Yoga guide
Yoga is a good fit for your 50s: it trains balance, leg strength and flexibility, eases overall menopause symptom scores a little, and works on a mat, at a wall or with a chair. In trials, mostly of women, the gains were small to moderate and about the same as other exercise. What yoga hasn't been shown to do is build bone, stop hot flushes or prevent falls, so it works best beside strength training with weights or a band, some impact if it's safe for you, walking and your pelvic floor exercises.
This guide covers what changes for muscle, bone and the pelvic floor from about 50, what the trials show for strength, bones, balance, menopause symptoms, joints and leaking, how yoga compares with strength and impact training, the poses to change until you know your bones are healthy, and a free 35-minute class with a 3D demo of every move. Our yoga over 50 guide covers everyone over 50, and our yoga for older women guide covers women from 60.
In trials of people over 60, most of them women, yoga improved balance, leg strength and flexibility against doing nothing, and leg strength and flexibility about as much as other exercise. The NHS counts it as muscle-strengthening when you work "to the point where you need a short rest before repeating the activity". It doesn't build bone, treat the menopause or replace strength training.
In 11 studies of 591 women aged 45 to 78, Pilates or yoga didn't change bone density. The UK osteoporosis consensus recommends progressive strength training on 2 or 3 days a week and about 50 moderate impacts on most days, if they're safe for you, with yoga among the balance and strength activities. Heavy lifting and jumping raised spine density in one trial of women with low bone mass.
Yoga lowered overall symptom scores about as much as other exercise, but didn't reduce hot flushes across 24 trials or in the largest trial, where women counted their flushes every day. For flushes that are hard to live with, NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) offers hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and menopause-specific cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
Yoga improved balance a little in people over 60, but trials in older women alone were few, small and inconsistent. What prevents falls is balance and everyday movement practice 3 or more times a week, made harder over at least 12 weeks.
The UK consensus says "Movements or exercise that involve sustained, repeated or end-range flexion should be modified or avoided." and "Rotation (twisting) movements should be safe if performed smoothly and comfortably." So fold from the hips, twist smoothly, and leave out plough, shoulder stand and headstand.
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Bleeding from the vagina after the menopause, even once, needs a GP. Sudden back pain after a minor fall or lift, or losing height, can be a spinal fracture, and chest pain or unusual breathlessness during exercise means stop. The warning signs below have the details.
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These are normal changes, not a reason to slow down. Muscle and bone respond to training at any age.
The NHS: "Symptoms usually last for 7 to 9 years, sometimes longer, and during this time they can change." They include hot flushes, sleep problems, low mood, needing to pee more or leaking, weakening bones and "muscle aches and joint pains".
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The NHS says osteoporosis is "most common in older adults and women after the menopause", and "Often, the first symptom will be breaking a bone after a minor fall or injury." The UK guidelines date "the natural decline in muscle mass and bone density" from "around 50 years of age". Our yoga over 50 and menopause guides give the figures for how fast bone is lost around the last period.
Lean or muscle mass was 2.5% lower around the menopause and 5.7% lower after it than before, though a review found no high-quality evidence that the menopause itself causes muscle loss. Absolute muscle mass fell noticeably only from about 50 in a large scanning study, mostly in the legs. Strength falls faster than muscle: knee strength fell 14% per decade in adults followed from 46 to 78, and studies of the same people found strength lost 2 to 5 times faster than muscle.
Leaking is common. The NHS says to see a GP for any type, and "you should not feel embarrassed talking to them about your symptoms".
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Standing poses such as chair pose, the warriors and lunges load the legs; back lifts such as locust strengthen the back; one-leg poses train balance; lying and seated poses stretch. In the largest menopause trial, women had twelve weekly 90-minute classes with home practice. A brisk flow can count as aerobic exercise: in one trial, 40 minutes of each hour kept heart rates at 60% to 75% of maximum. Gentle classes don't, and the NHS says muscle-strengthening exercises "are not always an aerobic activity".
The UK Chief Medical Officers ask for strength work on at least 2 days a week, "considered as important as achieving 150 minutes" of moderate activity, and from 65, strength, balance and flexibility on at least 2 days. The World Health Organization (WHO) asks older adults for balance and strength on 3 or more days. Neither names yoga; the NHS lists yoga among muscle-strengthening activities, and the UK osteoporosis consensus names it among the balance and strength activities.
