Yoga For Elderly Folk | 12 Poses To Try For Enhanced Vitality

Aging is one of the inevitable parts of life. At some point, if we are lucky enough to have a long life, all of us reach an age where we just aren’t as spry and agile as we once were.

While it’s possible, and advisable, for seniors to stay active and fit, not every type of exercise is necessarily as safe or conducive to the physical limitations and changes that elderly adults tend to experience.

However, yoga can be a great form of exercise for seniors, particularly certain types of yoga that focus on mobility, strength, and balance without requiring a lot of flexibility or physically-demanding poses.

In this guide to yoga for elderly folk, we will discuss the benefits of yoga for seniors, considerations prior to starting yoga for older adults, and the best yoga poses for elderly folk.

We will look at: 

• Is Yoga Safe for the Elderly?

• Benefits of Yoga for Elderly Folks

• Tips to Make Yoga More Approachable for the Elderly

• 12 Yoga Poses for the Elderly to Enhance Vitality

Let’s jump in!

Is Yoga Safe for the Elderly?

In most cases, yoga can be a safe and effective form of exercise for seniors, provided you don’t have an unstable injury, acute disease, or significant balance issues. 

In fact, according to the 2016 Yoga in America Study, nearly 14 million Americans over the age of 50 practiced yoga in 2016, and participation rates continue to increase.

One of the best things about yoga is that it is a very diverse practice. There are many different styles or types of yoga, and poses can often be modified to accommodate various physical limitations, such as reduced mobility, decreased strength, poor balance, and stiffness or inflexibility.

Moreover, even if you’re unable to perform many yoga poses, there is breathwork and a spiritual side of yoga to explore as well, along with very restorative yoga poses or chair yoga.

A physical therapist or occupational therapist experienced with your condition and aware of your medical history can help design a yoga program with yoga poses (asanas) that are in alignment with your personal needs and limitations.

Benefits of Yoga for Elderly Folks

There’s a tendency to become more sedentary with age. Between the natural decline in muscle mass and resultant strength due to age-related sarcopenia, a loss of flexibility and balance, and a decrease in cardiovascular fitness, many elderly adults lack the energy, mobility, strength, and endurance to feel motivated enough to exercise consistently.

The good news is that yoga is one of the most adaptable and thus approachable forms of exercise for the elderly, even those who are deconditioned. 

Here are some of the top benefits of yoga for seniors:

• Improving balance

• Reducing the risk of falls

• Improving posture and core strength

• Reducing low back pain

• Increasing flexibility and mobility 

• Increasing bone density and potentially reducing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures

• Decreasing inflammation

• Strengthening the heart and lungs

• Improving respiratory function lion and breathing

• Slowing the progression of heart disease and improving heart function  

• Reducing the discomfort and debility associated with chronic pain

• Improving the quality of sleep

• Improving the mind-body connection and awareness of the body in space 

• Attenuating the functional decline associated with aging

• Boosting mood and reducing the risk of depression 

• Reducing stress and anxiety 

• Increasing independence, confidence, and self-efficacy

5 Tips to Make Yoga More Approachable for Elderly Folk

Here are a few tips for seniors who are trying to get started with yoga: 

#1: Choose the Right Type of Yoga

Yoga is a diverse movement practice, and certain types of yoga are likely to be more appropriate for the elderly than others, especially if weakness or mobility impairments are present.

For example, Power yoga, Bikram yoga, and Ashtanga yoga may be too aggressive and physically demanding for an older adult just getting started with yoga or who is working with various physical limitations.

On the other hand, certain forms of yoga, such as Yin yoga, Hatha yoga, Restorative yoga, and the newer Chair yoga, can be especially good forays into yoga and physical activity in general for less fit, weaker, or relatively immobile seniors.

#2: Use Props

Using props such as yoga blocks, straps, bolsters, pillows, and chairs can also help make certain yoga poses and sequences more tenable for the elderly. 

#3: Take a Class

A yoga class or guided yoga workout video is a great way to get started with yoga. A class is a particularly good idea because the instructor can help you modify yoga poses as needed.

Look for yoga classes for seniors at your local senior center or yoga studio.

#4: Wear the Right Clothing

Wear loose, comfortable clothes so that you can move freely through the poses.

