Yoga may be the most advanced system of stretching and toning every developed. Yoga postures have the added advantage of increasing your flexibility and range-of-motion and strengthening your muscles and tendons. ~Stephen Cherniske

After a trip to India, Peggy Cappy became interested in yoga. She practiced yoga for eight years and then decided to share her practice with others. She then began to work with students of all ages. The "Yoga for the Rest of Us" video/DVD was created after she worked with senior citizens and realized the long-term benefits of a yoga practice.

Now you can learn to do yoga at any age. Peggy uses a chair and covers a number of basic yoga positions. She carefully leads her students through the exercises and each student shows a different level of flexibility and strength.

I found this three 20-minute session practice to be healing, comforting, enjoyable and completely relaxing. If you are at an advanced level of yoga, this series of restorative poses could be a calming break from a demanding schedule or a way to reach a deep level of relaxation through a more focused and soothing workout. There are also a variety of exercises designed to improve joint flexibility that do not require you to do a yoga pose. You can literally sit in a chair and reach your arms in various directions or lift your legs and move your feet in various directions to release the stress of everyday life.

The benefits of yoga are many and Peggy shows you how you can create more flexibility, increase muscle strength and balance your body through stretching. You will experience Mountain Pose, a Warrior Balance pose you can adjust to your level and Sun Salutations, which are modified with a chair. If you choose not to use a chair, you can follow one of the students showing the intermediate poses.

Peggy Cappy has a comforting teaching style and no matter what level you are at in your yoga practice, I think you can benefit from the results. I have rarely felt so relaxed after doing a yoga video/DVD. I can also do this DVD on days when I have lower energy and about an hour later, I feel renewed and healed. There is a focus on breathing, which is so needed when you are tired and stressed. After doing yoga for a number of months you will start to notice a decrease in pain in your body and your body will have a new level of strength which then allows you to more easily walk up stairs, get out of bed without as much stiffness in your joints, climb in and out of a bathtub or even walk with improved posture.

You may also want to read: The Metabolic Plan by Stephen Cherniske. One of the most important books you might ever read because there are amazing ways you can slow down the aging process. Before doing this workout, I like to get a big glass of ice and pour in some aloe juice, orange juice, water and a packet of Emer'gen-C "lite" (not the one with fructose) with Glucosamine and Chondroitin (two of the bodies most important repair proteins) and a packet of the Emerg'en-C "lite" with MSN for additional energy. Taking All-One vitamin powders (they have one for Active Seniors too or you might like the Antioxidant one) blended with Genisoy soy protein powder and soy milk also has helped my body to build muscle and has given me energy I didn't have before. Once I started taking Hyaluronic Acid, Grape Seed Extract, DMAE and Coenzyme Q10, I really noticed a difference. Please talk to your doctor about how these items might benefit you.

You may also enjoy:

Books: 

Yoga for You by Indra Devi
The Healthy Balance for Body and Soul by Cynthia Culp Allen
Shape Walking by Marilyn L. Bach
Healing Selections

Yoga DVD/Videos:

Yoga Journal's New Yoga Step-By-Step Series
Crunch Candlelight Yoga Video
Yoga Zone Flexibility and Stress Release 

Foods & Supplements: 

General Supplements for Health
Clif Energy Bars - great for breakfast with a cup of white or green tea. The Carrot Cake flavor is amazingly delicious.

"E" is for Effort

To keep track of how many days a month you exercise
put a big red "E" on your calendar for each day that you bike,
walk or go to the gym. This trick will show you how you are 
doing and will keep you motivated to increase the number of "Es." 

If you are having a difficult time staying with your workout routine, I can
highly recommend listening to Self-Esteem: Your Fundamental Power.