Across 11 studies of 591 women aged 45 to 78, Pilates or yoga didn't change bone density compared with no programme; the 6 yoga studies alone showed no effect at all. The programmes lasted 12 to 32 weeks, short for bone, and of the 5 randomised trials, 2 were at high risk of bias. A 2025 review pooled 2 yoga trials and found no effect, a review for Osteoporosis Canada rated the yoga evidence in people at risk of fracture very low certainty, and 8 months of Ashtanga yoga didn't change bone density in women aged 35 to 50.
In a 2024 review, the bone result came from "tai chi- and Pilates-based mind-body exercises". A 2026 analysis of 74 trials found mind-body exercise combined with strength training did best at the spine and hip, but its trials were tai chi and Pilates, not yoga. Neither shows that yoga builds bone.
The widely shared study of 12 poses held daily recruited 741 volunteers online and compared each person's scans before and after starting, with no comparison group. The best-documented analyses included 14 to 29 people per bone site, the figures in its text and tables don't agree, and "Dr Fishman funded the study." It can't show that yoga reverses bone loss.
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We found no trial testing whether yoga prevents fractures (17 PubMed and 20 trial-register records).
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The UK consensus: "For maximum benefit, muscle strengthening should include progressive muscle resistance training.", on two or three days a week, plus moderate impact on most days, at least 50 impacts a session, for people without spinal fractures. The Royal Osteoporosis Society: "The best way to help your bone strength is to do both impact and strength exercises." Across 80 studies, exercise raised bone density after the menopause by small amounts, and the older Cochrane review found combined programmes did best at the spine, with no clear effect on fractures.
In 101 women aged about 65 with low bone mass, 8 months of twice-weekly supervised heavy lifting and jumping raised spine density by 2.9%, against a 1.2% fall with home exercise, with one minor back spasm. These figures come from the abstract, and the paper has a correction we couldn't read. It was one centre, closely supervised.
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The UK consensus: "exercise should be viewed as an adjunct rather than an alternative to pharmaceutical treatment where this is indicated." Keep taking any bone medicine your doctor recommends.
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The UK consensus notes "some reports of vertebral fractures associated with end-range, sustained, repeated or loaded flexion exercises, including sit-ups" and "some yoga positions involving extreme spinal flexion", and two case series reported spinal fractures linked to yoga. It also says people who are experienced and move smoothly "can continue with these activities as long as they are fit enough to manage them with ease". Until you know your bones are healthy, hinge from the hips.
Across 22 trials in people over 60, yoga improved leg strength against no exercise and about as much against walking and other activity, mostly measured as chair stands. Inactive adults averaging 62 did as well with 8 weeks of hatha yoga as with a stretching and strengthening programme. In trials of older women alone, leg strength improved in 2 of 5.
In 80 inactive middle-aged women, 6 months of vinyasa flow 3 times a week raised knee strength by 14.6% and aerobic fitness by 6.1%, against no change without exercise, in one trial. In women aged 35 to 50, Ashtanga yoga raised leg-press strength by 11.4% against a 6.5% fall. The controlled yoga trials that measured muscle mass found no change, and we found no trial comparing yoga with weights for muscle size.
Strength training raised strength by a large amount in women before and after the menopause alike, across 126 studies, with no link to age. Across 73 trials in older adults, progressive resistance training had a large effect on strength. A band, weights or a strength class on 2 days a week takes yoga's strength gain further.
Against no treatment, yoga lowered total menopause symptom scores across 13 trials (1,306 women); against other exercise only hot flush scores differed, and the authors say "Effects are comparable to those of other exercise interventions." A UK overview of 17 reviews found yoga 2 or 3 times a week helped physical, bladder and vaginal and total symptoms, but "Evidence for vasomotor and psychological symptoms was inconclusive." Most trials were small and the women knew they were doing yoga.
Across 24 trials (2,028 women), yoga made no difference to hot flushes. In the MsFLASH trial, 249 women aged 40 to 62 counted their flushes every day: after 12 weeks of classes and home practice, flushes had fallen by 0.3 a day more than with usual activity, a difference that could be chance, though insomnia symptoms improved a little. A Cochrane review found exercise no different from no treatment, or from yoga, for flushes, on low-quality evidence.
