Yoga for healthy ageing: global practice and clinical evidence

Yoga began in India, more than two millennia ago, as a meditative discipline rooted in the Sanskrit yuj, to unite. Today hundreds of millions of people worldwide practice yoga as a united mind-body practice for better physical and mental health at every age.

Evolving scientific evidence

In recent years yoga has attracted serious medical and scientific study. A growing body of scientific evidence has uncovered a range of positive and measurable impacts of practising yoga. Can it reduce stress and anxiety?^{1, 2} Improve strength and flexibility? Yes.^{3, 4}

Researchers are also beginning to uncover less obvious potential benefits of yoga. For example, there is mounting evidence that yoga can support brain health, whether by improving memory or slowing cognitive decline.⁵ A large randomized trial presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2026 meeting found that a structured, gentle yoga programme over a month can improve mood, reduce anxiety and lower fatigue in cancer survivors when combined with standard survivorship care.⁶ Other research has hypothesized that yoga may simultaneously improve diverse comorbidities such as anxiety, depression and chronic pain by stimulating the vagus nerve and affecting the nervous system.⁷

International Day of Yoga

The World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted these and other findings in the context of the 12th International Day of Yoga on 21 June 2026. This year, the United Nations Day explored the theme of 'yoga for healthy ageing', recognizing the potential benefits of practising yoga as we grow older.

By combining gentle movement, breathing and mindfulness, yoga supports balance, flexibility, strength and mobility: abilities that are essential for staying active and independent as we age. Yoga also promotes mental well-being, helping to reduce stress and improve overall quality of life. These benefits are set to become ever more important as people around the world live longer than ever before.

WHO's consideration of the scientific evidence on yoga reflects growing interest in the benefits of traditional medicine by the medical and scientific communities. Last year saw the adoption of the Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025-2034, as well as the second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine and the resulting Delhi Declaration, which commits to strengthening the evidence base and regulation for traditional medicine, among other goals.

This shift is an acknowledgement that the growing use of traditional medicine must be matched by stronger evidence, standards and regulation to ensure it is safe, effective, equitable and sustainable. WHO calls for the integration of evidence-informed traditional medicine into health systems, as well as inclusive cross-sector partnerships to support universal health coverage, resilient health-care systems, and the health and well-being of people and planet.

Adaptable and accessible at all ages

Yoga is often associated with ancient wisdom and timeless tradition. But it is the practice's flexibility and adaptability that has allowed it to become a poular practice around the world. What unites an increasingly diverse group of yoga practitioners is a desire to improve their mental and physical health.

This is surely one of yoga's great strengths. Its adaptability means people of all ages and abilities can benefit from it, making it an accessible pathway to better health everywhere. Strength- and mobility-adapted yoga ensures that even those with mobility limitations can experience yoga's benefits safely. In a randomized trial in a low-income, diverse population with chronic low back pain, a 12-week yoga programme proved as effective as physical therapy, with benefits sustained at one year, making it a credible, lower-barrier alternative for people who struggle to access or sustain conventional care.⁸

Yoga's adaptability and accessibility is especially important when it comes to mental health. As a low-cost, approachable and scalable practice, yoga can help reduce the global mental health treatment gap where access to specialist services is limited.

Self-care for all ages

While the United Nations is linking this year's International Day of Yoga with its Decade of Healthy Ageing - which calls for older generations to be able to live with dignity, independence and well-being - it is encouraging people of all ages to roll out a mat and give yoga a try. This can be seen most clearly in its annual mass yoga event, which saw hundreds gather in Geneva and New York on 21 June for yoga practice at the United Nations.

Such events, and others like it, aim to inspire people to adopt yoga as a free, accessible and adaptable way to keep active, improve mental health, and support a healthy lifestyle.

References

¹ de Orleans Casagrande, P., Coimbra, D. R., deSouza, L. C. and Andrade, A. (2023). Effects of yoga on depressive symptoms, anxiety, sleep quality, and mood in patients with rheumatic diseases: Systematic review and meta-analysis. PM&R 15(7): 899-915. doi:10.1002/pmrj.12867

² Moosburner, A., Cramer, H., Bilc, M., Triana, J. and Anheyer, D. (2024). Yoga for Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Depression and anxiety, 2024(1): 6071055.

3 Gothe, N. P. and McAuley, E. (2016). Yoga Is as Good as Stretching-Strengthening Exercises in Improving Functional Fitness Outcomes: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A 71(3): 406-411. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glv127

4 Donahoe-Fillmore, B. and Grant, E. (2019). The effects of yoga practice on balance, strength, coordination and flexibility in healthy children aged 10-12 years. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 23(4): 708-712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2019.02.007

5 American Heart Association (2025). Yoga isn't just for flexibility. It may also protect brain health. American Heart Association (online): https://www.heart.org/en/news/2025/09/09/yoga-isnt-just-for-flexibility-it-may-also-protect-brain-health (accessed 05/06/26).

6 Choi, Y. et al. (2026). YOCAS yoga, mood disturbance, and insomnia: A URCC NCORP RB nationwide, phase III, randomized, controlled trial with cancer survivors. J Clin Oncol 44, 2026 (suppl 16; abstr 12004; https://www.asco.org/abstracts-presentations/258197

⁷ Streeter, C. C., Gerbarg, P. L., Saper, R. B., Ciraulo, D. A. and Brown, R. P. (2012). Effects of yoga on the autonomic nervous system, gamma-aminobutyric-acid, and allostasis in epilepsy, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Medical hypotheses, 78(5), 571-579.

⁸ Saper RB, Lemaster C, Delitto A, Sherman KJ, Herman PM, Sadikova E, Stevans J, Keosaian JE, Cerrada CJ, Femia AL, Roseen EJ, Gardiner P, Gergen Barnett K, Faulkner C, Weinberg J. "Yoga, Physical Therapy, or Education for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Noninferiority Trial." Ann Intern Med. 2017;167(2):85-94. doi:10.7326/M16-2579. PMID 28631003