
10/10/2025
While we know low intensity balance and mobility exercise programs like yoga will not increase bone mass, they are often recommended for fall prevention, because falls are the most common cause of fractures. So it was very disappointing to read that a high quality trial of 700 people has shown that 12 months of 1 hour twice-weekly Iyengar yoga classes (and unsupervised yoga encouraged on 2 other days per week) INCREASED FALLS 33% more than control in people (81% female) aged 60 years and older. Also disapointing to find that mental wellbeing, physical activity, quality of life, physical function, sleep quality, and pain were not improved in the Iyengar yoga group either! It may be that the focus of Iyengar yoga on alignment and long pose holds is simply not enough to stimulate functional adaptation.
Once again, muscle strengthening in functional movements (aka ONERO) trumps low intensity non-functional physical activity for fracture prevention.
This Iyengar yoga-based programme should not be recommended for fall prevention in its current form. Modified programmes with dynamic balance and fall prevention strategies warrant investigation.