NICE offers HRT for hot flushes and suggests considering menopause-specific CBT, and asks clinicians to "Explain to people experiencing menopause the importance of maintaining muscle mass and strength through physical activity." Its recommendations don't mention yoga. The NHS suggests "relaxing things such as yoga, tai chi or meditation" and weight-bearing and resistance exercise for your bones. The British Menopause Society's patient factsheet counts yoga as restorative exercise, one of three kinds, with strength and steps, that it calls equally important.
In women with sleep problems, yoga improved sleep quality across 19 trials, but not clearly in the 4 trials around and after the menopause; another review's yoga trials did find better sleep against no programme. In older adults, yoga eased depression scores against inactive and active controls. If poor sleep or low mood lasts, see your GP.
Yoga had a small effect on balance in 6 trials of 307 people aged 60 and over, and a moderate one against inactive controls in a larger review, but not clearly against other exercise. A 2025 review found "low certainty evidence" for balance in healthy adults and mixed effects on falls.
A 2025 review found only 6 trials (170 women): "The effects of yoga on balance, gait, and lower-limb strength were inconsistent." In 32 women with osteoporosis, adding 2 minutes of tree pose a day to an exercise programme improved one-leg standing at 6 weeks, the only difference among many tests.
The world falls guidelines recommend balance-challenging and everyday movements, such as standing up from a chair and stepping, "with sessions three times or more weekly", made harder for at least 12 weeks, plus tai chi or strength training where possible. Yoga is named only for easing fear of falling, not for preventing falls.
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In 117 adults aged 40 and over (mean 62.5, 73% women), yoga was as good as strengthening exercise for knee pain over 12 weeks, and leg strength rose 17.8 kg against 21.2 kg, a difference that could be chance; minor problems were more common with yoga (15.5% against 6.8%). An unsupervised online programme helped function a little but not pain, and the gain faded. Exercise of any kind improves knee osteoarthritis function, across 139 trials.
In 240 women aged 45 to 90 who leaked every day, 12 weeks of pelvic floor yoga cut leaks by 2.3 a day and general stretching and strengthening by 1.9: yoga "was not superior". A smaller pilot had suggested more, and an earlier Cochrane review found too few trials to judge.
The NHS: "Your programme should include a minimum of 8 muscle contractions at least 3 times a day and last for at least 3 months." You can practise the squeeze in your yoga poses too.
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Across 94 trials, yoga was about as safe as usual care and other exercise. US health advice: "Older adults may need to be particularly cautious when practicing yoga."
Change deep forward folds and end-range rounding if your bones may be fragile, and leave out headstand, shoulder stand and long head-down holds with glaucoma or high blood pressure that isn't under control. Head-down poses raised eye pressure within a minute in a small study.
Our editorial plan, from the UK Chief Medical Officers' guidelines, the NHS activity guidelines, the UK osteoporosis consensus and NHS pelvic floor advice. Doses are starting points, not prescriptions.
Our editorial starting point:
The trials ran for 8 to 24 weeks, usually 2 or 3 sessions a week. Give it 12 weeks before you judge it, by how strong and steady you feel, not by counting flushes.
Slow breathing 2 minutes, in for about 4 and out for about 6, with no holds (our yoga for over 50s class). Breath reach: "5 breaths, exhale longer than inhale" (the move page's dose), arms at shoulder height if your shoulders complain.
Chair pose 3 holds of 5 breaths; warrior II and high lunge 5 breaths each side; sit to stand 8 to 10 slow stands, chair against the wall (all our yoga for over 50s class). Wall push-up 5 to 10 (our yoga for longevity class). They count towards your strength days when the last breaths feel hard; keep breathing in every hold.
Goblet squat: build to 2 or 3 sets with a weight you could lift only about 8 to 12 times (the UK osteoporosis consensus, as our yoga for women guide gives it); its page says to avoid holding your breath under load if your blood pressure is uncontrolled. Band row: "3 sets of 10 to 15, stopping 2 to 3 reps short of failure, with 60 to 90 seconds' rest" (from the move page's dose), or 2 sets of 10 to 15 (our yoga for longevity class). Farmer's carry 2 walks of 30 metres with dumbbells or full shopping bags (our yoga for longevity class).
