Yoga guide
Yoga, usually chair yoga with someone beside you, can be a calm, enjoyable way for people living with dementia to move, breathe and spend time with others, even in the later stages. In small studies it was safe, some people's mood or balance improved, and carers who did yoga themselves felt less stressed.
But the studies are small and at high risk of bias, yoga hasn't been shown to improve thinking in dementia or to slow it, and no study shows it prevents dementia. It's an activity to share, not a treatment, and it goes alongside the care and support from the memory service.
This guide covers what the research shows for thinking, mood, balance and everyday life, memory problems short of dementia (mild cognitive impairment), Alzheimer's disease, how to run a session together, carers, safety and the warning signs, and a free 30-minute chair class.
In a trial where most people had moderate to severe dementia, 27 of 31 completed 12 weeks of twice-weekly chair yoga with a carer beside them, and nobody was hurt. All 9 people with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease finished an 8-week programme in another study, and online chair yoga at home was feasible.
A 2023 review found 10 studies, with 421 people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment. Every one was at moderate or high risk of bias, and none was big enough to be sure of its results.
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In the dementia studies, thinking test scores mostly didn't change. No exercise of any kind has been shown to slow dementia in trials, and Alzheimer's Society says the same of physical activity.
Some studies found less low mood, anxiety or problem behaviour. But in the community trial, carers rated agitation as higher at the end of 12 weeks within the chair yoga group, a change within one group of a small trial.
In 8 small studies, yoga eased carers' stress, low mood and anxiety, though not the burden of caring. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) asks services to support carers' own physical and mental health.
With moderate to severe dementia, start with a trained teacher or physiotherapist; use a stable chair, with someone beside the person; and call 999 for chest pain, signs of a stroke, a fall with a possible injury, or sudden confusion.
Dementia is a group of symptoms linked with an ongoing decline in how the brain works: memory loss, slower thinking, and problems with language, understanding, judgement, mood, movement and daily activities. It isn't a natural part of ageing. Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia are the most common types, and more than 944,000 people in the UK have dementia, 1 in 11 people over 65, the NHS says.
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Memory or thinking problems that are noticeable but fall short of dementia are called mild cognitive impairment (MCI), as our dementia exercise guide explains. Several yoga studies included people with it, and it has its own section below.
Mostly chair yoga: poses done sitting, or standing with a chair for support, with breathing and relaxation. Also hatha yoga classes in care homes, and Kundalini yoga with a 12-minute chanting meditation (Kirtan Kriya) in mild cognitive impairment. Most programmes ran twice a week for about 12 weeks.
A certified instructor led 45 minutes: 10 minutes of breathing, 25 minutes of poses, sitting or standing holding the chair, and 10 minutes of guided relaxation, twice a week for 12 weeks. A carer came with each person, and staff checked for agitation before each session. Most people had moderate to severe dementia (an average score of 14.7 out of 30 on the Mini-Mental State Examination, or MMSE, a short memory and thinking test), 45% depended fully on a carer, and the trial included people who couldn't do standing exercise because of their balance, thinking or fear of falling.
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Through physical activity, social contact and a calm, repeated routine; possibly better mood and sleep; balance and leg strength from standing work at a chair; and, in mild cognitive impairment, possible small effects on thinking from mind-body exercise in general. These are ideas from the reviews, not proven effects, and yoga doesn't treat the dementia itself.
The 2023 review found 10 studies from 2010 to 2020, with 421 people with mild cognitive impairment or dementia: 5 studies (199 people) in dementia, 4 of chair yoga, 4 of Kundalini yoga and 2 of hatha yoga, mostly 12 weeks of twice-weekly classes. Most reported better thinking, mood and balance, but, in the authors' words, "these effects were marred by the high risk of bias identified in all articles", and none was big enough. An earlier review of 8 studies found yoga might help attention and verbal memory, but the studies gave little detail about what was done.
In the dementia studies, thinking test scores mostly didn't change: of 4 studies that used the MMSE, 3 found no significant change with yoga, and positive reports often came from carers' or participants' impressions. A 2025 study of daily yoga in 30 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease in an old age home reported better scores on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA, from 18.2 to 21.1 out of 30), but with no comparison group, practice at the test and extra attention could explain it. Across 17 trials of exercise of any kind (1,067 people with dementia), there was no clear benefit for thinking.
In 68 care home residents with mild to moderate dementia, three 55-minute sessions of "silver yoga" a week for 12 weeks lowered depression and problem behaviours against usual activities. Its abstract calls it a quasi-experimental study (people weren't randomly allocated), though a later review describes it as a cluster randomised trial.
