September celebrates National Yoga Month and all the health benefits it provides. Exercise is an essential component of the treatment plan for people with osteoporosis. When you put the two together, National Yoga Month and osteoporosis go hand in hand when managing this condition.
Benefits of Yoga with Osteoporosis
Yoga can be beneficial for people with osteoporosis. Gentle, weight-bearing poses can build strength, ease pain, and encourage good posture. Recently, a small study found that practicing yoga can increase bone density if done consistently and correctly. Yoga also can help to ease symptoms, improve bone health, and lower your risk of complications. It also helps improve flexibility, stability, and agility. These benefits make daily movements easier, improve coordination, and reduce your risk of falling.
When considering yoga when you have osteoporosis, here are some tips to remember:
- Start slowly gradually as you build strength and endurance; you can increase difficulty.
- Practice poses that strengthen your back. These poses include sphinx, baby cobra, and bridge.
- Implement poses that improve leg strength, such as mountain pose, chair pose, and Warrior II.
- Include poses that encourage weight-bearing by your hands, like tabletop, plank, and downward-facing dog.
- Practice poses that improve balance, such as tree pose. Do these next to a wall for support if needed.
- Always move in and out of poses slowly and deliberately.
- Enjoy the mental calm that comes with doing yoga.
- Find a teacher with experience in the limitations of students with osteoporosis.
Celebrate National Yoga Month
Many individuals practice yoga to maintain their health and wellbeing, improve physical fitness, relieve stress, and enhance their quality of life. Here are some ideas you can do to celebrate too!
- Do yoga in the park
- Treat yourself to a new yoga mat or other attire
- Meditate on the goodness yoga brings to your life
- Try a new type of yoga
Through insights and breakthroughs in clinical research, continual improvements to detect, manage, and eventually prevent osteoporosis are found. Potential new therapies for osteoporosis are currently being evaluated in clinical research studies. To see how you can get involved in enrolling osteoporosis studies here at Women’s Health Care Research, call (858) 505-8672 or visit our website today!
Sources:
https://ors.od.nih.gov/Pages/Celebrate-National-Yoga-Month.aspx
https://www.doyou.com/6-things-you-can-do-to-celebrate-national-yoga-month-17236/