Mindful yoga for osteoporosis and recovery

Yoga can be a gentle yet powerful way to support strength, posture and wellbeing at any stage of life.

If you’re living with osteoporosis, osteopenia, or recovering from a spinal or hip fracture, it’s natural to feel uncertain about which movements are safe.

The key is to start where you are, move with the breath, and build awareness step by step so your body feels supported rather than strained.

I’ll be adding short videos to this article shortly, as well as audio recordings from my Mindful Yoga for Wellbeing course. These will include guided visualisations to aid breath work, posture, awareness and overall wellbeing.

This guide shares general principles for safe yoga practice. It’s not medical advice. It offers practical ideas to help you move with confidence alongside guidance from your health professional.

Attend my workshop on 15 February: Yoga for osteoporosis, low bone density and women 50+

Book here

Understanding bone health and movement

Osteopenia means your bone density is lower than average but not in the osteoporotic range. This is often the best time to focus on posture, balance and strength-building to maintain or improve bone health.
Osteoporosis means the bones have become more fragile. The aim is to protect the spine, improve balance to prevent falls, and safely load muscles and bones to help maintain strength.
Healing or healed fractures require extra care and patience. Gentle breathing, awareness and posture work usually come first before reintroducing weight-bearing or stretching.

The approach is similar across all stages. Keep the spine long, move with the breath, avoid deep bends or twists, and focus on steadiness over range.

Moving through recovery

If you’re still recovering from a spinal or hip fracture, movement should always be guided by what you can already do in daily life without sharp pain or strain. The aim is not to move more but to move with awareness.

In the early stages, the focus is on breath, gentle awareness and relaxation rather than physical stretching or strength work. As healing progresses, these foundations will naturally support steady recovery and confidence.

Before you begin

If you’re taking pain medication, especially stronger or sedating types, avoid starting new movement or breathing practices until you’re fully alert and can feel what is happening in your body.

Painkillers can reduce body awareness and make it harder to notice early signs of overexertion or strain. They can also affect natural breathing rhythm, leading to deeper or slower breaths than your body is ready for.

Wait until the effects of medication have worn off before practising, or rest quietly with awareness of your body and breath instead.

A. Start where you are

Begin from the position you find most comfortable, where your spine and joints can rest in a neutral and supported way. This might be:

Lying on your back on a firm bed or yoga mat in constructive rest pose. Knees bent, feet on the floor in front of your bottom, arms resting by your sides. Turn your palms to face upwards to signal to the body that it’s safe and can begin to unwind and release tension. Keep your head resting directly on the mat or surface so your neck is long, chin slightly towards your chest, and the spine stays neutral. A small cushion between the knees can help the lower back relax if needed.
Reclined on a sofa with your upper body supported by cushions if your core or back muscles are not yet strong enough to support a flat back upright. Aim for your spine to be as flat as possible, avoiding hunching or sinking into deep curves. If you have kyphosis or a collapsed spine that naturally curves forward, allow that shape without forcing it. Let your hands rest loosely beside you with palms up if comfortable, or on your thighs or a cushion across your lap if that feels more supportive for the shoulders and arms.
Sitting on a dining chair with feet flat on the floor and legs at right angles. If needed, place a small cushion between your back and the chair for gentle lumbar support, and another on your lap to rest the weight of your arms. Keep the shoulders relaxed and the arms resting naturally. Palms can face up on the lap to encourage a sense of openness, or down if that feels steadier.

From these supported positions, focus on slow, steady breathing through your nose.

As you breathe in, allow your breath to move gently down into the diaphragm, feeling the sides and back of your ribs expand, and your spine lengthen.

On each exhale, let your navel move lightly toward your spine as you soften through the shoulders and jaw.

This is enough at first. Breathwork, guided meditation or gentle visualisation can help calm the nervous system, support oxygen flow and reduce muscle tension around healing bones.

B. Gradual reintroduction of gentle movement

When everyday actions such as getting dressed, standing at the sink, or walking a few steps are manageable without sharp or acute pain, you can begin to add small, supported movements.