In the community trial of 31 people, chair yoga improved quality of life more than music did (35.6 against 29.9), with no differences between the groups in behaviour, anxiety, depression or sleep. But within the chair yoga group, carers rated agitation as higher at the end of the 12 weeks, and depression scores rose in all three groups. That's a change within one group of a small pilot trial, so it can't show that yoga caused it, and the authors suggest advanced dementia, or too few sessions, as possible reasons.
In care homes, chair yoga eased anxiety and low mood in 33 residents aged 80 to 101, in a study that wasn't randomised. A review of mind-body therapies found yoga may help low mood, and a 2026 review found large effects on behavioural and psychological symptoms, mainly from mindfulness and tai chi rather than yoga.
Silver yoga improved fitness, flexibility, strength, balance and walking speed in the care home study. In 9 people with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease, balance had improved a month after an 8-week chair yoga programme, with no control group. The community trial found no change in physical function in any group. None of the studies counted falls.
Across 17 trials, exercise in general helped people with dementia keep doing daily activities, on very low-quality evidence. In 272 people with mild cognitive impairment, yoga improved memory-related daily activities more than support groups did.
27 of 31 people completed the community trial, with no adverse events, falls or injuries, and people who arrived agitated settled after a calm chat and then joined in. Online chair yoga at home kept 7 of 10 people, who attended 87.5% of sessions with no injuries, and they and their carers valued the convenience and doing it together. Across the review, attendance ran at 73.5% to 93.0%, and one case of dizziness was reported among the 4 studies that checked safety.
Across 12 studies (1,298 people with mild cognitive impairment), mind-body exercise, mostly tai chi with some yoga and qigong, improved overall thinking scores a little (a standardised mean difference of 0.36, a small effect) and short-term memory. Reviews from 2025 and 2026 found similar small gains, including 1.27 points on the 30-point MMSE, more than with aerobic exercise, but results varied a lot between trials, most of them Chinese trials of tai chi and similar practices.
The 2023 international guideline rated this evidence low certainty, while still saying that "Mind-body interventions have the greatest supporting evidence" in mild cognitive impairment. Because so little of it is yoga, it applies to yoga only indirectly.
In 81 people, 12 weeks of Kundalini yoga (a weekly class and 12 minutes of Kirtan Kriya a day) and memory training both improved memory, and only yoga improved planning skills (executive function), low mood and resilience. In 79 older women at risk of Alzheimer's disease, yoga improved how they rated their own memory, but their scores for recalling things later fell, and 35% of the yoga group dropped out, against 5%.
In the HABIT trial (272 people), yoga helped memory-related daily activities more than support groups, but computer brain training beat yoga on speed and attention a year later, and yoga didn't significantly improve thinking. Twice-weekly yoga was safe and modestly feasible in 37 people with memory-type mild cognitive impairment, with little home practice, and online chair yoga did no better than computer brain games in 32 rural older adults at risk.
In mild cognitive impairment, yoga is a reasonable, enjoyable way to be active, with possible small effects on thinking. It isn't a treatment, and walking, strength and balance work are just as worthwhile, as our dementia exercise guide explains. Our Kundalini yoga guide covers Kirtan Kriya.
Chair yoga was feasible in moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease, and the study of daily yoga in an old age home had no comparison group. A 2026 review of mind-body exercise, mostly not yoga, in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease found MMSE scores 2.80 points higher in the Alzheimer's studies, but only 2 of its 28 studies kept participants unaware of their group. A randomised trial of yoga-like exercise in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease has been planned, with its protocol published in 2025.
No yoga study has shown a change in the disease itself, so keep up treatment and support from the memory service.
In the largest trial, 494 people with mild to moderate dementia did 4 months of supervised moderate to high intensity aerobic and strength training; a year later their thinking scores were slightly worse than with usual care, though they could walk a little further. Across 17 trials, exercise gave no clear benefit for thinking, behaviour or mood. Alzheimer's Society says physical activity hasn't been shown to slow or prevent dementia from progressing, and no yoga study has measured progression.
NICE says to "Offer a range of activities to promote wellbeing that are tailored to the person's preferences", offers group cognitive stimulation therapy for mild to moderate dementia, and says not to offer cognitive training to treat mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Yoga is one of those activities, not a replacement for diagnosis, medicines, cognitive stimulation therapy or support for carers.
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The World Falls Guidelines strongly recommend an exercise programme to prevent falls for older adults living at home with mild cognitive impairment or mild to moderate dementia, such as balance training like tai chi, or strength and balance training. Exercise worked better at home than in care homes, and carers should be involved. Supervised classes such as Pilates or yoga had the largest effects on concerns about falling.
