Additional Information
Book Details
Abstract
Proven to enhance wellbeing, posture, breathing and sleep, and reduce anxiety and agitation, this programme shows how yoga can be adapted to benefit people with dementia.
Based on the findings of a pilot therapeutic yoga programme for people with dementia in care homes, this book offers substantial yoga sequences, breathing exercises, meditations and mindfulness exercises for improving symptoms associated with dementia. It offers an innovative Reminiscence Yoga approach, which uses sounds, music, guided imagery and familiar actions to stimulate memories. The book demonstrates the many benefits of yoga for people with dementia, and describes the ways that each yoga exercise can be adapted for people of different abilities.
Our yoga project was a great success, with very positive results for our clients living with dementia. I recommend that yoga is considered as a priority in the well-being and enjoyment of those within care, as it evidenced smiles, laughter and fun even for those who struggled to communicate. Thank you, Tania!
Maggie Candy, Care Home Manager
This book is a vital tool for people who are either living with dementia, caring for those living with dementia, or just travelling the aging pathway. The style (with its dip in, or read in full approach) makes it very accessible with good, clear and colourful illustrations. A marvellous opportunity to enhance lives.
Dr Lindesay M. C. Irvine, Senior Lecturer in Nursing, Queen Margaret University
Tania has provided an easy-to-read and informative book. I am always striving for imaginative ways to keep residents moving and active. Tania's book provides practical and inspirational techniques authenticated by her own experiences. I recommend it for yoga novices young and old and anywhere in between.
Lisa Kieh, Plas Bryn Rhosyn Care Home Manager, Pobl Care
I have been diagnosed with dementia of the Alzheimer type for 11 years. I started practicing yoga 10 years ago, one year after diagnosis. Yoga has helped me with balance, breathing and emotional challenges due to my dementia.
This book was one of the best I have read - clear instructions, visually easy to follow, lots of explanations on why and which moves will help you personally. I loved it and will personally recommend it to my fellow yogis. Namaste.
Agnes Houston, MBE
Tania Plahay is a certified yoga teacher. She piloted a therapeutic yoga programme for people with dementia in Four Seasons Health Care care homes.
Table of Contents
| Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yoga for Dementia: A Guide for People with Dementia, Their Families and Caregivers by Tania Plahay | 4 | ||
| Foreword by Professor Martin Green | 13 | ||
| Disclaimer | 16 | ||
| Acknowledgements | 17 | ||
| Introduction | 20 | ||
| How I came to yoga | 21 | ||
| How I became involved in dementia care | 23 | ||
| Who the book is aimed at | 26 | ||
| How to use the book | 27 | ||
| 1. What is Yoga? | 29 | ||
| The origins of yoga | 31 | ||
| The arrival of yoga in the west | 33 | ||
| The benefits of yoga | 34 | ||
| Yoga in this book | 36 | ||
| Conclusion | 37 | ||
| 2. Types of Yoga | 39 | ||
| Traditional styles of yoga | 40 | ||
| Modern yoga styles | 42 | ||
| Yoga therapy | 44 | ||
| Conclusion | 44 | ||
| 3. Yoga Philosophy and Principles | 45 | ||
| Eight limbs of yoga | 46 | ||
| Truthfulness exercise | 47 | ||
| Contentment exercise | 51 | ||
| A simple 5-minute breathing exercise | 53 | ||
| Pratyahara exercise | 55 | ||
| Dharana exercise | 55 | ||
| Koshas, the energy sheaths of the body | 57 | ||
| Tamas, raja and sattva, balancing the elements | 58 | ||
| The nadis or energy channels | 58 | ||
| Conclusion | 60 | ||
| 4. Yoga Basics and Simple Everyday Poses | 61 | ||
| Simple Breathing Exercises | 61 | ||
| Three-part breath | 61 | ||
| Ujjayi breath | 65 | ||
| Mudras and Balancing exercises | 66 | ||
| Gyan mudra | 66 | ||
| Dhyani mudra | 66 | ||
| Tree pose, vriksasana | 67 | ||
| Natural Easy Stretches | 70 | ||
| Pushing away the clouds | 70 | ||
