With its focus on stability and control, yoga workouts are among the best for women of all ages, but especially those over 50. It’s great for beginners, those who want to build flexibility, and anyone who wants to build strength and bone density – although many people forget about this last benefit.
Paula Richardson, 58, isn’t one of them, though. She’s been teaching yoga for four years and adores the practice. “I trained in Bali when I was 55. I was the oldest person there, but it turned out to be one of the most transformative experiences of my life. It reminded me that you don’t have to be a certain age, shape, or type to begin. You just have to begin. Yoga has nothing to do with being young or bendy,” she tells me.
Paul also only teaches yoga to other women over 50 – and her oldest client is 93. “The bodies I work with, including mine, have lived a bit. Before I retrained, I practised consistently for years. I tried different styles and slowly realised yoga was the thing I came back to when life got loud,” she says. “But I was a little frustrated practising with some teachers who didn’t understand older bodies, so I committed to focusing exclusively on teaching women like me.”
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Yoga as strength training
Yoga might not feel like lifting a heavy dumbbell, but when done regularly, it builds functional strength – the kind you use for stairs, shopping bags, getting up off the floor and feeling stable. When it’s taught with good alignment and progression, it’s even more beneficial.
“A lot of yoga builds bodyweight strength: legs, glutes, core, back, shoulders, as well as wrist and grip strength, which are very underrated as we get older. I’ve added simple mobility drills to my classes, such as getting up and down off the floor, and my students love it,” says Paula.
The yoga instructor is a “big fan of little and often, instead of a 60-minute daily routine”, as some yoga and strength programs suggest.
These are the simple strengthening exercises she recommends:
1. Supported squatsPlace both hands on a kitchen counter or a table for support.Bend your knees outwards into a crouch position – or as far as you can go – then stand up.Repeat 10 times.2. Double calf raisesPlace both hands on a kitchen counter or a table for support.Raise yourself onto your tiptoes, then down.Repeat 10 times.3. Single calf raisesStand sideways with one hand on a kitchen counter or a table for support.Lift one leg up, raise yourself up onto the toes of your standing leg, then down.Do this 10 times, then switch legs and repeat.Benefits of yoga for strength trainingIt’s about more than strengthening muscles: “Yoga is sneaky in the best way,” says Paula. “You come for stretches, and you leave feeling more like yourself. I remind my students that yoga isn’t a workout – it’s a ‘work-in’. It is movement, plus breath, plus nervous system support, so you’re not just training muscles, you’re training steadiness, balance, body awareness, and that ability to pause instead of powering through.”Builds muscle and bone density: That said, you will also be able to train your muscles in a challenging way so they are forced to grow, repair, and get stronger. The same with your bones, as strength training helps create bone-forming cells called osteoblasts.Improves brain health: Research from King’s College found that leg strength is a good test of cognitive health in 10 years, and that increasing strength in this area can help improve your brain health.Eases menopause symptoms: “Midlife and beyond is when your body starts asking for a different conversation, and yoga helps with the big three most women tell me they want – mobility, strength, and a sense of inner calm,” says Paula. “It gives you a way to shift your state quickly; the breath and slower movement tell the nervous system you’re safe, and when you feel safer, everything improves: sleep, mood, patience, resilience, and even confidence.”
Just remember to consult your doctor before trying any new exercise programme, and be sure to work with any injuries.