The best thing about Empowered Aging is how practical it is. It's a quick read to go through it once and see what this "yoga stuff" is about. She walks the reader through the fundamentals, describing what to do, and perhaps more importantly, what *not* to do. As someone returning to yoga practice after taking time off, I found these fundamentals to be invaluable.

I really enjoyed Saltonstall's book on maintaining your health through yoga as you age. The advice was practical and easy to follow. She gave reasons for beginning or continuing a yoga practice as you get older. What I appreciated was the yoga sequences she provided. That's where my practice is lacking.

Such an excellent book on how to look after ourselves in the later years of our lives.I particularly liked the author’s upbeat and informative attitude throughout.
Her cuing, explanations and photographs of the yoga positions specific to this target group are consistently excellent too.
This is a Guide book that should be on the bookshelves of anyone interested in their later life health and likewise PT practitioners working with anyone over 50.

Now that I am getting to that age when it is more important to keep moving that there is no loss of flexibility , I really appreciated the direct approach of this book. The writing was clear and would be so to any who unlike me have not done years of pilates and yoga. I especially appreciated the knowledge on the effects of ageing and this has empowered my practice especially when attending in-person classes which are routinely filled with people who are 20+ years younger than myself.
An absolute gem of a book.

This is a very useful book, and not just for older folks. The author (an experienced yoga practitioner and teacher) describes the benefits of yoga, including watch outs for those with conditions like osteoporosis. She walks the reader through the fundamentals, describing what to do, and perhaps more importantly, what *not* to do. As someone returning to yoga practice after taking time off, I found these fundamentals to be invaluable.

Empowered Aging includes a catalogue of yoga poses. This might sound dry but is extremely helpful as she includes photos showing proper posture (and sometimes, incorrect postures), how to and how *not* to do each pose, and how to adapt the pose if it's too challenging. This section is extremely detailed and I plan to keep Empowered Aging handy to reference this information on an ongoing basis.

My only (small) quibble with Empowered Aging is its title. For me, yoga feels like anti-aging. It helps one increase one's strength, flexibility, and balance... all elements of a healthier life.

Empowered Aging is a helpful guide for older adults taking up yoga, but also useful for younger beginners seeking detailed instructions about poses and how to adapt them. Highly recommended.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of Empowered Aging.

Just getting back into yoga recently, I will enjoy using this book as a guide for my aging health needs. Very well written and informative with clear illustrations. Thank you for allowing me to sample this book via NetGalley!!

Thank you Netgally and publisher for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. This book I think was a good yoga book for it's targeted audience; aging and those with osteoporosis. I liked that it gave medical backgrounds on issues those aging face and how yoga can help them. Another aspect thought was catchy was the three symbols throughout the book to easy show exercises that help with strength and bones etc. I did find the pictures pretty bland and flow of some of the book a little choppy. There are so many yoga books on the market. This one is good but also could be better. It's easy to understand and follow

An amazing resource for people wanting to improve flexibility and keep joints mobile. The section on the effects of ageing on our bodies is a real eye opener. Various references substantiate the claims that yoga reduces many of the symptoms, if proof was needed.

The yoga exercises start with some fundamentals to understand the basis for each move. The exercises themselves are well explained with pictures and many variations. There are standing, prone and chair routines, so there are really no excuses for anyone to not get started.

There's a very valuable series of four exercises for hand and wrists, often overlooked but vitally important because we protect ourselves during a fall with our hands. And If time is short, there are short sets of exercises,

If only this type of knowledge and exercise could become mainstream for everyone over 60. We would lessen the burden on the NHS and lead healthier, more fulfilled lives for longer. 5 stars!

I am at the age where I still want to maintain my health and fitness but need to adjust the way I do things. And this book is going to help me with this and help me to stay on track and remain healthy as I age.

This is a well laid out book that gives you information, photos and illustrations about yoga and how to use it to maintain your health, fitness and flexibility. It is a great guide and one that I will continue to use now and into the future.

