Yoga for senior citizens (45+): gentle asanas, chair yoga and safety rules

Yes, for most people, when the practice is adapted. Slow yoga improves flexibility, balance and body awareness, and the breathing practices calm the nervous system. The risks come from forcing range of motion, holding breath, or staying in inverted poses, not from yoga itself.

Take extra care with osteoporosis (avoid deep spinal flexion and forceful twists), high blood pressure (no head-below-heart poses, no breath retention), glaucoma, recent surgery, and replaced hips or knees (ask the surgeon about positions to avoid).

• Tadasana (mountain pose) with a hand on a wall: posture and balance.
• Marjaryasana-Bitilasana (cat-cow) on hands and knees, or seated on a chair: spine mobility.
• Chair twist: sit tall, turn gently from the upper back, hold the chair back.
• Seated forward fold with a straight back: hamstring stretch without strain on the spine.
• Vrikshasana (tree pose) with fingertips on a counter: single-leg balance.
• Setu bandhasana (supported bridge): glute and hip strength.
• Viparita karani with the legs on a chair or wall, if the doctor approves: relaxation.
• Anulom vilom breathing, slow and without holding the breath: calm and steady breathing.

Chair yoga adapts postures so they are done sitting or holding a chair for support. It suits anyone with balance concerns, knee or hip pain, post-surgery stiffness, or who has not exercised in years. A sturdy chair without wheels, placed against a wall, is all you need.

Yoga is excellent for mobility, calm and posture. For preventing falls and keeping independence, research favours programmes with progressive leg strength and balance training several times a week, and the WHO recommends exactly that for people 65 and over. Many people do best with both.

To be clear about what we offer: Vayayam classes are functional fitness (leg strength, balance, mobility, stamina) run by a coach and screened by a physiotherapist. We are not a yoga studio. If your parent wants yoga, look for an instructor with senior or therapeutic training, and ask the same questions: screening, small batch, adapted poses, and what happens if someone feels unwell.

1. 1Check with your doctor, particularly for blood pressure, heart, eye or bone conditions.
2. 2Begin with 10 to 15 minutes a day, building to 30 minutes over a few weeks.
3. 3Practise on a non-slip mat near a wall or sturdy chair.
4. 4Use props freely: blocks, a belt, a folded blanket.
5. 5Breathe through the nose, evenly. If you cannot talk in short sentences, ease off.
6. 6Rest in a final relaxation for a few minutes.