Yoga for Older Adults: Perfect Harmony of Body and Mind

By Kelsey Downing, PT, DPT

Physical Therapist

Around the world, the average lifespan of the population continues to climb. Recent statistics report the average lifespan to approximately 78-79 years in the United States. With this increasing longevity, keeping fit and healthy aging has become more important for living a better life. As a physical therapist, we often hear our patients’ aspirations for ‘better balance’ or ‘to walk further’ and ‘ be stronger’. All wishes for better aging. Throughout my years of practicing, I have always sought out new and innovative exercises and techniques to keep things interesting, and in 2017 I found yoga. Throughout my younger years, I practiced yoga, having found many personal benefits I took the leap to become a certified yoga instructor. It was in my teacher training that I began to understand how beneficial yoga could be for my patients by giving them the tools for better aging.

With a few modifications and alterations, yoga can suit any activity level and still get the benefits.

The Perks of Yoga for Older Patients:

Flexibility, Strength, and Balance

Yoga is about slow and measured movements emphasizing mobility, stability, and control in muscles a patient might not even realize are weak. Working through these movements of yoga there is a gained connection to the body, utilizing the strength and mobility in each joint to find balance. A position such as ‘tree pose’ can emphasize stability through the hip and limb musculature in the standing leg, work on external rotation mobility in the non-standing leg, and also work on the connection to the balance centers of the body. With one movement we are accomplishing many small goals that can improve overall mobility in a patient.

Core Strength

Core strength is probably one of the most difficult impairments to target with the older adult population. When we think of core strengthening, we often think of crunches, planks, and any other exercise that involves getting on the floor. With our older patients, this might not be an option at the moment.

With yoga, there are multiple standing or modified seated poses that can easily work on the core. Warrior 1, warrior 2, and chair pose are beginner poses that promote spinal alignment and core strength. By having a patient hold and sustain these poses we can work on the core statically. If we want to make the pose more functional we can add some arm movements for a more dynamic use of the core. With a little creativity, these basic poses can be used to strengthen the core in ways to suit the needs of our patients.

Aches and Pains

Unlike high-impact exercises, yoga is a means of strengthening that is gentle on the joints, which is beneficial to our patients with arthritis. There are no weights involved in yoga; it is about controlling and maintaining body weight through each movement. So you get to work on strength without possible inflammation of the joints, which creates a more sustainable means of mobilizing and stabilizing joints, aiding in pain relief. According to the Arthritis Foundation, people taking a yoga class once a week reported decreased pain and joint stiffness demonstrating improved overall physical function.

Benefits for Parkinson’s Patients

I have a fair number of Parkinson’s patients on my caseload and have noticed how beneficial yoga can be for these patients. Yoga promotes large-amplitude, multi-planar movements and improves posture, trunk rotation, and balance which are all beneficial to a person with Parkinson’s. In unison with other Parkinson’s specific treatments, yoga can promote b, dissociated movements throughout the body and improve overall mobility for these patients.

Well-Being

The CDC states about 11.5% of older adults in-home healthcare report feelings of depression. As a practitioner in the home health field, this is something I see often. Patients who feel so limited by their impairments that it starts to take a toll on them mentally. Yoga has been a great benefit for creating an improved sense of well-being. Along with the many physical benefits, yoga also offers a relaxing way to let go of tension and stress in the body that can decrease anxiety and feelings of depression. Also, from the gains made in mobility and balance, patients gain happiness and independence in aspects of their daily lives.

Overall, yoga can be a great addition to help patients reach their goals. To start adding yoga into your daily treatment sessions I would begin by taking a yoga class yourself. See, feel, and understand each position and start to think about which of your patients could benefit. If this still leaves you with questions, reach out to a local yoga instructor or seek out a therapeutic yoga continuing education class to learn more about how you can use yoga to enhance the lives of your patients.