Heel drops: "20 to 30 drops at first, building toward about 50 impacts on most days, for example 5 sets of 10." (from the move page's dose). With spinal fractures or several broken bones from minor falls, keep them gentle or march instead, as its page says, and ask a physiotherapist before anything harder.
Tree pose 3 to 5 breaths each side, twice, fingertips on the wall, foot on your ankle or calf; warrior III 3 breaths each side, twice, hands on a chair back; heel-to-toe 30 seconds each way round, then 10 steps (all our yoga for over 50s class). Single-leg stand 3 holds of 5 to 10 seconds each side, fingertips on the counter (our yoga for longevity class).
Seated upper-back lift: "3 to 5 repetitions, each held 3 to 5 seconds, at least twice a week (UK osteoporosis consensus, 2022)." (from the move page's dose). Locust 3 to 5 lifts held 3 to 5 seconds, and one-limb bird dog 5 each arm and leg holding 3 to 5 seconds (our yoga for over 50s class). Low cobra 5 lifts held 3 to 5 seconds, lifting with your back, not your arms (our yoga for osteoporosis class).
Hip hinge fold: "5 slow folds, 3 breaths at the bottom" (the move page's dose), in place of every deep forward fold. Thoracic rotation: "6 rotations per side, moving with the breath" (the move page's dose), keeping the turn small with a high fracture risk. Cat-cow: "8 waves, slower than feels natural" (the move page's dose), with the rounding kept small.
Pelvic floor squeezes: "Start with 8 slow holds of up to 10 seconds and 8 quick squeezes, three times a day, and build towards 10 of each" (from the move page's dose). Pelvic floor relaxation: "5 to 10 slow breaths, 1 to 3 times a day" (from the move page's dose).
Getting up and down from the floor 2 slow cycles, using a chair; glute bridge 6 to 8 slow lifts, not up onto your shoulders; lying twist 45 seconds each side, a cushion under the top knee; corpse pose 3 minutes, knees over a cushion (all our yoga for over 50s class). Roll to your side and pause before you sit up.
Swap seated, standing and wide-legged forward folds, head-to-knee pose and pyramid pose for the hip hinge until you know your bones are healthy. The Royal Osteoporosis Society has no page on yoga, but for bending it suggests the hip hinge, "bending forward from your hip and keeping your back straight".
Leave them out, as our yoga over 50 and older women guides advise: they load the neck, raise eye pressure and suit neither fragile bones nor beginners. US health advice is that beginners avoid headstands and shoulder stands.
Boat pose's page says: "With osteoporosis, keep the back long and the knees bent, or leave it out." The Royal Osteoporosis Society names sit-ups, touching your toes and the Pilates roll-down and curl-up among exercises that "can put pressure on the spine".
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Its page says: "With glaucoma, ask your eye doctor first: eye pressure rises a little in this position. With high blood pressure that isn't under control, don't raise your hips."
No evidence it helps, and heat can set off a flush, as our yoga for menopause guide explains. A normal room is fine (our suggestion).
Our 35-minute class first: standing strength, a squat and row with load, optional heel drops, balance at a wall, back strength, the pelvic floor and safe bending. It's our own selection, untested as a class, with doses from our over 50s, longevity, osteoporosis and menopause classes. The over 50s class leaves out weights; the bone-strengthening workout and the Pilates class with weights and impact add more load.
A 35-minute yoga class for women over 50: standing strength, a squat and row with load, optional heel drops, balance, back strength and the pelvic floor.
35 minBeginner22 movesBench or box, dumbbellA 30-minute yoga class for people over 50: standing strength, balance at the wall, back strengthening and gentle hips, with no deep forward folds.
30 minBeginner19 movesBench or box, wallThirty-five minutes of standing strength, balance, back strengthening and a long relaxation for the menopause, with no deep forward folds or shoulder stands.
35 minBeginner15 movesFirm cushionA 35-minute yoga class for ageing well: a brisk start, leg and upper-body strength with grip, balance at a counter, and getting down to the floor and up.
35 minBeginner20 movesBench or box, wallA 30-minute yoga class for osteoporosis: standing strength, balance at a wall, back-strengthening holds and hip hinges in place of deep forward folds.
30 minBeginner19 movesBench or box, wallA 30-minute yoga class for your pelvic floor: poses from a trial programme, a gentle lift as you breathe out, a full release, and supported rest poses.
