Why Will You Never Be Too Old To Benefit From Yoga?

If you ever thought exercises like yoga are just to help younger folk stretch and strengthen their joints to enable great feats of athleticism, come and take a look at our barn gym to see plenty of older people doing it as well. This is for a very good reason!

The truth is that yoga is not just for young people. You can never be too old for it because the benefits it brings in keeping joints and muscles strong and flexible will be of greater value as you get older, when natural flexibility declines. That makes exercises to improve the situation all the more valuable.

Among the specific benefits of regularly doing yoga in later life are:

·       Reducing the swelling, pain and stiffness caused by arthritis

·       Building core strength can ease the pain of back issues

·       Helps to prevent ligament tears by building up the strength around joints

·       Some studies have indicated that it can lower blood pressure

·       Yoga is a low-impact fitness exercise you can still do if you have respiratory conditions such as asthma or bronchitis  

Research Evidence Of The Benefits Of Yoga In Later Life

There is ample evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of yoga for older people.

For example, a study by the University of Edinburgh published in 2019 concluded that most older adults who practice yoga enjoy both better physical and mental health than those who do not.

Researchers examined 22 previous studies on the effects of yoga on people aged 60 and over. It used statistical analysis to compare the effects of yoga, both with doing no activity and with other physical exercises.

The study found that across the full range of physical health, including cardio fitness, lower body flexibility, upper body flexibility and walking speed, yoga emerged as the ‘most favoured’ option every time. It was also more favoured in areas like sleep quality and quality of life.

In conclusion, the researchers stated there is “robust evidence for promoting yoga” to older people.

With the scientific evidence being so strong, you have every reason to join our yoga sessions and to enjoy a healthier later life as a result.