A few years ago, not long after I started Sixty and Me, I found myself looking for a yoga for seniors DVD. Like many women my age, I was feeling a little stiff after six decades of walking, working, raising a family and traveling. When I was in my 20s, I spent a year backpacking through India, reading, exploring and doing yoga. Now, 40-years-later, I was ready to give my body the love and attention that it deserved.

Smiling broadly, as I imagined getting back into yoga, I fired up Google and started my search. “This is going to be a breeze!” I thought to myself. “There must be hundreds of yoga programs for people my age.” The reality, as I soon discovered, wasn’t quite so simple.

Here’s the Problem with Most Yoga for Seniors DVDs

My search started well enough. I soon discovered 100s of “yoga for seniors” videos, ranging from short free introductions on YouTube to $50 DVD sets. I opted for something in the middle, and ordered a $20 yoga for seniors DVD set from a reputable teacher.

About a week later, I loaded the DVD and started my first yoga practice in 40 years. 10 minutes later, I was on the floor, staring blankly in disbelief at the TV. Either I was WAY out of shape, or, the “seniors” that this particular DVD was targeted at were distant relatives of the children’s film character, Gumby. For the record, Downward Dog is NOT as easy as it looks!

Don’t forget to check out the FREE yoga for seniors video at the beginning  of this article and, if you enjoy it, you can order a DVD any time here.

A few days later, I decided that my first experience with yoga in my 60s wasn’t going to hold me back. So, I decided to order a second DVD set. This video series came with a completely different set of problems. The classes were filmed in a dark room. The participants looked tired and depressed. Even worse, the positions were so slow and simple that I felt like I was going to fall asleep.

Have you tried any yoga for seniors DVDs that fall into either of these categories? It’s a pretty frustrating experience!

Where Are the Yoga DVDs for Dynamic Older Women?

I don’t say any of these things to be negative. As I later found out when I worked with Cat Kabira to create our own gentle yoga for seniors DVD series, creating a video course is tough!

It’s just that none of the yoga DVDs that I tried really seemed like they were designed for modern women over 60. They were either repurposed “gentle yoga” classes for people in their 20s. Or, they felt more appropriate for people our parents’ age. Where were the yoga DVDs for dynamic boomer women like us?

What Are the Best Yoga DVDs for Seniors?

As you might expect, I’m slightly biased towards my own gentle yoga DVDs. After all, Cat designed them to be just for women like us. But, at the end of the day, it’s not really important to me where and how you start your yoga journey. What is important is that you find a program that works for you.

Yoga is a gateway to so many other healthy activities. When you feel less stiff, you are move likely to get moving again. The more you move, the more likely you will be to explore the world and get back into exercise. These activities, in turn, will help you to stay more social. It’s a virtuous circle… and it all begins with yoga.

I’d love to get your feedback on this! Let’s share our favorite yoga for seniors DVDs and videos in the comments section below.

Have you tried any yoga for seniors DVDs? What did you think of them? Did you feel like the level was appropriate – not too easy and not too hard? What advice would you give to the other women in our community about choosing a yoga for seniors DVD? Please join the conversation.