30 minBeginner17 movesStep, firm cushionThirty minutes of standing yoga for balance: strong standing poses, one-leg poses at the wall, and side steps, backward steps, reaches and sit-to-stands.
30 minBeginner16 movesWall, bench or boxImpact, strength and balance for stronger bones, following UK osteoporosis consensus advice, with options for every level.
40 minBeginner14 movesKettlebell, other / check instructionsStrength and balance in one session: squats, Romanian deadlifts, push-ups, rows, step-ups, back extensions, carries and single-leg balance.
45 minBeginner14 movesWall, dumbbellA 40-minute class for women over 40: pelvic floor squeezes, heel drops for bone, strength with dumbbells and a band, head-down Pilates and balance.
40 minBeginner19 movesDumbbell, bandA 25-minute gentle yoga class for complete beginners and over-50s: slow breathing, a warm-up, supported standing poses, floor poses and a closing rest.
25 minBeginner14 movesNo equipmentA 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 movesBench or box, something with weightTwenty minutes of yoga with a wall for support: standing poses with your back to it, one-leg balances, a wall sit and push-ups, then bridges and legs up the wall.
20 minBeginner13 movesWall, stepA 20-minute bedtime yoga class on the mat: slow breathing with no holds, a few gentle movements, lying stretches and a long rest before bed.
20 minBeginner9 movesFirm cushion, wallFor the strength, bone and walking parts of your week. Add the yoga class on 2 of the days.
A weekly plan for women over 50: strength, bone-loading and balance on 3 days plus walking, built on UK osteoporosis consensus advice.
3 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekA 12-week plan for women over 40: three strength days, impact for bone, cardio and recovery through the perimenopause, in a gym or at home, with a 4-day option.
3 training days45 minBeginner6 days a weekA free 8-week walking plan for beginners: build to 150 minutes of brisk walking a week, with intervals, hills and two short strength sessions.
6 training days40 minBeginnerModify or avoid exercises that round your back deeply or repeatedly, especially with a weight: sit-ups, toe touches, Pilates roll-downs and curl-ups, and extreme yoga forward folds. Bend from the hips instead. You do not need to avoid bending, twisting or lifting altogether: move smoothly and keep your upper back straight.
Twisting should be safe if you do it smoothly and comfortably. Slow down and shorten fast or forceful twists, and leave out the added weight.
You're frail, have moderate to severe dementia, have had a spinal fracture or fall regularly: the UK guidelines suggest any new exercise is supervised by a trained professional at first.
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Stop poses that bring on heaviness, dragging, a bulge or leaking, and breathe out on effort. Our yoga for prolapse and yoga for the pelvic floor guides have the swaps.
Breathe out through every effort, especially with high blood pressure, heart disease, glaucoma or diabetic eye disease, a hernia, or in pregnancy (our guide to getting stronger). With glaucoma or uncontrolled high blood pressure, skip headstands, shoulder stands and other full inversions, and keep other head-down poses brief or supported.
Shorter stances and shallow bends at first; our yoga for knee arthritis guide covers the poses (our suggestion).
Keep stretches mild and in the middle of your range, and favour the strengthening moves: the NHS says not to overextend your joints just because you can.
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A flush can make you feel dizzy, so come out of the pose, sit down, sip something cold and carry on when it passes (our suggestion). Get up slowly from lying down.
These are the site's lines from our yoga over 50, older women, menopause and other guides, word for word. This is general information, not a diagnosis. 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 if:
Call 999 or go to A&E (accident and emergency) straight away for severe difficulty breathing (gasping, choking or not able to get words out), a chest that feels tight or heavy, pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw, lips or skin turning very pale, blue or grey, or sudden confusion. If you're more short of breath than usual, or your heart is racing, fluttering or skipping beats, contact NHS 111.
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Call 999 or go to A&E if you have palpitations that don't go away, or that come with chest pain, shortness of breath, or feeling faint or fainting. See a GP if they keep coming back, last more than a few minutes, or you have a heart condition or a family history of heart problems.
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See your doctor about back pain, or a change in body shape such as losing height or a more curved back: these can be signs of a spinal fracture, though not all spinal fractures hurt.
Sudden mid or lower back pain after a minor fall, lift, cough or sneeze, especially from 50 or with long-term steroid tablets.
