Although I have been practising Yoga for 34 years and teaching it for 24 years I still get astounded by the vast possibilities of this ancient system.
The yogis were well aware of the many physical benefits that the practice of Yoga bestows upon us. Their aim though was liberation from the physical boundaries until a few Swamis set upon the path to spread its knowledge to the Western world. There the branch of Hatha-Yoga gathered a huge following that eventually differentiated into many different styles as well as Yoga therapy.
Osteoporosis has become a world-epidemic, with estimated 50% of women above 50 and approximately 33% of men being affected. Worldwide, osteoporosis causes more than 8.9 million fractures annually, resulting in an osteoporotic fracture every 3 seconds (IOF – Internatonal Osteoporosis Foundation). If you are young and think this doesn’t concern you yet, think twice. Prevention of osteoporosis begins in childhood.
A recent study was done over a six months period involving postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. The participants did fully supervised integrated Yoga postures, including standing, supine and prone postures as well as a sun salute and breathing techniques. Bone-density tests before and after the trial showed a significant improvement after the six-months supervised Yoga-training (Motorwala, Kolke, Panchal, Bedekar, Sancheti, & Shyam, 2016).
Yoga works particularly well as it involves weight-bearing of the body-weight in many postures, which enhances bone resorption. Furthermore it is done slowly which reduces risks of injury and promotes mindfulness. A 10-year study of the effect of Yoga on bone density showed encouraging results in 227 moderately and fully compliant patients of 741 volunteers with the mean age 68 of which 83% already had osteoporosis or osteopenia. It took all but 12-minute a day practice for the participants who were given three version of 12 yoga poses to be practiced with Yoga props, such as chairs, blanket, straps and wall. The participants who practiced at least 5x/week or daily experienced improved bone mineral density readings in spine, hips, and femur (Lu, Rosner, Chang, Loren, & Phil, 2016).
Osteoporosis and osteopenia need to be approached from different angles. Safe forms of supervised exercise, assessment of nutritional and life style factors as well as risk factors need to be assessed.
Osteoporosis is a silent killer; you won’t know you have it until you break a bone. This happened to my mother – who broke two of her vertebras and other bones. I have seen first-hand how debilitating and painful a disease it can be. So prevention is always better than cure.
If you already are post-menopausal woman, get a bone-density test and then devise a plan together with a healthcare-professional to develop a protocol. Find a Yoga-teacher who is well trained and knows the dos and don’t of Yoga practise with low bone density. Alternatively I do offer individual Yoga-therapy packages.
In the meantime, keep up your practice and stay safe.
Written by Monika Ramasamy, 5.10.2018
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Work cited:
IOF – Internatonal Osteoporosis Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved October 2, 2018, from FACTS AND STATISTICS: https://www.iofbonehealth.org/facts-statistics
Lu, Y.-H., Rosner, B., Chang, G., Loren, M. F., & Phil, B. (2016, April/June). Twelve-Minute Daily Yoga Regimen Reverses Osteoporotic Bone Loss. Retrieved October 2, 2018, from Geriatric Rehabilitation: https://journals.lww.com/topicsingeriatricrehabilitation/Fulltext/2016/04000/Twelve_Minute_Daily_Yoga_Regimen_Reverses.3.aspx
Motorwala, Z. S., Kolke, S., Panchal, P. Y., Bedekar, N. S., Sancheti, P. K., & Shyam, A. (2016, Jan-Jun). Effects of Yogasanas on osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Retrieved August 15, 2018, from PMC. Journal ListInt J Yogav.9(1); PMC4728958. doi: 10.4103/0973-6131.171717: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4728958/
Shade, C. (2016, May 29). Chemical & Heavy Metal Detoxification-How to Successfully Navigate Difficult Terrain-Chris . Retrieved August 17, 2018, from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waZAH8sEWa0&t=3852s
Y., Bedekar, N. S., Sancheti, P. K., & Shyam, A. (Jan-Jun, 2016). Effects of Yogasanas on osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Retrieved 15 August, 2018, from PMC. Journal ListInt J Yogav.9(1); PMC4728958. doi: 10.4103/0973-6131.171717: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4728958/