#5: Respect Your Limits

You might not be able to do every yoga pose, even with modifications. It’s always better to skip a pose or just relax into Child’s Pose, Easy Pose, Corpse Pose, or another restorative yoga pose if you have any pain or concerns about getting into or out of a more demanding pose.

Research shows that yoga-related injuries are highest among yogis aged 65 and older, and although the injury rate in this age group is still quite low (57.9/100,000), it is possible to injure yourself if you’re not listening to your body.

12 Yoga Poses for the Elderly to Enhance Vitality

The following yoga poses are great for seniors because they are restorative, relatively easy to modify for various mobility or strength deficits, and/or promote vitality, balance, and functional wellbeing. 

#1: Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

Mountain Pose is a good yoga pose for seniors because it promotes grounding through the feet and improves balance. Be sure to engage your core and glutes to aid your balance. 

You can also modify this yoga pose for chair yoga by sitting on your chair instead of standing. You’ll still engage your core, work on your posture, and connect with your breath.

#2: Tree Pose (Vrikshasana)

Tree Pose can be challenging in terms of balance and coordination, but the payoff can be worth the effort. You’ll also build leg strength and core strength. 

If you are concerned about balance, perform the pose next to a surface you can hold on to just in case. 

If you have sore knees, rest your non-supporting leg on the leg or shin of the standing leg rather than the knee.

#3: Child’s Pose (Balasana)

This restorative yoga pose is a good way to connect with your breath, stretch your back and shoulders, and feel grounded in your body.

#4: Chair Cat-Cow Stretch (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana)

This is a great yoga pose for seniors or those with low back pain or stiffness or poor posture because it lengthens and stretches the spine.

This yoga pose can be modified for chair yoga, enabling seniors or others with mobility impairments to reap the benefits of the pose without needing to get down on all fours on the floor.

Instead, when you are doing chair yoga, you can move to the front edge of your chair and move through the same two poses, flexing and extending the spine, with the back vertical rather than horizontal.

#5: Downward-Facing Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

If you don’t have any wrist pain, Downward-Facing Dog Pose is great for lengthening the spine, stretching the hamstrings and calves, and strengthening the core, shoulders, quads, and glutes.

#6: Standing Forward Bend Pose (Uttanasana)

Standing Forward Bend Pose is a great yoga pose for the elderly because it can improve balance, flexibility, and mobility and often is said to alleviate back pain. It’s also easy to learn and can be performed throughout the day when you get up and down from sitting.

#7: Sphinx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)

Sphinx Pose is perfect for building upper back strength, opening the chest, and preventing forward-head syndrome or kyphosis. It can also be performed on your bed instead of needing to get down on the floor.

#8: Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)

Bridge Pose is one of the best yoga poses for the elderly with back pain because it strengthens the glutes and hamstrings. It can also be performed on your bed, which saves you from needing to get up and down from the floor.

#9: Cobbler’s Pose (Baddha Konasana)

One of the best yoga poses for seniors is Cobbler’s Pose because it opens up the hips and chest, lengthens the spine, engages the core, and gives you a good opportunity to massage your feet and ankles. 

#10: Upward Salute Side Bend Pose (Parsva Urdhva Hastasana)

A good yoga pose for elderly folk with tight hips, backs, or shoulders is Upward Salute Side Bend Pose. It also Improves balance and coordination and strengthens the abs and obliques.

#11: Plank Pose (Phalakasana)

Plank Pose can be difficult for seniors because you have to get down on the floor, but if you are comfortable doing so, it’s a great yoga pose for strengthening the core and glutes, which can reduce low back pain.

#12: Corpse Pose (Savasana)

Sometimes, all we are up for is connecting to the body and breath and lying in a restorative pose. Enter Corpse Pose, a relaxing way to restore peace to the mind and body.

There are quite a few other yoga poses that are great for seniors, but the above list should serve as a good starting place for examples of such poses.

Every senior is an individual with unique challenges, strengths, and goals, so experiment to find out what works and doesn’t work for you. Above all, stop any yoga pose that causes discomfort and consult your doctor or physical therapist for guidance if you have concerns.

For more ideas of good yoga poses for elderly folks, check out this yoga video for an entire yoga workout for seniors.