Sudden back pain, losing height or a newly rounded upper back can be signs of a spinal fracture: see a GP. If you've had painful spinal fractures, see a physiotherapist before starting yoga.
Unexplained back pain with muscle spasms, loss of height, or a curved spine or change in posture: a possible osteoporotic spinal fracture, more likely with older age or long-term steroid tablets.
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The NHS says to see a GP if you have "back pain that is not getting better after a few weeks" or your spine becomes curved or your posture hunched, to ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if you've had a fall or injury and the pain isn't getting better, and to call 999 or go to A&E for "severe pain after a fall or injury".
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See a GP about any bleeding from the vagina after your menopause, even if it's only a small amount or has only happened once. It's not usually serious, but it needs checking, and you shouldn't have to wait more than 2 weeks to see a specialist.
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"See a GP if you have any type of urinary incontinence", the NHS says, and don't feel embarrassed: it's common. See a GP too about a lump or bulge in or around your vagina, or other signs of a prolapse such as heaviness, dragging or problems emptying your bladder or bowel. NHS continence services, with specialist nurses and physiotherapists, can diagnose the problem and start treatment.
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Stop, drop back to an easier level and rest if you feel heaviness, dragging, pressure or a bulge, or you leak, during or after an activity. If you see or feel a bulge when you squeeze, stop the pelvic floor exercises and get help.
In many areas you can refer yourself. See one if the exercises are hard to do, if your symptoms haven't improved after about 3 months of regular practice, or before you go back to running, jumping or heavier lifting.
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If you have fallen, or are worried about falling, ask your GP about a falls assessment. The NHS says strength, balance and flexibility exercise will help make you stronger and feel more confident on your feet.
If you've had a fall or you're worried about your balance (you may be able to refer yourself to a falls service), if you've fainted, if dizziness worries you, or if you keep feeling dizzy or faint when you stand up. NICE offers a full falls assessment to people who have fallen in the last year and are frail, were hurt, blacked out, couldn't get up, or have fallen twice or more.
See a GP if you have pain and stiffness for more than a week, especially if you're over 50, it's in both shoulders (often the neck and hips too) and the stiffness lasts longer than 45 minutes in the morning. It can be polymyalgia rheumatica.
Contact a GP immediately, go to 111.nhs.uk or call NHS 111: a new or frequent headache that usually comes on suddenly (your scalp may also feel sore or tender), pain in the jaw muscles or tongue when eating or talking, or problems with your sight, such as double vision or loss of vision in 1 or both eyes. With pain and stiffness around the shoulders, these can be signs of temporal arteritis (giant cell arteritis), which up to 1 in 5 people with polymyalgia rheumatica develop. If you suddenly can't see from 1 or both eyes, call 999 or go to A&E.
Dizzy, faint, unusually breathless, or sharp or increasing pain. Sit down until it passes, and see a GP if you keep getting dizzy or faint when you stand up.
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A joint pain that is sharp, gets worse during a session, lingers into the next day or changes how you move is a reason to use an easier version, and to see a GP or physiotherapist if it keeps happening (the rule in our plans). Muscle soreness for a day or two after something new is normal. In a hot class, stop if you feel dizzy, sick or unwell; our hot yoga guide lists the signs of heat illness.
You can say no to any hands-on adjustment, and a teacher registered with Yoga Alliance must get your explicit consent each time.
With glaucoma, or high blood pressure that isn't under control, skip headstands, shoulder stands and long head-down holds. With osteoporosis, swap deep forward folds for a flat-back hinge from the hips, and twist smoothly. In pregnancy, our yoga in pregnancy guide covers the changes. NCCIH advises beginners to avoid headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position and forceful breathing.
See your GP first if you get chest pain, breathlessness or dizziness when you are active, if you have a heart condition and want to exercise harder, or if you have had a fall.
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The NHS advises getting advice from a healthcare professional first if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, or have recently had a heart attack or an operation.
If you have a heart, lung or joint condition, are pregnant or have recently been unwell, start gently and read our guide for your condition. Muscle soreness for a day or two after a new exercise is common and fades as you repeat it.
If you have a heart condition, follow your cardiac team's advice on how hard to work, and stop for the warning signs above. People with long-term conditions may wish to ask their specialist before starting. With uncontrolled high blood pressure, avoid straining against a held breath; the high blood pressure guide has more.
