Aging gracefully, aside from living long, has always been one of the concerns of many people, especially those who are already through with the prime of their life. And so many concern themselves with looking young. But how about feeling young inside and out? Well, that is something one can get with yoga.

Contrary to what some people might be thinking, yoga is not just for the young and middle aged. It is not just about body bending, muscle flexing, and upside down postures that you probably often see in magazines and TV. As a form of exercise that is good for your physical and mental well-being, yoga can actually be practiced by anyone of any age. So if you’re not that young anymore and are starting to have or already have the maladies of old age (that is, rheumatism, arthritis, high blood pressure, etc.), do not fret because you can still—and you should better—practice yoga.

Certain yoga asanas or postures are ideal for the not-so-young. These postures help balance the mental functions and prevent health problems. The following are some of them.

How To Do Yoga for Seniors (video)

Dog Pose. As this asana’s name suggests, you get on the floor like a dog: kneeling and hands flat down with fingers pointing forward. You bend your spine towards the floor and bend it back up, tucking in your abdomen and lowering your head. Then you relax your muscles and let your spine arch naturally towards the floor. The dog pose exercises your back muscles and improves the flexibility of your spine, though is not advisable if you have a back pain or injury.

Double Leg Raise. Here, you lie flat on the floor and bring your both your legs up so your torso and legs would form a 90 degree angle. But here’s the catch: you do that without bending your knees and with your back always flat on the floor. Yes, this exercise is a bit hard to do exactly according to the rules, but hey, practice makes perfect. And if you’ve practiced enough, you can try to “upgrade” by bringing your legs down more slowly each time. The double leg raise will strengthen your muscles on your back, legs, and abdomen.

Locust Pose. Designed to relieve fatigue and strengthen your abdominal and limb muscles, the locust pose is one of the quite simple exercises in yoga. You just lay flat on your stomach with your arms at your sides. Then bring your head up then slowly lift your upper body and arms, with the latter maintained parallel to the floor. Then lift your legs to complete the locust-like position.

Corpse Pose. This is one of the most basic yoga exercises. Not because it is easy but because it is practiced in almost every yoga session. It is often used as some sort of transition between other yoga exercises, because it requires less movement. You lie on the floor with your arms lying relaxed some distance away from your body. You rotate your legs one at a time inside and out. Then you turn your head left and right to exercise the spine. And then you do the slightly difficult part: you stretch yourself out by pulling your limbs, neck, and body away from each other, while practicing deep or abdominal breathing. Concentrate on your breathing and clear your mind. This pose reduces stress, helps you concentrate, and is good for insomnia, diabetes, and constipation.

Chair Yoga. Chair yoga is one of the least physically straining forms of yoga and can be performed by just about anyone and was specifically developed for the elderly. Another great thing about chair yoga is you can do it sitting down and can do it just about anywhere. A chair is used for support while doing yoga poses, enabling even handicapped individuals to perform the yoga poses.