A dozen yoga poses, performed daily, may increase bone density.Like most of us, you may have become accustomed to thinking that only common weight-bearing exercises—walking, running, jumping, and lifting—provide enough stress on your bones to maintain or increase their density. So a scientific paper titled"Twelve-Minute Daily Yoga Routine Reverses Osteoporotic Bone Loss" came as a surprise. And it appeared to offer women another option to build bone.
The logs indicated that 227 participants, 202 of whom were women, practiced the routine at least every other day for two years. Their average age was 68 when they entered the study, and 83% had lower-than-normal bone density. The DEXA scans they submitted at the end of the study showed significant increases in bone density in the spine. Hip bone density increased, too, but not significantly. None of the participants reported bone fractures or other injuries caused by doing yoga.
Dr. Hannan notes the participants were also self-selected, not randomly enrolled. In other words, they wanted to practice yoga."Would the results be equally promising in people who were simply assigned to do yoga?" she asks. Yoga is a mind-body activity, and to get the most benefit requires full engagement.The poses practiced in the study are illustrated below. Each pose should be held for 30 seconds and followed by a 30-second pause.