Yoga for women: what it does at every age, what the trials show, and how to start

Most people who do yoga are women

In a UK survey of 2,434 practitioners, 87% were women, and in the US in 2022, women were 70% of yoga users, against 49% of adults. The trials on periods, pregnancy and the menopause in this guide were all in women.

Sources 1, 2

It counts as strength work, if it's hard enough

The NHS counts yoga as muscle strengthening when you work until you may need a short rest, and UK guidelines ask for strength work on at least 2 days a week, which matters more from about 50. For your bones, add weights and impact: yoga or Pilates didn't change bone density in 11 studies.

Sources 3, 4, 5

Mood: about as good as other exercise

In the largest review of exercise for depression (218 trials), yoga eased symptoms about as much as walking or jogging and strength training, at very low certainty.

Source 6

Small trials at each stage

Exercise, including yoga, eased period pain; prenatal yoga eased anxiety and low mood; and yoga eased overall menopause symptoms. The trials were small or of low quality, and yoga didn't reduce hot flushes in the largest menopause trial.

Sources 7, 8, 9, 10

Pelvic floor: not a substitute

A pelvic yoga programme eased leaking no more than general stretching and strengthening in 240 women, and NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) recommends supervised pelvic floor training first.

Sources 11, 12

When to see a GP

See a GP for any bleeding from your vagina after the menopause, even once. In pregnancy, get help for the NHS's warning symptoms, such as bleeding, fluid leaking or a change in your baby's movements.

Sources 13, 14

Who does yogaStrong evidence

In a US national survey, 16.8% of adults used yoga in 2022, and women made up 70.2% of users, against 48.6% of the adult population. In a UK online survey of 2,434 practitioners, 87% were women, with an average age of about 49.

Sources 2, 1

No separate method

There's no special women's yoga: the poses are the same, and what changes is how you adapt them, such as no hot yoga in pregnancy and no deep forward folds with osteoporosis. Classes for pregnancy, after birth and the menopause exist, and our guides cover each stage in depth: yoga for period pain, for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS, now called polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, or PMOS), in pregnancy, for the menopause and for seniors. This page is the map.

Sources 15, 16

What UK guidance asks of women, and menStrong evidence

Strength activities that work all the major muscles on at least 2 days a week, plus 150 minutes of moderate activity: the same for women and men. Strength work helps "to delay the natural decline in muscle mass and bone density which occurs from around 50 years of age". Women lose bone quickly in the first few years after the menopause and are more at risk of osteoporosis than men, and NICE asks doctors to explain "the importance of maintaining muscle mass and strength through physical activity" around the menopause.

Sources 4, 17, 18

Where yoga fits

The NHS counts yoga as muscle strengthening if you work "to the point where you may need a short rest", and as a balance and flexibility activity. Most yoga is light to moderate activity, from 2.3 METs (multiples of the energy you use at rest) for hatha yoga to 4.0 for power yoga, so it adds to brisk walking rather than replacing it.

Sources 3, 19

MoodEmerging evidence

In the largest review of exercise for depression (218 trials, 14,170 people), yoga eased symptoms by a moderate amount against active comparison groups, in the same range as walking or jogging and strength training, and it was among the best tolerated. The certainty was very low. Our yoga for depression guide has more, including where to get help now.

Source 6

PeriodsEmerging evidence

Exercise, including yoga, eased period pain by about 25 points on a 100-point scale against no exercise (9 trials, 632 women, low quality), with sessions of about 45 to 60 minutes, 3 or more times a week; a review of 4 small yoga trials (230 women) also found a large effect. Yoga eased premenstrual symptoms, except the physical ones. The NHS suggests gentle exercise such as yoga for period pain. Our yoga for period pain guide has more.

Sources 7, 20, 21, 22

PCOS, now called PMOSMixed evidence

Three small randomised trials (258 people, in 5 reports) suggest small changes in hormones and insulin, too varied to combine. The international guideline emphasises a healthy lifestyle and emotional wellbeing, with awareness of weight stigma, and the NHS explains the condition and its new name. Our yoga for PCOS guide covers what this means for you.

