About the bones:

· Adult humans have 206 bones. We are born with 300 bones but as we grow, some of those bones fuse together.

· The femur bone (thigh) is the largest.

· The ossicles (in the middle ear) are the smallest.

· Bones are living things.

· They provide the framework for the body.

· They provide leverage for the muscles and soft tissues.

· They are light so we can easily move, yet rigid and strong to do their job.

· They can bend, twist, and compress with stimulation.

Bones and Aging:

Unless you have had a DEXA scan test for osteopenia/osteoporosis, there are no symptoms of these conditions until a bone is fractured.

Osteoblast cells make new bones. They start on the outside and go inside the bone where they become osteocytes, creating new bone. Osteoclast cells seek out old or damaged bones and clean them up, like the Pacman game (if you remember that, eating up the dashes in the maze). This making of new bone and cleaning up of old bone process is happening all the time. As we age, the osteoclasts (Pacman) gradually take over and outpace the osteoblasts/osteocytes that make the new bone.

Also, our bones are 35% collagen (for bone flexibility) and 65% hydroxyapatite (for bone hardness). As we age, we lose the collagen, and our bones become more brittle.

It is important to build bones early in life, so we are in better shape as we age before bone loss.

How Yoga Help Your Bones:

· It is weight bearing, and especially good for bodies with osteoarthritis that find strength training too painful. It’s always a good idea to have a strength training practice, if possible.

· It is adaptable. Yoga poses can be adapted or modified to suit your body.

· Yoga improves balance. This is SO IMPORTANT! It’s when we fall that our bones may fracture or break.

· Yoga works more slowly, and the positive effects happen over time.

· Yoga gives you better coordination, more energy, more mobility, and less anxiety.