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Balance improved in some small dementia studies, but none counted falls. Alzheimer's Society describes yoga and Pilates as activities that can improve balance, stability and strength.
Seated exercise doesn't train balance, as our chair yoga guide explains. So after the seated part, stand at the back of a stable chair, with someone close by, for mountain pose, a small knee bend, tree pose with the heel at the ankle and slow heel raises. For falls, add our strength and balance routines, with support.
Check the person is comfortable, has had a drink and been to the toilet, and is settled; if they're upset or unwell, try another day (our suggestion, from the community trial's check before each session). Alzheimer's Society advises checking with a health professional before starting, especially with heart problems, high blood pressure, unexplained chest pain, dizziness or fainting, bone, joint or breathing problems, or balance problems and frequent falls.
Teachers in the Gentle Years Yoga trial, for older adults with several long-term conditions, recommended short, repeated, consistent phrases and simple step-by-step instructions for people with memory or hearing problems, and participants liked being called by name. The NHS advises speaking clearly and slowly in short sentences, giving time to respond, offering simple choices and using gestures. Do the same moves in the same order each time, and show each move as you say it.
A stable chair without wheels, with arms if the person needs them to stand up; feet flat on the floor; light from the front and side, a plain background and clothes that contrast with it, so the moves are easy to see; and a carer or companion beside them.
In one dementia-inclusive class described by British Wheel of Yoga teachers, each person living with dementia comes with a trained carer, and these pairs make up no more than a third of a mixed class. The practices include breathing with shoulder and arm lifts, freeing the joints of the feet and hands, alternating knee taps, tree pose at a chair with the heel at the ankle, and a three-part breath with humming, each repeated 3 to 5 times. It's a description of practice, with no outcome data.
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Stop, sit together, talk calmly and try another day. In the community trial, people who arrived agitated settled after a calm chat and then joined in. Don't carry on if someone is distressed, and think about causes such as pain or sudden confusion (delirium), as NICE asks carers and services to do.
Ask before guiding with your hands, and stop anything the person doesn't want to do (our suggestion).
In 8 studies (161 carers, mostly wives and daughters; 3 randomised), yoga improved carers' quality of life, low mood, stress, anxiety and self-compassion, but not the burden of caring, and classes in person or live online did better than recorded videos. An integrative review of 4 studies reached similar conclusions.
In 46 family carers, 8 weeks of yoga with compassion meditation (three 75-minute sessions a week) improved quality of life, attention, vitality and self-compassion against no treatment. In 49 carers, adding 30 minutes of yoga to online education and support sessions added a little to some areas of quality of life. In 39 carers, 12 minutes a day of Kirtan Kriya eased low mood more than relaxation music.
Across 5 trials (201 family carers), mindfulness-based stress reduction may ease carers' low mood and anxiety, on low-quality evidence, and one adverse event was linked with yoga practice at home.
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NICE asks services to offer carers education and skills training, including "advice on how to look after their own physical and mental health" and "advice on planning enjoyable and meaningful activities to do with the person they care for". A class you do together is one of those activities, and yoga for yourself is worth having for its own sake.
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We found no study that measured whether yoga prevents dementia. Across 58 studies (257,983 people), active people were about 20% less likely to develop dementia, but these were observational studies, with possible publication bias. When activity was measured 10 or more years before diagnosis, active and inactive people had the same risk, which suggests part of the link runs backwards: people become less active in the years before dementia is diagnosed.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends physical activity for adults with normal thinking to reduce the risk of cognitive decline (a strong recommendation, on moderate-quality evidence), and says it may be recommended for people with mild cognitive impairment. The NHS's prevention advice includes at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week and strengthening exercises at least twice a week, "such as gardening or yoga".
In an umbrella review of 20 reviews in healthy adults aged 55 and over, mind-body exercise had a larger effect on thinking test scores than exercise overall. So yoga counts towards the strength and balance work older adults need, and may help thinking a little, but it can't promise to prevent dementia.
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Starting points, not prescriptions.
Classes of 45 to 60 minutes, 2 or 3 times a week, for 8 to 16 weeks.
The UK guidelines ask adults aged 65 and over to do activities for strength, balance and flexibility on at least 2 days a week, and Alzheimer's Society suggests similar for people with dementia who are able.
A 20 to 30 minute chair class twice a week with a carer, alongside daily walking or other activity the person enjoys (our editorial starting point). With moderate to severe dementia, shorter sessions, supervised by a trained professional at first, as the UK guidelines suggest.