| Natural morning stretches | 71 | ||
| Cat and cow | 72 | ||
| Restorative poses | 73 | ||
| Legs up the wall, viparita karani | 73 | ||
| Reclined bound angle pose, \nsupta baddha konasana, with \nself-recharge hand position | 75 | ||
| Corpse pose, shavasana | 76 | ||
| Conclusion | 77 | ||
| 5. Why Yoga Is Beneficial for Older People | 78 | ||
| How we age physically, and what happens to our body | 80 | ||
| Social ageing | 86 | ||
| Yogic perspectives on ageing | 87 | ||
| Key ways in which yoga works | 88 | ||
| Yoga and older people | 91 | ||
| Conclusion | 94 | ||
| 6. What Is Dementia and How Can Yoga Help? | 95 | ||
| Types of dementia | 97 | ||
| A diagnosis of dementia | 99 | ||
| Stages of dementia | 101 | ||
| Risk factors for dementia | 103 | ||
| Reducing the risk | 104 | ||
| Benefits of yoga for dementia | 105 | ||
| Meditation | 107 | ||
| Caring for the carers | 108 | ||
| Mettā, developing loving-kindness | 109 | ||
| Physical constraints | 111 | ||
| Conclusion | 112 | ||
| 7. Running Yoga Sessions for People Living with Dementia | 113 | ||
| Basics for teaching or learning yoga | 114 | ||
| Motivations for teaching or learning | 115 | ||
| Caring for the carer | 117 | ||
| Before you begin | 117 | ||
| Leading or doing meditation and guided relaxation practices | 124 | ||
| Principles and practices | 125 | ||
| Conclusion | 130 | ||
| 8. Sequences for All | 131 | ||
| Journey of awareness | 131 | ||
| Dhyana, focused concentration | 135 | ||
| Pranayama, or breath awareness in the spine | 136 | ||
| Sequence 1: Rise and shine! | 138 | ||
| Sequence 2: Feeling good from \ntop to toe! | 151 | ||
| Conclusion | 158 | ||
| 9. Challenging and Stimulating Sequences for Those with Early Diagnosis or Mild Cognitive Impairment | 159 | ||
| Singing practice, kirtan kriya | 159 | ||
| Sun salutation, surya namaskar | 161 | ||
| Tadasana or mountain Pose | 161 | ||
| Interrupted breath, viloma pranayama | 171 | ||
| Conclusion | 173 | ||
| 10. Exercises for Anger Management | 174 | ||
| Anger meditation | 176 | ||
| Wood chopping, kashtha takshanasana | 177 | ||
| Twists | 180 | ||
| Backbends | 185 | ||
| Cobra pose | 186 | ||
| Child’s pose, balasana | 187 | ||
| Lion’s breath, simhasana | 188 | ||
| Cooling breath, sheetali pranayama | 189 | ||
| Ganesh mudra, helping to overcome obstacles | 190 | ||
| Conclusion | 192 | ||
| 11. Easy Joint Release Series for Everyone, Adapted to a Chair | 193 | ||
| Karma Yoga | 193 | ||
| Karma yoga meditation | 194 | ||
| Energy-releasing series | 196 | ||
| Some notes for practising and teaching the joint release sequence | 197 | ||
| Joint release series | 198 | ||
| Exercises to strengthen the abdominal region | 206 | ||
| Alternate nostril breathing, nadi shodhana | 208 | ||
| Conclusion | 209 | ||
| 12. Stimulating the Senses | 210 | ||
| Essential oils | 210 | ||
| A simple energy-releasing sequence | 211 | ||
| Movements through the spine | 213 | ||
| Stimulating the senses with tapping | 220 | ||
| Stimulating the senses with a gentle hand massage | 221 | ||
| Sound exercise, ‘sea of Oms’ | 222 | ||
| Conclusion | 223 | ||
| 13. Bhakti Yoga | 224 | ||
| Simple seated practice, sending love to others and the world | 226 | ||
| Infusing everyday actions into actions of joy and divinity | 227 | ||
| Being kind to ourselves and others | 227 | ||
| Nature therapy | 228 | ||
| Singing or chanting | 228 | ||
| Japa, the reciting of a mantra, and prayer | 229 | ||
| Learning and contemplation | 230 | ||
| Some other ideas for creating more bhakti in your life | 230 | ||
| Conclusion | 231 | ||
| 14. Yoga, Meditation and Meditation for Advanced Stages of Dementia, Death and Dying | 232 | ||
| Reflections on mortality | 233 | ||
| Yoga nidra | 234 | ||
| Hand gestures, mudras | 239 | ||
| Singing mantras | 240 | ||
| Getting ready for death and dying | 241 | ||
| Cycle of life – four-directions meditation | 243 | ||
| Conclusion | 246 | ||
| Conclusion | 247 | ||
| Glossary | 250 | ||
| References | 252 | ||
| Further Reading and Resources | 254 | ||
| Index | 256 | ||
| Blank Page |