The Importance of Yoga for Strength

by Nina

Lately as I’ve been teaching yoga for healthy aging to several older people, I’ve couldn’t help but notice how weak some of them are. For example, one woman has trouble balancing because knee problems led her to stop walking and her legs became very weak. (Even though balance requires much more than just brute strength—see Yoga and Balance: An Overview—if you don’t have the muscle tone to keep yourself upright, you’re going to be all wobbly.) Then, there’s the man who walks regularly but who is losing his upper body strength due to a white-collar job that leaves him using his body for light physical labor only on the weekends. 

Left unchecked, this kind of muscular weakness could lead to an inability to live independently because even the simplest daily activities, such as getting up out of bed, getting out of a chair, and, especially, walking up or down the stairs, require strength. (See Yoga for Strength: An Overview for information about what happens to muscular strength as you age.) And lack of ability to balance due to weakness is going to increase the risk of falling, which is a serious problem for older people (see The Importance of Preventing Falls).

In fact, even though I had originally intended to cycle between strength, flexibility, balance, and agility, I quickly realized yoga for strength should be included as part of every single yoga for healthy aging class or daily home practice. So I thought today I’d recommend a few of my favorite strengthening poses and practices. Although Baxter has written some full-length sequences for strength (see Lower Body Strength Practice, Upper Body Strength Practice, Core Strength Practice), you can don’t necessarily have to do a long practice. I feel that practicing just a few strengthening poses on a regular basis will allow you to bring about real change. What I like about the following poses is that they are simple, accessible, and safe, yet they allow you to work as hard as you wish (though longer holds or repetitions). 

And although I haven’t been focusing specifically on bone strength—I can’t tell what’s going on with people’s bone strength just from looking at them—the good news is that all these poses will strengthen bones at the same time they strengthen muscles. 

1. Warrior 2 (Virabradrasana 2) mini vinyasa, followed with a long hold of the pose. People with balance issues can practice with their backs near a wall. Provides both lower body and upper body strengthening. See Warrior 1 and Warrior 2 Mini Vinyasasas and Featured Pose: Warrior 2 (Revisited).

2. Warrior 1 (Virabradrasana 1) mini vinyasa, followed by a long hold of the pose. People with balance issues can practice with their back heel against the wall. Provides both lower body and upper body strengthening. See Warrior 1 and Warrior 2 Mini Vinyasasas.

3. Powerful pose (Utkatasana), in all its variations. I particularly like using a block between the thighs to activate the thigh muscles, which are so vital for basic movements of getting around in the world, especially getting up out of a chair or off the toilet. Provides both lower body and upper body strengthening. See Featured Pose: Powerful Pose.

4. Downward-Facing Dog pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana), in all its variations. Provides upper body strength. See Featured Pose: Downward-Facing Dog Pose.

5. Plank pose, in all its variations. Provides upper body and core strength. See Featured Pose: Plank Pose.

6. Side Plank pose (Vasithasana), in all its variations. Almost anyone can do the wall version. Provides upper body, side body, and core strength. See Featured Pose: Side Plank Pose.

7. Upward Plank pose (Purvottanasana), in all its variations. Provides upper body, back, and core strength. See Featured Pose: Upward Plank Pose.

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