Sources 23, 24, 25

PregnancyEmerging evidence

Prenatal yoga eased anxiety, low mood and stress in 29 studies of 2,217 women, at low to very low certainty, and was linked with shorter labours. But the largest review of exercise in pregnancy (113 studies, 52,858 women) found no link with labour length or caesarean birth, only fewer births needing instruments such as forceps. The NHS counts yoga toward your 150 minutes and as strength work in pregnancy. Skip hot yoga, and in later pregnancy avoid lying flat on your back for more than a few minutes. Our yoga in pregnancy guide has more.

Sources 8, 26, 27, 15

After birthEmerging evidence

Yoga lowered postnatal depression scores by about 3 points on a 30-point scale in 6 trials (443 women), though the results varied a lot between trials. After a straightforward birth, the NHS says you can start gentle exercise, such as walking, gentle stretches and pelvic floor exercises, as soon as you feel up to it, and to get advice at your 6-week check before high-impact exercise; recovery takes longer after a caesarean. UK guidelines suggest building up over at least 3 months.

Sources 28, 29, 4

The menopauseEmerging evidence

In 24 trials (2,028 women), yoga eased overall, emotional and physical menopause symptoms, vaginal and bladder symptoms, sleep, anxiety and low mood, but not hot flushes. In the largest single trial, 249 women doing 12 weeks of classes and home practice had no fewer flushes, though their sleep improved a little. For flushes, NICE recommends hormone replacement therapy (HRT), with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) designed for the menopause as an option, and the NHS suggests relaxing things such as yoga alongside weight-bearing exercise. Our yoga for menopause guide has more.

Sources 9, 10, 18, 30

Breast cancerEmerging evidence

In women with breast cancer, yoga improved quality of life, tiredness (fatigue) and sleep against no treatment in the short term (moderate quality evidence), and did about as well as other exercise (very low quality evidence). In a 2026 trial of 96 women with arm swelling after a mastectomy, a yoga programme reduced arm volume. Our exercise after breast cancer surgery guide has more.

Sources 31, 32

In your 20s and 30s

Any style suits, and strength work on 2 days a week builds a base for later: in women aged 35 to 50, 8 months of twice-weekly Ashtanga yoga raised leg-press strength by 11%, while it fell by 6.5% in women who didn't do it. If you have painful periods or are planning a pregnancy, our stage guides have the details.

Sources 4, 33

In your 40s and 50s

Muscle and bone start to decline from around 50, and women lose bone quickly in the first years after the menopause. Keep yoga for strength, balance and calm, and add weights or bands on 2 days a week and some impact if it's safe for you, as the UK osteoporosis consensus advises. NICE asks doctors to talk about staying strong around the menopause, and our yoga for menopause guide covers the symptoms.

Sources 4, 17, 16, 18

From 60Emerging evidence

In older women, yoga's effects on balance, walking and leg strength were inconsistent across trials, and no clear effect on falls was found. In 32 women with osteoporosis, adding 2 minutes a day of tree pose to an exercise programme improved one-leg standing at 6 weeks. Balance and functional exercise prevents falls, so pair yoga with it, keep a wall or chair within reach in one-leg poses, and bend from your hips with a long back. Our yoga for seniors and wall yoga guides have more.

Sources 34, 35, 36

From 70, or if standing is hardEmerging evidence

Chair yoga suits anyone who can't stand safely for long. As you get stronger, use the chair for support in standing poses, because seated exercise alone didn't improve balance in 14 trials. Our chair yoga guide has a class.

Source 37

Yoga didn't change bone densityEmerging evidence

Across 11 studies of 591 women aged 45 to 78, Pilates or yoga didn't change bone density compared with no programme, and 8 months of twice-weekly Ashtanga yoga didn't change it in 34 women aged 35 to 50.

Sources 5, 38

What helped boneEmerging evidence

In 74 trials in women after the menopause, each lasting 24 weeks or more, mind-body exercise combined with resistance training did best for bone density at the spine and hip, and programmes of a year or more did better.