Thank you NetGally and Emerald Lake Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

There was definitely something cosmic about me finding Ellen Saltonstall's newest book, Empowered Aging listed in NetGalley. Half of the yoga I teach is to mature women (it's not meant to be exclusive; that's who shows up) in a Chair Yoga class. I've already read a few books over the years for as long as I've been teaching, but as soon as I hit menopause, I was searching for more books. My friend Michele, who I often substitute for in her Chair Yoga class, directed me to the blog Yoga for Healthy Aging. Wouldn't you know it, Saltonstall has written for them too.

The best thing about Empowered Aging is how practical it is. It's a quick read to go through it once and see what this "yoga stuff" is about. I will say, there is no yoga philosophy or spiritual guidance in this book other than some tips about looking inward to see how you feel. If you're the type of person that is not interested in the non-physical aspects, but you want a safe way to practice, this book is a great place to start. Plus, despite there being attention to maturity and ailments like osteopenia and osteoporosis, anyone who has never tried yoga, should be able to easily follow along with the postures (asanas). Saltonstall gives precise step-by-step instructions for each variation of every single asana she included. That's helpful for times when you want to pick up the book, move your body and need to remember how to get in and out of these shapes.

Saltonstall also emphasized the importance of warming up and cooling down. In my personal experiences, I've seen too many fitness or yoga instructors skip one or both of those segments. I blame the industry and management. Yoga classes used to be 90 minutes to 2 hours and now people want everything in 30 minutes. Saltonstall explains that it is possible to give yourself a 20-minute break to move in a safe and healthy way, but she doesn't present her findings that 20-30 minutes is a complete practice. It's offered as something to fit in when you notice your body slouching, feeling fatigued, or experiencing aches and pains.

In Empowered Aging, this author-yogi has a way with words to give readers confidence. She states it clearly that she wants people to go through her sample sequences until they're comfortable and then find the confidence to make up their own. Pick a couple from the warm-up section, then standing or sitting, and then restore to bring the body to homeostasis. As a reader and student, one would likely never feel that Saltonstall is condescending like so many fitness trainers who think the bullying drill sergeant style is what motivates people.

Saltonstall's advice on how to move your spine safely to avoid injuries is clearly explained including illustrations of the types of fracture that can be avoided. If you become anxious reading that you should not bend forward and round your spine, keep reading. Saltonstall wants readers to be aware of their anatomy. Bending from the hip crease while keeping the spine long is safer and she explains why. She's not afraid to repeat that in every set of instructions where a posture would integrate a forward folding movement. She also explains the difference in a forceful bending of the spine like in sit-ups compared to a gentle "cat" movement (the cat posture rounds the spine intentionally and gently like a cat stretching).

Each posture presented comes with the written instructions, benefits, things to keep in mind, helpful tips, photographs of Saltonstall in each variation, and then what she calls "reflections." Reflections are questions to ask yourself that also serve as reminders like, "Can you breath normally while doing this?" as an example.

Before you even get to the chapters on how to do each asana presented, there is a short segment on the history of yoga; learning to become aware of your own body; incorporating balance practice and why it's important; explanations on why she emphasizes alignment; precautions; what kind of props are beneficial; and a lexicon of terminology which is great for people who haven't regularly been in yoga classes or took a solely Western approach. She does include both the English and Sanskrit names of the postures because every instructor one encounters will have their own preference about which they use in a class.

To close, it is worth reading through the Acknowledgments because it's a wonderful list of people to look up online and many books that got Saltonstall to creating this manual. Her other books include: Yoga for Arthritis and Yoga for Osteoporosis co-authored with Dr. Loren Fishman; and Anatomy and Yoga.

Summary:

Saltonstall's Empowered Aging: Everyday Yoga Practices for Bone Health, Strength and Balance is a book I will be highly recommending to my teacher peers and students. It's organized; filled with accurate science as we know it in 2024; easy to follow; includes photographs and illustrations; and, presents an encouraging reading experience.

Rating: 5 stars

This comprehensive guide with photos and illustrations offers a look at how yoga can help us age with greater health. Although it contained lots of useful info, I would have preferred less text, larger photos, and briefer descriptions of poses. More like a pocket guide I could use more easily. Other readers, both yoga beginners and more advanced practitioners, will still find this book incredibly helpful as is.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Opinions are mine.