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On a stable chair without wheels, feet flat. Seated upper-back lift (sit tall): 3 to 5 repetitions held 3 to 5 seconds; seated march: 1 to 2 minutes; seated side bend: hold 10 to 20 seconds, 2 or 3 times each side, kept small with osteoporosis; leg extension and sweep: 5 to 10 slow lifts and sweeps each leg (the moves' pages). Slow breathing: 2 to 3 minutes, in for about 4 and out for about 6, or just "breathe in, breathe out", with no holding (our editorial starting point). Breath reach, seated: 5 breaths, arms only as high as comfortable (our chair yoga class). Shoulder rolls, wrist circles and ankle circles: 3 to 5 each way; seated twist: 3 to 5 each side, slowly (following the 3 to 5 repetitions dementia yoga teachers use). Seated knee extension: 5 to 10 each leg, with no weight at first (our editorial starting point).
3D demoSeated upper-back lift (sit tall, shoulders back)Beginner · A bench or box
3D demoSlow breathing (6 breaths a minute)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoBreath reachBeginner · No equipment
3D demoShoulder rollsBeginner · No equipment
3D demoWrist circlesBeginner · No equipment
3D demoAnkle circlesBeginner · No equipment
3D demoSeated marchBeginner · A bench or box
3D demoThoracic rotationBeginner · No equipment
3D demoSeated overhead side bendBeginner · A bench or box
3D demoChair leg extension and sweepBeginner · A bench or box
3D demoSeated knee extension (chair)Beginner · A bench or box + Something with weightOptional, holding the back of a stable chair placed against a wall. Sit to stand, pushing on your thighs: 3 to 5 stands; slow calf raises: 5 to 10, holding the chair (our editorial starting points). Mountain pose: 5 breaths, one hand on the chair, coming up slowly; chair pose: 3 holds of 10 to 15 seconds, bending the knees only a little; tree pose: 3 breaths each side, heel against the ankle and toes on the floor, fingertips on the chair (our chair yoga class, as dementia yoga teachers do it).
These have no 3D demo, so here are the steps, from the British Wheel of Yoga teachers' feature, in our words.
Both are done sitting tall on a stable chair. Keep every breath easy, with no holding.
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It's fine for people who enjoy it, but it has several steps to remember, so our class leaves it out (our suggestion).
Don't get down to the floor and up again unless a physiotherapist has taught the person how; keep everything in the chair or standing at it (our suggestion).
Alzheimer's Society points out that seated exercise can strain the lower back, so check with a GP before starting if back pain is a problem.
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Some dementia medicines, such as donepezil, commonly cause dizziness and daytime sleepiness (in more than 1 in 100 people). Stand up slowly, pause before moving and keep a hand on the chair (our suggestion).
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No inversions, deep folds with the head below the heart or breath holds. With glaucoma or high blood pressure that isn't controlled, keep head-down poses brief or leave them out (our glaucoma and high blood pressure guides).
Keep the tree pose foot at the ankle with a hand on the chair, and leave out warrior III and other one-leg poses without support (as our chair yoga class does).
No fast flows, long sequences, hot rooms or new moves every session (our suggestion, from the teaching advice above).
Our 30-minute chair class to do together follows the community trial's pattern of breathing, poses and relaxation; twice a week is what the trials used. The chair yoga class suits mild dementia with a companion, and the seated class suits days when standing isn't possible (leave out its alternate nostril breathing if it confuses). The strength and balance routine is for falls, with support, and the breathing class is slow breathing only.
A 30-minute chair yoga class to do with someone living with dementia: slow breathing, gentle seated moves, an optional standing block and a seated rest.
30 minBeginner15 movesA bench or box, Something with weightA free 20-minute chair yoga class for older adults: slow breathing, gentle seated stretches and twists, standing poses holding the chair, and a calm finish.
20 minBeginner18 movesA bench or box, Something with weightA 15-minute chair yoga routine done entirely sitting: slow breathing, neck, shoulder and wrist stretches, seated twists and side bends, and a calm finish.
15 minBeginner16 movesA bench or boxA 20-minute seated workout for older adults who cannot stand for long: marching, leg and arm strength, posture, and sit-to-stands that lead back to standing.
20 minBeginner11 movesA bench or box, Something with weightA 40-minute strength and balance session for over-65s, built from the Otago home programme and NHS exercises, using a chair, a counter and a step.
40 minBeginner18 movesA bench or box, Something with weightA 6-minute breathing routine: slow breathing, crocodile breathing, alternate nostril breathing, box breathing and 4-7-8 breathing.
6 minBeginner5 movesNo equipmentThese follow our dementia exercise and chair yoga guides, word for word, with the NHS's advice on sudden confusion. A&E means accident and emergency. In the US, call 911 for 999, and use your doctor's urgent line or urgent care for NHS 111.
