Yoga For Osteoporosis

12 minutes of yoga a day is all it took to significantly improve bone density!

A short daily yoga practise can significantly improve bone density, helping to prevent osteoporosis, and aid in the reduction of bone fractures particularly in the spine, hips and legs.

Researchers in USA conducted a long study over 10 years that looked at the beneficial effects of yoga on bone density. 227 people took part in this study with an average age of 68 years.

A course of yoga therapy was given, 12 postures that focused on the 3 most common sites of fractures; hips, spine and femur. The home yoga practise took 12 minutes to complete and was done daily by the participants.

Scans were performed at the start of the study and again 2 years into the study, significant improvements in bone density were noted.

***Warning….Rant Coming***

As a yoga teacher and practitioner I am constantly harping on about having a daily practise, this is the perfect example of how beneficial a regular practise can be…only 12 minutes! Small steps in the right direction, done consistently get us to the goal. Here it was yoga for stronger bones, however the same goes for increasing mobility of hips or improvements in mental clarity. Whatever your goal doing yoga daily is key.

I have also seen balance and co-ordination improve with regular practise in many of my middle aged yoga students, which is important in reducing the incidence of falls as we get older.

If you’re wanting to see changes in your body and mind and your ready to make the commitment organise a time to come and see me for a some one-to-one yoga sessions, I can design a practise you can easily do daily in the comfort of your own home….12 minutes that’s all you need!

I have said this at the studio many times as a small business owner I struggle to find large chunks of time to do anything for myself. However I do take 10-15 minutes whenever I can to move, stretch and breathe, the movements are simple but very specific to what my body needs and I am always better for it.

***Rant over!*** Thanks for reading guys Kxx

The study: Yi-Hsueh Lu, Bernard Rosner, Gregory Chang, Loren M. Fishman. Twelve-Minute Daily Yoga Regimen Reverses Osteoporotic Bone Loss. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation, 2015.