Poses, Props and Modifications for a Lifelong Yoga Practice

Some of the most famous images in yoga are of a silver-haired and wrinkled B.K.S. Iyengar in an advanced posture just a few years before his death well into his nineties, or a pink lipstick-wearing Tao Porchon-Lynch displaying incredible feats of flexibility before she passed away earlier this year at 101. While most of us see these images and shake our heads, lamenting our own muscle flexibility lost and aches gained over the past decade, they teach us a great deal about the practice itself.

Yoga, as most of us know, was not intended as purely a physical exercise, but rather a holistic practice comprised of eight limbs, culminating in samadhi. In this way, yoga lends itself to being accessible through the many stages of life and the necessary modifications that result. While many forms of exercise and sports can be so physically demanding that they either frequently lead to injury or are difficult or unsafe to practice as we enter a new life stage such as pregnancy, injury, illness or old age, yoga asana – and especially therapeutic variations – has a response to each of these. 

Here are some common poses, props and modifications to address some of the most common challenges that arise in the course of adulthood and ways to leverage the asana practice as a healing mechanism.

Chair yoga – Whether due to challenges with balance, restricted movement, or for clients just beginning a yoga practice, chair yoga is a starting point. So many common asana poses – twists, Warrior series, triangle, backbends, forward folds and more – can be modified to be done from a chair, whether seated or standing behind it and using it for support. All you need is a firm, steady folding chair. You can start to build strength in the chair and then eventually explore poses without using it.

Walls – As we age, the risk of falls increases. The National Council on Aging reports that one in four Americans over the age of 65 will fall each year, often resulting in the need to be treated in the emergency room. Thus, cultivating balance is critical. For clients who struggle to maintain balance, whether because of vertigo or ageing, the best modification is to find the steadiest prop possible and use that for practice – think the wall or floor. These props do not move no matter what, so should be used in poses that can challenge the balance. Think keeping the big toe on the floor during tree pose, or leaning back into a wall for triangle pose.

Yoga for low back pain – Low back pain is the second leading cause of missed work, second only to the common cold. Nearly all of us have awoken at one point or another with a stiff or sore lower back, not knowing what to do about it. The tricky part about low back pain is that its causes are many, and its treatments are just as diverse. Certain causes, like a ruptured disc, ask us not to forward fold, while others, such as sciatica, call for spinal twists. The key, if you are experiencing low back pain, is to visit a physician who can order tests and examine you to assign a proper diagnosis to your pain, and from there, you can work with a yoga therapist to ease your symptoms. Dr. Loren Fishman is a great resource on yoga for low back pain and has contributed greatly to the field of therapeutic yoga through his work.

Patience – Over time, the connective tissues that hold together our muscles and bone structure can dry up and become brittle. A key practice to maintain flexibility, which helps enable pain-free movement in the body and prevent common injuries, is yin yoga. Yin involves holding stretches for three to five minutes, getting deep into the connective tissue, to keep it healthy and supple. Interestingly enough, yin does not require deep flexibility to begin with, but rather asks us to stretch only to about half of our full capacity and utilize props to keep each pose supported, making it a sustainable practice for varying stages of fitness. That’s why you’ll be encouraged to bend your knees slightly in a yin-style forward fold or to back out of the most intense version of a posture to achieve lasting results over time.

These are just a few of the most common challenges we face as we age, and ways to modify, support, and explore them in the yoga practice. Finding a skilled yoga therapist to work with can help you find more ways to adapt your asana practice to your changing needs as you age.

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Hannah Slocum Darcy is a yoga teacher and a student at Prema Yoga Institute. She specializes in accessibility and adaptive practice for many life stages and scenarios.