Source 39

What the UK consensus advisesStrong evidence

Progressive resistance training for bone, building to 2 or 3 sets with a weight you could lift only about 8 to 12 times, on 2 or 3 days a week; about 50 moderate impacts, such as heel drops, on most days, if they're safe for you; and balance and strength exercise, including yoga, at least twice a week. It says yoga and Pilates "should be considered to help with posture and pain", and that forward bending that is sustained, repeated or at the end of your range should be modified or avoided.

Source 16

Deep forward bends with fragile bonesMixed evidence

Three women with low bone density developed new pain or spinal fractures after yoga poses that bent the spine far forward (case reports). With osteoporosis, bend from your hips with a long back, and leave out deep forward folds, shoulder stand and plough. Our exercise for osteoporosis guide has more.

Source 40

Pelvic yoga did no better than general exerciseEmerging evidence

In 240 women aged 45 to 90 who leaked every day, 12 weeks of a pelvic yoga programme cut leaking by 2.3 episodes a day, against 1.9 with general stretching and strengthening: no meaningful difference. It's one well-run trial, with no untreated group.

Source 11

Too little evidence for yoga aloneMixed evidence

A Cochrane review found only 2 small trials (49 women) and couldn't say whether yoga helps leaking.

Source 41

Pelvic floor training firstStrong evidence

NICE recommends at least 3 months of supervised pelvic floor training as the first treatment for stress or mixed leaking, with at least 8 squeezes 3 times a day, and at least 16 weeks for a mild prolapse. Our pelvic floor exercises guide shows how, and our Pilates for the pelvic floor guide covers Pilates.

Source 12

If you leak or feel a bulge during yoga

Stop that pose and see a GP or a pelvic health physiotherapist. Leaking is common, and the NHS says you should not feel embarrassed talking about it.

Sources 42, 43

Hormone balance: no trials in healthy womenMixed evidence

We found no trial of yoga for "hormone balance" in healthy women. The hormone findings come from PCOS trials, with small changes, and in the menopause yoga didn't reduce hot flushes. It can ease stress and help sleep, which is worth having for its own sake.

Sources 44, 23, 10

FertilityMixed evidence

Mind-body programmes, including yoga, went with less anxiety and depression in women having fertility treatment, and possibly more pregnancies, in small and mostly non-randomised studies that can't show cause. Our exercise when trying to conceive guide found no trial showing that yoga or any pose makes pregnancy more likely.

Sources 45, 46

Body imageEmerging evidence

Yoga went with more body appreciation and satisfaction, and less dissatisfaction, in 29 studies, though most were unblinded, and yoga programmes eased binge eating in 11 trials. Some surveys linked very high amounts of yoga with more disordered eating. If a class focuses on weight or shape in a way that leaves you feeling worse, choose another (our suggestion), and if you're worried about your eating, our exercise and eating disorders guide has where to get help.

Sources 47, 48, 49

With osteoporosis

Leave out deep rounding, such as the seated forward fold and head-to-knee pose, and shoulder stand and plough: bend from your hips instead. Twisting should be fine if you do it smoothly and comfortably, as our exercise for osteoporosis guide says.

Sources 16, 40

In pregnancy

Skip hot yoga. From the end of the first trimester, keep time flat on your back short, swap face-down poses for all fours as your bump grows, and leave out closed twists and poses you could fall from. Our yoga in pregnancy guide has the details.

Sources 15, 27

With leaking or a bulge

Leave out moves that make you leak or feel a bulge while pelvic floor training gets going, and see a GP.

Source 12

Starting out

Start with a beginners' or gentle class, and tell the teacher about any health condition, injury or pregnancy. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) advises beginners to avoid extreme practices such as headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position and forceful breathing.

Source 15

How hard

For strength, work until you may need a short rest: that's the NHS's test for a strength session. Hold harder poses for longer, or move more slowly, as you get stronger, and add weights for your bones. If you're starting from very little, the NHS strength exercises, such as sit-to-stands and wall press-ups, are a gentle first step, at least twice a week.

Sources 3, 50

A suggested week (our editorial starting point)

Strength training on 2 days (a strong yoga class can be one, with weights or bands for your bones), brisk walking toward 150 minutes, a few minutes of pelvic floor exercises every day, and 1 or 2 calmer yoga sessions for flexibility and winding down. From about 50, add moderate impact if it's safe for you. In pregnancy, after birth, with osteoporosis or from 70, use our stage guides' versions.