Call 999 (911 in the US) for chest pain that feels tight or like squeezing, or spreads to the arms, neck or jaw; signs of a stroke, such as face weakness, arm weakness or speech problems; or a fall where someone may have hurt their head, neck, back or hip, or can't get up. Keep them warm and comfortable, and don't try to lift them yourself.
The NHS says: go to A&E or call 999 if someone suddenly becomes confused. For someone with dementia, that includes confusion that is suddenly much worse than usual (our wording). Sudden confusion (delirium) has causes that need treating quickly, such as an infection, a stroke, low blood sugar in people with diabetes, a head injury or some medicines; urine infections are a common cause in people with dementia.
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Call 999 (911 in the US) if you think you're having, or have had, a stroke, or you've had signs of a stroke in the last 24 hours, even if they've stopped. The NHS uses FAST:
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Call 999 if someone faints while exercising, can't be woken within 1 minute, or has chest pain or a pounding, fluttering or irregular heartbeat.
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You're frail, have moderate to severe dementia, have had a spinal fracture or fall regularly: the UK guidelines say new exercise might best be supervised by a trained professional at first.
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Dizzy, faint, unusually breathless, or sharp or increasing pain. Sit until it passes, and see a GP if you keep getting dizzy or faint when you stand up.
We found no study that measured dementia with yoga. Active people develop dementia less often in observational studies, but part of that runs backwards, and the WHO's strong recommendation is about decline in thinking in people whose thinking is normal. Being active is one of several things that may lower your risk, not a guarantee.
In a trial where most people had moderate to severe dementia, 27 of 31 completed 12 weeks; all 9 completed in another study; and attendance across studies ran at 73.5% to 93.0%. Simple, repeated instructions and a companion help.
No yoga study has measured progression, exercise hasn't slowed dementia in trials, and Alzheimer's Society says physical activity hasn't been shown to slow it.
Sitting doesn't train balance, but standing poses at the chair do challenge it, balance improved in some small dementia studies, and falls guidelines recommend balance and strength training.
Kirtan Kriya's memory results were mixed, and in women at risk, their scores for recalling things later fell with yoga. NICE says not to offer cognitive training to treat mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Our Kundalini yoga guide has the detail.
Chair yoga was safe and feasible in moderate to severe dementia, and the NHS says people in the later stages can still enjoy simpler activities based on the senses.
It can be a calm, enjoyable activity that helps people move, stay steady and spend time with others, and chair yoga has been safe even in moderate to severe dementia. But the studies are small and at high risk of bias, and yoga doesn't slow dementia.
Yes, usually in a chair with someone beside them. In a trial where most people had moderate to severe dementia, 27 of 31 completed 12 weeks of twice-weekly chair yoga with no injuries.
It hasn't been shown to slow dementia, and no exercise has been shown to in trials. In memory problems short of dementia, mind-body exercise improved thinking test scores a little, on low-certainty evidence that comes mostly from tai chi, so it applies to yoga only indirectly.
No study shows it. Being active is one of several things that may lower your risk of decline in thinking, and the NHS includes yoga among strengthening activities, but part of the link between activity and dementia runs the other way.
Gentle breathing, seated movements and standing poses holding a chair, often with a carer alongside. In the main trial, sessions were 45 minutes twice a week: 10 minutes of breathing, 25 of poses and 10 of guided relaxation.
The results are mixed. Yoga eased low mood and problem behaviours in one care home study and anxiety in another, but in a small community trial, carers rated agitation as higher at the end within the chair yoga group, and low mood rose in all three groups.
Some small studies found better balance, but none counted falls. Falls guidelines recommend balance and strength training, such as tai chi, for people with mild to moderate dementia, so add standing poses at a chair and our strength and balance routines.
Do it together, in the same order every time, with short instructions you show as you say them, using their name, in good light and on a stable chair. Stop if they're upset or unwell, and try another day.
Small studies found yoga eased carers' stress, low mood and anxiety and improved quality of life, though not the burden of caring. NICE asks services to support carers' own physical and mental health.
The same evidence applies: chair yoga is feasible and may help wellbeing, but no yoga study has shown it changes Alzheimer's disease itself. Keep up treatment and support from the memory service.
In the studies, yes, with one case of dizziness reported. Use a stable chair, have someone close by, avoid getting down to the floor unless you've been taught, stand up slowly, and with moderate to severe dementia start with a trained professional.
Call 999 for chest pain, signs of a stroke, a fall where someone may be hurt or can't get up, or if someone suddenly becomes confused. Stop and rest for dizziness or breathlessness, and see a GP if it keeps happening.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition such as glaucoma, high blood pressure or osteoporosis, or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
