product Description

Iyengar yoga expert Suza Francina describes and illustrates how older beginners can adapt the practice of yoga to their special needs. Through photos of older teachers and students, this comprehensive guide demonstrates how to progress from gentle floor and chair stretching exercises to vital weight-bearing, standing and inverted postures.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 286 pages
• Publisher: HCI (April 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558744533
• ISBN-13: 978-1558744530
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #44,796 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN EXCELLENT TOOL/GUIDE FOR ANYONE OF ANY AGE!, May 19, 2000

By	S. Kelly (California) - See all my reviews

My aunt (a flourishing over-50 yoga devotee) recently sent me (a very stiff 33-year old beginner) a copy of Suza Francina's marvelous book, The New Yoga for People Over 50. I previously acquired Mira Mehta's authoritative How to Use Yoga, which I find quite instructive and aspire to begin using (yoga isn't as easy as it looks, folks!). However, I don't believe anything could inspire me as much as seeing and reading the testimonials of so many over-50 yoga practitioners in Francina's book; their execution of some of the more challenging postures is absolutely mind-altering!

Francina's book and her work in general are truly a blessing. Bolstered by the knowledge The New Yoga for People Over 50 has given me I have begun "converting" my mother, who frequents the weight machines at the gym. She is a fit and vibrant 54-year old, but her hectic lifestyle, which includes a six-day work week (she owns a business) needs the addition of yoga to ensure her health and longevity.

This book is a wonderful, invaluable tool for everyone, regardless of age. I hope to catch up with Francina's octogenarian students within a few years! With Francina and her students as examples, I expect I will do just that - and anyone who reads this book will be motivated to set a similar goal: feel better and live longer with yoga!

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Beginers?, June 9, 2000

By A Customer

I wish I had read the review "Yoga or Yada" before I purchased this book for my 74 year old mother. I feel the books set up is out of wack ( the bleep on breathing is in the back of the book ), and the pictures are very intimidating. I thought this book would be a little more for beginners, like the title suggests, with easy yoga poses and more detail on breathing. Instead I read and saw expert Yoga students and teachers showing off their limberness and writing of the author's greatness and their own. I would return this book to Amazon but by the time I paid for the postage it would be a waste. The Yoga book I bought for myself (The Little Yoga Book) I feel is much more appropriate for all beginners regardless of age.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference book; buy an extra to share with friends, July 11, 1999

By	Carin A. Seebold (Beaumont, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book has made a difference in my life! I have read several yoga books, but "The New Yoga for People Over 50" by Suza Francina spoke to my special needs. If you are seeking answers for questions relating to menopause, osteoporosis, healthy heart, etc., seek no more. This book provides answers. Her chapter on feet and knees is extremely helpful, providing the groundwork for specific needs. I keep this book handy as an excellent reference manual, both for myself and my friends. Additionally, this book is an inspiration to learn and practice yoga. The models are real and most are definitely over 50 years old. This in itself is an incentive. When you see people in their 70's and 80's, you are encouraged that you, too, can do yoga well into your "golden" years. After reading her book, I was excited to learn that I am close enough to Ojai (an hour's drive but well worth it) to take classes by Suza. She is an empowering teacher as well as a talented author. If you cannot attend a class, "The New Yoga for People Over 50" will more than suffice. Buy more than one; you'll want to share with a friend. Enjoy!