Sources 4, 16, 12

See a GP if you have

The NHS's signs to get checked:

• A lump in or around your vagina, or other signs of a prolapse, such as heaviness, a dragging feeling or a bulge you can feel or see.
• Any kind of leaking: the NHS says you should not feel embarrassed talking about it.
• Bleeding from your vagina after the menopause, even a small amount, even once: it's not usually serious, but it needs checking.
• Periods that become more painful, heavier or irregular, pain during sex, or bleeding between periods.

Sources 43, 42, 13, 22

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call 111

If period or pelvic pain is severe or worse than usual and painkillers haven't helped.

Source 22

In pregnancy

Stop if you feel uncomfortable, too hot or unwell, as the NHS advises. Get help for bleeding from your vagina, fluid leaking from your vagina, a change in your baby's movements, a high temperature, a severe headache, sudden problems with your vision, sudden swelling of your face, hands, legs or feet, or breathlessness that comes on suddenly or with chest pain. Up to 12 weeks, contact your GP surgery or early pregnancy unit; from 12 to 19 weeks, your midwife or early pregnancy unit; from 20 weeks, your midwife or maternity unit. Call 999 if you think it's a life-threatening emergency, and NHS 111 if you're not sure what to do.

Sources 27, 14

Chest pain: call 999

Stop exercising and call 999 (911 in the US) for chest pain or discomfort that comes on suddenly and doesn't go away (it can feel like squeezing or pressure, burning or indigestion), pain that spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or chest pain with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or breathlessness.

Source 51

During yoga

If you leak or feel a bulge during a pose, stop that pose and see a GP or a pelvic health physiotherapist. If your mood is very low, our yoga for depression guide lists where to get help now.

"Yoga balances your hormones"Mixed evidence

We found no trial of yoga for hormone balance in healthy women. In PCOS, small trials found small changes, and in the menopause, hot flushes didn't change. Yoga can ease stress and help sleep, which is worth having for its own sake.

Sources 44, 23, 9, 10

"Yoga for women is just stretching"Emerging evidence

Yoga counts as muscle strengthening when you work until you need a short rest, and 8 months of Ashtanga yoga raised leg-press strength by 11% in women aged 35 to 50. For bone, add weights and impact.

Sources 3, 33, 16

"Weight-bearing yoga poses build bone and prevent osteoporosis"Emerging evidence

In 11 studies of 591 women, yoga or Pilates didn't change bone density, and 8 months of Ashtanga didn't either. The UK consensus puts progressive resistance training and impact first for bone, with yoga for strength, balance and posture.

Sources 5, 38, 16

"Yoga tones and defines your muscles"Mixed evidence

We found no trial of yoga measuring the shape of a muscle, and exercise doesn't take fat off one place: training one leg for 12 weeks didn't take fat off that leg. Yoga builds strength, balance and flexibility; how you look isn't the measure.

Source 52

"Yoga boosts fertility"Mixed evidence

In small, mostly non-randomised studies, mind-body programmes eased anxiety and low mood during fertility treatment, with a possible rise in pregnancies that hasn't been confirmed. No type of exercise has been shown to help or harm fertility in itself, as our trying to conceive guide explains.

Sources 45, 46

"Don't do yoga on your period"Strong evidence

The NHS suggests gentle exercise such as yoga for period pain, and exercise through the month eased period pain in trials. Whether to go upside down on your period is your choice: we found no study of it.

Sources 22, 7

"Yoga helps with hot flushes"Strong evidence

In 249 women who counted their flushes every day, 12 weeks of yoga made no difference, and 24 trials agree. Yoga eased overall symptoms and sleep a little; for flushes, NICE recommends HRT, with CBT as an option.

Sources 10, 9, 18

"Pelvic floor yoga fixes leaking"Strong evidence

In 240 women, pelvic yoga did no better than general stretching and strengthening, and NICE recommends at least 3 months of supervised pelvic floor training first.

Sources 11, 12