For spinal fractures

Continue to avoid bending or twisting the spine until cleared by your clinician.
Practise gentle posture awareness, feeling length from the tailbone to the crown of the head as you breathe in, while keeping the spine neutral.
Try light arm and shoulder movements while keeping the spine still, such as gently drawing the shoulder blades slightly towards one another to open the chest, or slowly lifting the arms only to chest height. Inhale as you gently open the chest or lift the arms, feeling the ribs expand and the spine lengthen. Exhale as you return the arms to the starting position, drawing your navel lightly towards your spine to support your back. This helps maintain upper body strength and mobility without increasing strain on the spine.
When the fracture is stable and you are no longer experiencing sharp or acute pain, you can begin very light resistance work using the lightest band you can get. Hold the band just below chest height with soft, bent arms and shoulders relaxed. As you breathe out through pursed lips, gently pull the band apart a few centimetres while drawing your navel in towards your spine and, if you can, lightly engaging your pelvic floor. Keep your back flat and steady. As you breathe in, slowly release the tension in the band and allow your core and pelvic floor to relax. This can take practice to coordinate, so go slowly and focus on breathing smoothly and evenly.

For hip fractures

Focus first on safe weight-bearing, posture and balance in standing, guided by your physiotherapist or doctor.
Begin with small, supported movements. At first this may mean gentle marching on the spot or shifting your weight slowly from one foot to the other while holding on to a wall, kitchen counter or sturdy chair.
Keep your spine long and steady, with your shoulders relaxed and core lightly engaged.
You can also add simple seated movements such as lifting one knee slightly or circling the ankle to encourage circulation and rebuild strength. Inhale to feel grounded through your hips and lengthen through your spine and chest. Exhale as you gently lift one knee, drawing your navel lightly towards your spine to support your back.
Lower the foot back to the floor as you inhale again, staying steady and tall through the upper body. For ankle circles, move slowly with the breath – inhaling and exhaling naturally as you draw smooth, even circles to ease stiffness and improve mobility.
Once free of acute pain, begin very light resistance work using the lightest resistance band you can get. Place it around the thighs or above the knees and gently press outwards to activate the hips and glutes. Breathe out through pursed lips during effort, drawing your navel in to support your spine and gently engaging your pelvic floor. Relax and release the effort as you breathe in.
Avoid crossing the legs, twisting from the hip or moving into deep bends until cleared by your medical team.
As confidence grows, you can progress to gentle standing poses such as Mountain Pose or supported half-squats, using a wall or chair for balance and always focusing on smooth, steady breath.

C. Moving from stillness to strength

Recovery takes time. It’s not a straight line and fatigue is common. Some days you may feel able to do more, and others less. The key is to notice, adjust and never force.

As you regain strength, you can gradually lengthen the time spent in supported standing or seated poses and introduce more active work through the legs, hips and back, always focusing on stability and breath.

Yoga at this stage is about reconnecting with confidence and gently rebuilding strength from the inside out. You are teaching your body that it is safe to move again.

1. Keep your spine long and supported

Your spine’s natural curves help absorb load and keep the body balanced. When you bend or twist deeply, especially forward, those curves flatten and the front of the vertebrae can compress. This is where most spinal fractures occur in osteoporosis.

Instead, think of lengthening upward from your pelvis to the crown of your head. When moving forward, hinge from the hips and lead with the chest with your spine straight and knees slightly bent. Avoid rounding, slumping or curling forward.

You can imagine the spine as a column of light, strong but flexible. The goal is to keep that column aligned whether you are sitting, standing or lying down.

2. Breathe to support your movement

Breath connects body and mind and helps protect your spine from within.
With yoga, most breathing is done through the nose, slow and steady, without strain.

Inhale gently through your nose, breathing down into your diaphragm so the lower ribs, sides and back of the ribcage expand softly. As you breathe in, imagine your spine lengthening, creating gentle space between each vertebra and lifting through the crown of your head. Keep your tailbone lightly tucked in, core gently engaged and chin towards your chest so the neck feels like a natural extension of the spine. Let the collarbones stay open and relaxed with the shoulders softly drawing back.
Feel length through the core, from the navel up beneath the ribs, and a sense of openness across the upper back between the shoulder blades, through the mid back and down into the lower back.
At the same time, imagine rooting down through the support beneath you – whether that is the mat, chair or floor – feeling a steady foundation through your seat, feet or back of the body.
Exhale through the nose, feeling the navel draw gently toward the spine as the ribcage softens and the spine lightly settles back into alignment, supported from the centre.
This light engagement of the deep abdominal muscles helps protect the lower back and stabilise the core without bracing.

