A nonagenarian woman in Delaware has been teaching yoga for 40 years—without charging a dime. And when she moved into a retirement community in 2005, she not only kept up her personal practice, but also began teaching yoga to her fellow assisted living residents. Nineteen seniors regularly attend her yoga classes. These yoga classes for seniors are a big hit for her fellow senior assisted living residents.
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The 91-year-old yogi, Mabes Morrill, was recently featured on the Today Show, where she nimbly stretched into downward dog and sang the praises of a practice that has kept her “ailment-free” into her 90s. That means no dementia, no Alzheimer’s, no heart disease and no cancer. This active senior still moves with the flexibility of someone half her age.
Morrill learned yoga in the 1960s as a way to combat severe spinal calcification following a spinal operation. Her original teacher “wouldn’t take any money, and she told me to teach and not charge my students,” Morrill told Delaware Online. “I have followed her wish ever since.”
Morrill’s yoga classes fit well with the philosophy of the senior facility she calls home. At Westminster Village, residents are encouraged to take the “Masterpiece Living approach,” based on a decade-long study on aging by the MacArthur Foundation. One of the key tenants of Masterpiece Living is “continuing engagement with life—keeping close relationships with others and enjoying meaningful activities.” These yoga classes for seniors are certainly a great way to stay engaged!
Engage As You Age shares that philosophy. Through regular social visits with homebound or isolated seniors living in their own homes or in senior facilities, we encourage our Bay Area seniors to discover new passions or rediscover dormant ones. Our customized pairings are based on shared interests and complimentary personalities to ensure a positive experience for all seniors—which includes those who still practice yoga, those who are less mobile and those living with dementia or Alzheimer’s.
