The practice of yoga increases the focus of the mind and expands the range of motion for the joints, as well as prevents osteoporosis.

If you are a yoga lover, you will appreciate this beneficial and gentle physical activity. It calms your mind and helps regulate your body, such as heart rate and blood pressure.

Researcher and rehabilitation doctor, Dr. Loren Fishman has also been a practitioner of yoga for 50 years and is the creator of ‘the Fishman method’ of yoga for osteoporosis. In a conversation with Reader’s Digest, Dr. Fishman points out that for all its advantages, yoga can also provide a powerful boost to your long-term bone density. In particular, Dr. Fishman published yoga poses in Orthopedic Nursing that are particularly great for strengthening your bones.

These poses work by applying pressure to the bones with sufficient intensity and duration. This stimulates osteoblasts to create more bone, by placing them with maximum torque and pressure on certain parts of the body.

A good yoga session is enough for a week.

“With all poses, remember not to rotate the spine as you get in and out of the poses, and into the poses themselves,” advises Dr. Fishman.

Tree pose (Vriksasana)

Tree pose has a special way of calling you to stillness. It also adds compression that can strengthen the thigh bone and hip. He adds that a study at the University of Southern California (USC) showed a 60 percent increase in pressure, even with the foot placed three-quarters below the calf.

Dr. Fishman says the tree position is “also valuable for improving balance and avoiding falls”.

The raised foot should always be above or below the knee, not directly on the knee joint.

Triangle pose (Trikonasana)

The triangle pose puts torque on the lumbar spine, the neck of the femur, the hips, and the ribs and helps improve balance.

Reverse Triangle Pose (Parivrtta Trikonasan)

This position directs significant pressure into the proximal femur (closer to the hip joint), the hip joint, and the lower back. The inverse triangle puts beneficial pressure on the ribs and wrists.

Warrior 2 (Virabhadrasana II)

Straight leg rotation is associated with femur rotation and hip flexion, which helps strengthen the upper leg and hip. This position helps with balance.

Side angle pose (Parsvakonasana)

Another benefit for balance, Dr. Fishman says side angle pose torques the lower back and the top of the femur – which are all good things – and stimulates the osteoblasts (bone-forming )cells of the hip, too.

Locust pose (Salabhasana)

Locust pose “raises pressures, which stimulate osteoblast (bone-forming) in the posterior elements of the spine,” Dr. Fishman says, while it also helps balance some of the forward focus on the ribs of the earlier poses. Locust pose also strengthens the extensor muscles of the back to improve posture and reverse curvature of the spine in the upper back, which can lead to fractures.

Bridge pose (Setu Bandhasana)

The bridge position helps strengthen the ribs and lower areas of the lumbar spine.

Reclining hand to the big toe (Supta Padangusthasana I)

The tendons behind the knee are well stretched, and this position passes intense pressure to the relevant parts of the femur, hip, pelvis, and spine.

It is very important to keep the spine straight.

Supine hand to big toe 2 (Supta Padangusthasana II)

In the lateral extension of this position, extreme pressure is brought to bear on the upper femur, hip, pubis, ribs, and spine.