Evacuation and Yoga in Elderly Years (50+)

As the body gets older, beyond fifty years of age, many problems arise regarding its health. One such feature is digestion and evacuation of food waste. Silently but definitely, the health of the body deteriorates. One can do much so as to not aggravate this but one cannot stop this downward trend ever.

Evacuation, which is a daily or twice-daily report about what was rejected by the body from what was presented to it for digestion, should be observed and rectified on a daily basis by the yogi. This is just as important as doing asana postures and pranayama breath infusion.

The yogi should check daily for regularity of passing food waste, as to its dryness, the rate of digestion through the stomach, intestines and colon and specifically the sensitivity of the rectum and its rapid or sluggish expulsions of waste.

Does the waste linger in the colon and rectum? Are the muscular actions, which operate to guide the waste through the tubing, malfunctioning?

How does sluggishness affect meditation and the overall state of mind when not meditating?

The trail of food through the body, begins with the mouth but what enters the mouth plays a part as well, in the sense that the type of food eaten, its dryness, it cooked or uncooked condition, and the time of ingestion of the meals, all play a part in how long food matter will be in the body and if it will be promptly evacuated or will sluggishly move through the intestinal track and colon.

Over the years as the muscles weaken, the peristatic movement exhibit reduced efficiency. The muscles move slowly or may not move even. Then people take laxatives and do abdominal exercises in the hope of reforming the body so that it would act as it did in the youthful years.