Research recently published in IAYT’s International Journal of Yoga Therapy found that 3 months of a specific yoga program significantly improved balance, strength, and reaction time in women aged 50–70. These measures represent important factors in preventing falls and injury, and this research highlights yoga’s therapeutic promise as an accessible way of promoting safer movement and building resilience as we grow older.

Yoga therapy points the way to transcending our ordinary (limited) conceptions of identity, but the practices can also support ease in our current state, whatever our phase of life. In other words, opening the doorway to ultimate self-realization could begin with better balance, improved upper-body strength, or increased proprioception (awareness of your position in space).

This particular study, Effect of 12 Weeks of Hatha Balance Flow Yoga on Fall and Injury Risk in Postmenopausal Women,* found meaningful improvements in balance (one-leg standing test) and lower-body strength (30-second sit-to-stand test) after participants completed the yoga program. Upper-body response time, which is key for minimizing injury if a fall does occur, also significantly improved.

Falls are the leading reason for injury-related death, hospitalization, and emergency department visits for older adults in North America. In 2018, falls cost the healthcare system CAD$5.6 billion annually in Canada. In the United States, the cost of treating fall-related injuries is projected to exceed USD$101 billion by 2030. Finding ways to reduce the risk of falling and mitigate the serious injury consequences of falls in older adults is crucial to reduce the related personal and societal costs.

 

Most fall-prevention research has focused on adults over the age of 65; however, postmenopausal women in their 50s and 60s are at a higher risk of fall-related injury than men, primarily due to hormonal changes resulting in lower bone density and loss of muscle strength. Older women are much more likely to sustain upper-limb fractures from a fall.

 

Additional background on aging well with yoga

 

 

• Bajaj P, et al. Effect of yoga on balance, falls, and bone metabolism: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials in healthy individuals. Osteoporosis International 2025;36(2):193-224.
  Almost all of the studies in this systematic review reported positive effects of yoga on balance, with several randomized controlled trials demonstrating significant improvements in static balance; the effect on falls was less clear. Several of the included studies also suggested benefits to bone health.
• Lu YH, et al. Twelve-minute daily yoga regimen reverses osteoporotic bone loss. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation 2016;32:81-87.
  A clinical trial measuring bone mineral density with DEXA scans found improvements in the spine, hips, and femurs of the 227 participants who were fully or even moderately compliant with the program.
• Sivaramakrishnan D, et al. The effects of yoga compared to active and inactive controls on physical function and health-related quality of life in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. The International Journal of Behavorial Nutrition and Physical Activity 2019;16(1):33.
  “This study provides robust evidence for promoting yoga in physical activity guidelines for older adults as a multimodal activity that improves aspects of fitness like strength, balance and flexibility, as well as mental wellbeing.”
• Wang MY, et al. Physical-performance outcomes and biomechanical correlates from the 32-week Yoga Empowers Seniors Study. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2016;2016:6921689.
  This study on yoga for older adults showed improved functional abilities and strength when they performed a program designed for seniors.

 

*IAYT member login required to access the full article.