6 senior citizens registered for the class.
All the seniors are able to walk without assistance.

Maria C. had a hip surgery on her right hip earlier this year. It had to do with adding some kind of artificial cartilage to her hip. She also has arthritis in the hands.

Fatima has hurt her right shoulder recently while cleaning.

Sirlei has pain in her right heel of her foot. She has an appointment at the end of this month for this problem.

Gloria has tendonitis in her left shoulder.

One of the members of the group may not be a senior. She seems young. I have not asked anyone for their age.

All the members of the group breath normally.

All the members of the group seemed to be emotionally stable and friendly and patient.

Gaby has level of stress is high. She manages her stress by yelling and crying, and going for a walk.
Fatima ‘manages’ her stress by eating.
Sirlei also eats when she has stress, but she also prays and reads.
Gloria manages her stress by walking and exercise.

All of the seniors seemed to care for each other. They were friendly and smiled and helped each other.

All of the members of the group seem to feel well with their sense of self.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Translation and Commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda
Reframed Yoga Philosophy:
o Ahimsa starting with ourselves and our own bodies.
o Satya starting with ourselves and how we really feel.
o Our true nature is experienced in a calm mind state.
o When we quiet the mind, we experience a deep sense of peace.

o Walking this road of life with Love (Bhakti)
• Go for your dreams with all of your heart - never give up on your dreams.
• Feel love for all without attachment to any attachment or expectation.

In the study below, the authors believe there is a link between breathing, vagal nerve stimulation and improvements in body and mind. They have looked at slow, deep diaphragmatic breathing with emphasis on long exhalation, and respiration cycles with longer exhalations, and paying attention to natural breathing leading to vagal nerve stimulation and the turning on of the parasympathetic nervous system and thus the reduction in stress markers such are heart rate, blood pressure and salivary cortisol. Breathing techniques are a component of contemplative activities such as meditation, mindfulness and yoga (the authors say) and they find these practices in general to have beneficial effects on cardiopulmonary fitness, immune function, psychological health, stress, anxiety and executive functions.

Gerritsen RJS, Band GPH. Breath of Life: The Respiratory Vagal Stimulation Model of Contemplative Activity. Front Hum Neurosci. 2018 Oct 9;12:397. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00397. PMID: 30356789; PMCID: PMC6189422.

Dr. Maria Juarez-Reyes MD, PhD. Beyond Stress and Anxiety: How Stress Affects the Body and What You Can Do to Manage It (youtube.com)

• Check in, centering, balanced hatha yoga set considering contraindications, relaxation (with imagery as appropriate),
• Balanced pranayama considering contraindications, meditation/centering.
• Include at least one suggestion from Karma, Bhakti, Raja, or Jnana Yoga tailored for this client.