Yoga improves balance, strength and flexibility a little, but the UK guidelines put strength work alongside 150 minutes of activity, the UK consensus adds progressive strength training and impact for bone, and strength training builds much more strength after the menopause. Most yoga isn't aerobic exercise, so it goes with your 150 minutes rather than counting for them.
In 11 studies of 591 women, bone density didn't change, the 12-minute study had no comparison group, and the reviews showing a mind-body bone benefit drew it from tai chi and Pilates. Strength and impact build bone, alongside medicine where it's needed.
No yoga trial has shown that any pose builds bone. Headstand loads the neck, head-down poses raise eye pressure, and the UK consensus advises against end-range spinal positions with fragile bones.
Yoga eases overall symptom scores about as much as other exercise, but it didn't reduce hot flushes across 24 trials or in the largest diary trial. NICE's treatments for flushes are HRT and menopause-specific CBT.
Not because of age. The UK consensus asks people with osteoporosis to change sustained, repeated or end-range rounding, and says smooth twists should be safe. Until you know your bones are healthy, hinge from the hips.
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In women with low bone mass, supervised heavy lifting raised spine density with one minor problem, though that trial was one closely supervised centre. The Royal Osteoporosis Society says "It is how you lift rather than how much you lift that matters.", and women gain strength as well after the menopause as before.
It improves balance tests a little, but fewer falls haven't been shown. Balance and everyday movement practice 3 or more times a week, made harder over at least 12 weeks, does cut falls.
It did no better than general stretching and strengthening in 240 women. Pelvic floor muscle training comes first, and yoga is a good place to practise the squeeze.
No trial has measured that, and this guide promises no look. What trials measured were balance, strength, flexibility, symptom scores and sleep.
Yes, as part of a week that also has strength and impact work. In trials of people over 60, mostly women, yoga improved balance, leg strength and flexibility a little, about as much as other exercise, and it eased overall menopause symptom scores. It hasn't been shown to build bone or cut hot flushes.
A beginners', hatha or gentle class with standing poses, balance near a wall and back lifts, from a teacher who offers swaps for bones, eyes and blood pressure. A brisk flow can count as aerobic exercise too. Hot yoga isn't needed, and heat can set off flushes.
Yes. Strength, balance and flexibility respond to training at any age, and women gained strength as well after the menopause as before it, across 126 studies. Start with a beginners' class or our 35-minute class, with a chair and a wall in reach.
Not on its own: in 11 studies of 591 women, Pilates or yoga didn't change bone density. Strength training with load and moderate impact build bone, as the UK osteoporosis consensus advises, alongside any bone medicine your doctor recommends.
No. The study behind it had no comparison group, recruited volunteers online and analysed only 14 to 29 people per bone site, and its figures don't agree between its text and tables. It can't show that yoga reverses bone loss.
Yes, with a few changes: hinge from the hips instead of deep folds, twist smoothly, and leave out plough, shoulder stand and headstand. Case series have linked extreme forward bending in yoga to spinal fractures. Our yoga for osteoporosis guide has a class with the swaps built in.
A little: it lowered overall symptom scores about as much as other exercise, but it didn't reduce hot flushes in 24 trials or in the largest trial, where women counted their flushes every day. For flushes that are hard to live with, see a GP: NICE offers HRT and menopause-specific CBT.
Neither has been shown to be better: both improve balance and strength a little, and neither builds bone on its own. Choose the one you'll keep doing and add strength training either way; our Pilates for women over 40 guide covers Pilates.
It's a good start if standing or getting down to the floor is hard. Balance is trained standing, though, so as you get steadier, use the chair for support in standing poses rather than sitting through the class. Our chair yoga guide has more.
Yes, a little: balance improved in trials of people over 60. If falls are a worry, practise balance 3 or more times a week and make it harder over at least 12 weeks, as the world falls guidelines recommend.
Pelvic floor yoga cut leaking about as much as general stretching and strengthening in 240 women. The first treatment is pelvic floor training, at least 8 squeezes 3 times a day for at least 3 months, and you can practise the squeeze in your poses.
Two or three times a week is a good start, with strength work on at least 2 days (a strong class can be one), about 150 minutes a week of brisk walking or similar, and daily pelvic floor exercises. Give it 12 weeks before you judge it.
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.