If you are using a resistance band or doing weight-bearing poses, such as wall push-ups or gentle standing strengthening, you can exhale through gently pursed lips instead of the nose. This naturally activates the deep core muscles and gives more control.

Always keep the breath smooth, never forced. Let your breath guide your movement, not the other way round.

3. Balance effort and ease

In yoga we often talk about steadiness and comfort. Both are essential for bone and joint health.

Effort builds bone strength through muscular engagement, standing balance and light resistance. Ease allows awareness, alignment and recovery, helping you feel what is safe and sustainable.

You can think of it as the difference between tensing and engaging.
Muscles should work steadily, not tightly. The aim is to feel awake, not forced.

For osteopenia, building strength becomes a positive focus, working within good form to increase load gradually. For osteoporosis or fracture recovery, steadiness and control matter most. The strengthening will follow naturally.

4. Strengthen safely

Weight-bearing and resistance movement are beneficial for bones when done with good posture and control.

Try to include:

Standing poses such as Mountain, Warrior variations with shorter stances, or Chair Pose using wall support.
Gentle resistance band work for arms and shoulders, keeping your back flat and shoulders relaxed.
Wall push-ups or table pose to safely bear weight through the arms.
Gentle back-strengthening while lying on your front, such as starting with tiny lifts of the chest or arms with the forehead resting on the mat, avoiding any deep arching.

Avoid or modify:

Deep forward folds such as full seated forward bend.
Strong or seated twists.
Rolling through the spine, jumping or fast transitions between poses.

The way you move between postures is as important as the postures themselves. Move slowly and with control, feeling how your muscles, breath and balance support you.

5. Use props and supports

Props make yoga safer and more accessible, not easier. They allow you to move within your comfortable range while maintaining good alignment.

Use blocks, bolsters or a chair under your hands to help keep the spine long in forward folds or to support balance.
Place cushions or folded blankets for comfort and stability.
Practise balance poses by a wall to prevent falls.
Lie on a folded blanket for spinal comfort and warmth during relaxation.

A supported body can relax and strengthen more effectively.

6. Build awareness through stillness

Awareness is the foundation of safety. Notice how your body feels in each movement, the difference between a gentle stretch, a firm muscular effort or discomfort.

Mild stretching or a sense of release is usually fine. Sharp, pinching or deep aching sensations mean stop and adjust.

Periods of stillness, in seated meditation or simple breath awareness, are also part of yoga. They calm the nervous system and help the body heal.

7. Summary of key principles

Condition	Focus	Avoid	Good starting point
Osteopenia	Strength, posture, awareness	Poor form, over-stretching	Standing poses, gentle resistance bands
Osteoporosis	Stability, alignment, balance	Deep forward bends, twists, quick transitions	Wall or chair-supported poses, mindful breath
Healing fracture (spine or hip)	Breathing, posture, patience	All spinal bending or twisting until cleared	Lying-down breathing (or seated with back support), small movements, guided visualisation

8. Some final reflections

Yoga for osteoporosis is not about achieving perfect poses. It’s about feeling safe, supported and connected in your own body.

By moving with awareness, steady breath and good alignment, you can support posture, balance, confidence and bone health for years to come.

Always check with your doctor or physiotherapist before starting new movement, especially if you’ve had a fracture.

Attend my workshop on 15 February: Yoga for osteoporosis, low bone density and women 50+

Book here

Further reading:

For those recovering from Pregnancy Associated Osteoporosis (PAO), the healing path can be a bit different. The high risk of refracturing usually reduces over time after stopping breastfeeding. Lynn Hammond is a physiotherapist and pilates instructor based in Esher, Surrey who specialises in osteoporosis. (She is also knowledgeable about PAO.) She can be contacted at lynnham85@gmail.com. Also see the PAO UK charity website.

You may also like:

Tessa Spring