Member-only story
Why I Took Up Yoga At Age 79
Choosing life over death
A year and a half ago, I had a heart attack and as a result I had to undergo a quadruple by-pass operation. I was not overweight, I exercised daily, ate moderately and stayed away from junk food.
Unfortunately, my genes were not on my side. Both my mother and father’s families have a history of cardiac problems.
Post surgery, I was advised to go on a low salt / low sugar diet and monitor my blood pressure. As I have a family history of above average blood pressure, the cardiologist impressed upon me the importance of this. But, try as I might, I could not keep my blood pressure down to a satisfactory level and so was placed on blood pressure medication. This however, opened a new can of worms. The side effects were unpleasant to say the least. Diarrhea, leg cramps and feeling tired, weak, drowsy, and a lack of energy forced me to go off the medication and look for an alternative.
Around this time, I was chatting with a friend who told me of the encouraging benefits he had developed by engaging in Yoga. Specifically, Chair Yoga that is designed for seniors. As anyone knows who has dabbled in Yoga, it requires a degree of flexibility, something a high percentage of seniors do not have.
