Seniors In Motion: Silver Age Yoga Community Outreach (San Diego, CA)

Yoga is a popular exercise among young people and senior adults, alike. Because of yoga’s health benefits and relaxing nature, many senior adult fitness centers are now offering yoga classes.

Silver Age Yoga Community Outreach (SAYCO) is a nonprofit, charitable organization, founded in 2003 with the goal of improving the lives of economically disadvantaged seniors by providing health enhancing yoga practices at no cost. SAYCO recruits already certified yoga teachers and trains them through an intensive certification course as to how to teach yoga to seniors. In exchange for a considerably reduced tuition fee for special skills providing certification courses, teachers agree to teach a certain number of free yoga classes to seniors as part of their community service. Those teachers who continue teaching beyond their community service period are paid $40 per class by SAYCO.

SAYCO raises its funds in many, unique ways. SAYCO applies to foundations and local governments for grants and other funding opportunities. The program also raises money through fundraising luncheons, silent auctions, and other events. They have recently started an “Adopt-a-Center” program in which local business may contribute to SAYCO and have a yoga center named after their business. This not only helps to pay for the program, but also puts the businesses in touch with many local consumers.

SAYCO has trained and graduated 60 teachers so far. They are teaching at 21 senior centers, most of them in the San Diego area, providing free yoga classes to over 400 seniors each week. SAYCO has provided over 3,000 free yoga classes to needy seniors in the last two years. Over one dozen centers are on SAYCO’s waiting list.

Results

• Participants complete a “health improvement monitoring system” intake form which serves as the baseline for measuring health results.
• Participants complete a new survey every four weeks. Any changes are noted and compiled by the SAYCO staff.
• These surveys have given SAYCO information on the program’s effects on 400-500 seniors.
• The biggest improvements are seen in arthritis and osteoporosis.
• In some instances, physicians have taken patients off of medications if they are a part of SAYCO’s program.
• Some SAYCO participants who had planned to move into assisted living facility have been able to delay that transition or rule it out all together.

Innovative Ideas

• SAYCO teaches yoga to seniors at all four of San Diego’s centers for the blind. Yoga for blind or seeing-impaired individuals is not widely practiced. SAYCO is particularly proud of this part of their program.

Contact Information
Director
7968 Arjons Drive, Suite 213
San Diego, CA 92126
Email: silverageyoga@yahoo.com
858-693-3110
866-751-0011 (Toll-free)