Try Taking Up Yoga for a Healthier Body and Mind

3. Yoga fosters community.

Scientists are learning that isolation is detrimental to our health as we age. But by attending a yoga class, you’re instantly immersed in a like-minded, supportive community. “Very good Western scientific research has suggested that loneliness is a risk factor for heart disease, so just the power of being together in a room with other people doing the practice has health benefits, too,” Krucoff says.

4. Yoga improves flexibility.

Want to be able to continue all your daily activities as you age? Want to help prevent injuries from other sports so you can stay active? Then staying limber is critical. Yoga incorporates gentle stretching and flexibility-improving techniques that can vastly improve your ability to move.

5. Yoga promotes better balance.

For many older adults, the risk of falling is real and dangerous, but yoga may be able to help. Researchers have established that exercises that challenge balance help prevent falls. Yoga not only does that but also can help you build core strength, further reducing your chances of falling. A small 2013 study of older adults found that those who participated in a 12-week yoga program — averaging 20 classes — had significantly improved standing balance and experienced big increases in several other mobility measures, too.

6. Yoga may help slow age-related cognitive decline.

A recent small study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that middle-age and older adults who practiced yoga for an hour each week and meditated for 12 minutes each day for eight weeks not only improved their moods, but also scored much better on a memory test, compared with a group that participated in a brain-training program for the same amount of time each week. Other small studies have found that yoga can improve memory, attention and mental processing speed.

7. Yoga may reduce stress and anxiety.

A number of studies have shown that yoga may help reduce stress and anxiety, which is detrimental to health, and may enhance mood and overall sense of well-being, according to the Mayo Clinic. (See the study above, for example.) “Even in the midst of chaos, we have many tools that yoga can offer,” Krucoff says, that can pay health dividends by helping to relieve “toxic emotions.” Yoga does this by helping us refocus on the positive instead of the negative, Krucoff says. “Some of yoga’s guiding principles are feeling gratitude and compassion.” Many of us are focused on what’s wrong or bad, but yoga “invites us to step away from that” and to focus on “what’s good and what’s right.”

Krucoff says yoga is appropriate for just about everyone, with a few caveats. “Make sure it’s an appropriate class with a well-trained teacher, and tell your teacher about any health issues and injuries you might have. And remember — you’re the boss of your body.”

Learn more about the research in this article

• "Effect of Short-Term Pranayama and Meditation on Cardiovascular Functions in Healthy Individuals," Heart Views, April-June 2011. In this study, 50 healthy adults ages20 to 60 who had never practiced yoga took a daily two-hour yoga class focusing on pranayama (breathing techniques) and meditation. After 15 days, the participants had significantly lower blood pressures and resting pulse rates. Read the full study.

• "Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke: systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal observational studies," Heart, April 2016. In this study, researchers analyzed 23 studies and found that loneliness and social isolation was associated with a 29 percent higher risk of coronary heart disease and a 32 percent higher risk of stroke. Read the full study.

• "Thai Yoga improves physical function and well-being in older adults: A randomised controlled trial," Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, May 2017. In this 12-week study, 39 healthy but sedentary adults over age 60 were randomly assigned to either a Thai yoga class, a tai chi class or telephone counseling (control). At various times, all participants performed fitness tests with moves like the sit-and-reach to assess their physical function. Researchers found that participants who did yoga showed the most improvement in physical function. Read a summary of the study. (A fee is required to access the full study.)

• "Effectiveness of two year balance training programme on prevention of fall induced injuries in at risk women aged 75-85 living in community: Ossébo randomised controlled trial," BMJ, July 2015. In this two-year study of 706 women ages 75 to 85, those who were randomly assigned to a weekly balance training program had fewer injurious falls. Read the full study.

• "A 12-week Iyengar yoga program improved balance and mobility in older community-dwelling people: a pilot randomized controlled trial," The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, September 2013. Read the full study.

• "Changes in Neural Connectivity and Memory Following a Yoga Intervention for Older Adults: A Pilot Study," Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, April 2016. Read the full study.

• "Yoga and Cognition: A Meta-Analysis of Chronic and Acute Effects," Psychosomatic Medicine, September 2015. This review of 22 studies found evidence that yoga can improve attention, processing speed, memory and executive function. Read a summary of the study. (A fee is required to access the full study.)

• "Yoga for anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials," Depression & Anxiety, September 2018. In this review of eight studies with 319 total participants in their 30s, researchers found evidence that yoga can help reduce anxiety and symptoms of depression. Read a summary of the study. (A fee is required to access the full study.)