I LOVE MY JOB: Dezza Pastor: Preaching the benefits of yoga to the elderly 

Dezza Pastor has been a yoga and meditation instructor for almost 15 years. She has a wide swath of students — from teens  to seniors in their 80s  — all looking to improve their strength, sleep better and learning to relax.

Unlike many of her students who train in a classroom, the elderly are a special case. They are usually given private lessons with a set of exercises tailored to their age and physical capacity.

“I have senior clients from their mid-60s to their 80s, and I see them privately once a week,” she said. A session is from 60 to 75 minutes at a cost of at least $150 per hour, according to rates reported on the internet.

Her elderly clients are both retired and still-employed professionals. One of her longtime regulars is a couple, a businessman and his lawyer wife, whom she has been seeing for the last 10 years.

She says yoga for the elderly is a variety of stretches and poses adapted to their age and flexibility, showing her  deep understanding of the diverse needs of her clients.

“It’s less about contorting the body but more about helping build their flexibility, build their strength and build their endurance,” she said. Bending forward for hands to reach their toes, or putting their arms over their heads, may be standard yoga moves but they don’t have to force those poses if they are unable to.

One of her clients is a 70-year-old man who has led an active life, lifting weights and going to the gym. Dezza complements his physical regimen by encouraging more flexibility in areas of his body that might have tightened up from overuse. Couch potatoes or those who do not exercise at all and “can’t reach their toes” start with baseline poses. The first session for these classes typically start with an overall assessment of the person’s capability. From here, she and the client can work on their overall goals for the practice, and then Dezza can plan on how the sessions will proceed. “Sessions are based on the individual,” she said. No ‘one size fits all’ exercises.

Chair yoga or a kind of slow-movement exercise one can do while seated, is usually the starting point for beginners with limited movement capability. It is also ideal for those with weight issues and unable to balance while doing stretch exercises. Other yoga props are likewise used such as blocks, straps, and even practicing next to a wall for support. She said it allows them to experience the benefits of yoga in a safe and accessible way. 

Dezza recalled turning to yoga when her two children, Audric and Aris, were still toddlers. Both her children are now in college. She was initially interested in yoga as a fitness routine so she signed up for 500 hours of training while her kids were in school.

Dezza meanwhile has positioned herself uniquely in Pittsburgh’s spirited yoga community. She also provides a type of bodywork called Structural Integration at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Integrative Medicine. This complementary modality is known to “increase postural ease and movement freedom.”

She teaches studio classes at Salt Power Yoga, a space that celebrates the concepts of community, service and “power flow.” Twice a month, she holds popups in public venues with two other Mi Alma Yoga teachers, demonstrating her dedication to sharing the benefits of yoga within the wider community.

In the beginning, she gravitated toward yoga because she was curious to know more about it. The more she learned, the more she appreciated its benefits to her mind and body. “The only way to do that was to take teacher training,” she said.

Today her entire family practices yoga even if her children live in different cities for college. Her husband, Bam, is a regular at her classes. He touts being less prone to injury as one of the benefits of his yoga practice.

“While my entry point to yoga was through fitness, it has offered me a far greater benefit mentally as well,” she said. “Yoga encourages mindfulness, a constant invitation to live in the present moment. The sense of grounding and aliveness that I feel is the true gift of my yoga practice.” – Cristina DC Pastor

‘I love my job’ is a new segment of The FilAm featuring Filipinos who have rare and unique occupations. If you know someone, please pitch us a story at thefilamny@gmail.com.