Q: I have been going to a yoga class 3x a week for about three months. It’s at my gym, and my teacher trained with one of Erich Schiffmann’s students. I used to weight train, for about ten years, but found my motivation ebbing, but loved having muscle definition. I love doing yoga! My body feels so much better, I walk better, my shoulders feel more open, and I have a wonderful sense of peace. My questions are, is yoga enough to maintain my bone mass? (I am small, with slender bones, have osteopenia). Also, are cardio and walking ok? Not strenuous enough? I want to incorporate a daily yoga practice in addition to my classes. I can tell my energy and strength are different now, how to stay healthy now that I’m almost 61?
A: Thanks for your interesting question. I am so excited to hear how the yoga practices are feeling for your body and your life! A balanced yoga asana practice may indeed provide enough stimulation to your bones to stabilize or improve your condition of osteopenia, the precursor state to osteoporosis. We know that yoga asana can increase the density or mass of bones, and we think it also may add the added benefit of changing the structure of the bone to be stronger and more pliable. In addition, as Loren Fishman, MD points out in a recent interview on this topic:
“There are numerous other important ways in which yoga benefits people with osteoporosis, such as improving balance, muscular strength, range of motion and coordination, while lessening anxiety.”
In fact, I recommend that you read this interview on YogaU Yoga for Osteoporosis – An Interview with Loren Fishman, M.D. and Ellen Saltonstall, as it is quite informative.
Cardio workouts and walking are certainly good additions for your overall health, and walking is beneficial for your osteopenia as well. You do need to be mindful of any forward bending in your regular yoga classes, as these are usually contra-indicated for osteopenia, and go easy on any side-bending poses, as they are also a potential problem. We’ll have more on osteopenia from Shari next week, including information about how to modify your yoga practice, so stay tuned!
I love Erich Schiffmann’s style of yoga and have studied with him over the years, but for your condition I would recommend adding in a more alignment-based style of yoga (such as Iyengar or Anusara) with a well-trained, experienced teacher. As you become more familiar with the poses that are likely to benefit your bones, you can start doing some of these each day at home as the foundation for your home practice. Another good resource for your home practice is Dr. Fishman’s book Yoga for Osteoporosis: The Complete Guide. It sounds like with all that, you’ll being doing a lot for your health each week. Please let us know how things go for you!
—Baxter
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Sorry — this post probably says more about me than I mean it to, but I feel very strongly about certain misunderstandings surrounding bone issue diagnoses. We may not be doctors here but we are our body's daily advocate.
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I'm happy to see others out there using yoga to address bone issues and look forward to additional posts. I was diagnosed with severe osteoporosis of the spine a year ago: a shock since I seem healthy as a carrot otherwise. I'm mid-50s and also slim and small-boned. After I got over my initial panic (am I made of glass?), I threw myself into research, which led me to two interesting resources. The first was Dr Fishman's book and the second was a story NPR did called "How a Disease Grew to Fit a Prescription." Both have helped tremendously in learning to listen to and trust my body. I practice daily many of Dr. Fishman's asanas, the more rigorous ones for issue prevention which I gradually built up to after an initial couple sessions with a yoga therapist and an intro class series. I am indisputably stronger, more flexible, more courageous. My doctor and I now believe I'm more likely someone who just has a smaller amount of bone vs the average. Which brings me to my point whenever I hear of someone in their middle years being diagnosed with osteo issues: keep your sanity and fear in check. The diagnosis of osteoporosis is where you fit in the mathematical comparison of you and everyone else. DEXA scans measure the quantity of bone surface only and the current medical profession cannot confirm the quality or porosity of one's bone without physically taking a bone sample. In the meantime, I'm very happy that yoga is part of the arsenal for bone health and encourage others with such issues to begin a slow, smart practice of it for both mental and physical benefits. Thank you for listening.
Thank you anonymous, and others who have written and replied here about osteopenia and osteoporosis. I have just come from a physical where there was big concern expressed regarding a BD test 7 years ago that showed me pre-osteoporotic. Much like you – petite and small boned. And actively practicing numerous times per week for a dozen years. Big changes in diet, activity level and weight since that time (down from 135 to 105-110). Generally very healthy, feel great, and went in for the physical out of a sense of obligation since I hadn't had one in so long I don't remember when. So I came here in part, in my quest for other information about the efficacy of yoga to improve one's musculature and bone structure, as I feel strong and the best I have in several decades. Should I get another density test? Maybe, to make my doctor happy. Maybe, to let there be a number quantifying what I already know about my body – that it is flexible, and responsive, and strong, and happy.