Practical guides to adapting yoga for different health conditions
Being diagnosed with a health condition doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to stop practising yoga. But it may mean that your practice needs to change. Certain movements may need to be adapted, some postures may no longer be appropriate for you, and there may be other aspects of yoga that become particularly useful. I created this collection of Yoga & Your Diagnosis guides to help you understand some of those considerations. Whether you already practise yoga, are thinking about starting, or have recently received a diagnosis and are wondering what it means for your exercise, these guides are designed to help you make informed choices about your practice.
Yoga doesn’t have to look the same for everybody
One of the things I particularly value about yoga is its ability to be adapted. There isn’t one version of a yoga pose that everybody has to achieve. Depending on your body, health, experience and how you are feeling that day, you might:
- Use a chair or wall for support
- Use blocks, bolsters, straps or blankets
- Reduce the range of a movement
- Work on strength rather than flexibility
- Change the position of a particular pose
- Stay in a posture for less time
- Leave a posture out altogether
- Choose a completely different movement
- Spend more time working with breathing or relaxation
These aren’t lesser versions of yoga. They are simply different ways of practising. For someone with osteoporosis, for example, the priority may be avoiding certain types of spinal movement while continuing to develop strength and balance. Someone with glaucoma may need to think carefully about inversions and prolonged head-down positions. For someone who is hypermobile, the focus may shift away from achieving greater flexibility and towards strength, stability and control. And someone experiencing back pain may need to temporarily change their range of movement while gradually rebuilding strength and confidence. The practice should work for the person, rather than expecting the person to fit the practice.
Why your diagnosis matters
A yoga teacher doesn’t need to know every detail of your medical history. But there are some health conditions that can affect which movements or positions are appropriate. Sometimes the reason isn’t obvious. A pose that looks gentle, for example, may still place a particular joint at its end range, increase pressure within the eye or put the spine into a position that isn’t recommended for someone at increased risk of vertebral fracture. This is why it is important to tell your yoga teacher about relevant medical conditions. It gives us an opportunity to think about how a posture can be adapted before you get into it.
Yoga can be about what you CAN do
When people receive a diagnosis, exercise advice can sometimes feel like a growing list of things they shouldn’t do.
- Don’t bend.
- Don’t twist.
- Don’t balance.
- Don’t put your head down.
- Don’t stretch.
- Don’t lift.
Understandably, this can leave people frightened to move at all. That isn’t the intention of these guides.nThere are certainly situations where particular movements need to be avoided or adapted, and those recommendations are important. But I also want to look at the other side of the question:
What can you still do?
And:
How might yoga support you?
Depending on the condition and the individual, yoga may provide opportunities to work on:
- Strength
- Balance
- Mobility
- Stability
- Coordination
- Proprioception and body awareness
- Breathing
- Relaxation
- Confidence in movement
- Maintaining physical activity
Not every benefit applies to every condition, and yoga isn’t a treatment for the medical conditions discussed in these guides. But a diagnosis doesn’t necessarily remove all the benefits that movement and yoga can offer. Often, it simply means finding a more appropriate way to access them.
Yoga & Osteoporosis: What You Need to Know
Can you practise yoga if you have osteoporosis? For many people, the answer is yes, but certain movements need more consideration. The guide looks at how yoga may support strength, balance, posture and confidence in movement while explaining why deep spinal flexion, forceful twisting and some other movements may need to be modified. It also covers osteopenia, vertebral fracture risk, choosing suitable poses and practical ways of adapting your yoga practice.
Read: Yoga & Osteoporosis – What You Need to Know →
Yoga & Glaucoma: What You Need to Know
A diagnosis of glaucoma doesn’t necessarily mean giving up yoga, but the position of your head becomes an important consideration. Research has found that head-down and inverted yoga positions can temporarily increase pressure inside the eye. This guide explains what that means in practice, including considerations around Downward Dog, forward folds and inversions, as well as looking at suitable alternatives, balance, breathing, relaxation and practising yoga if glaucoma has affected your vision.
Read: Yoga & Glaucoma – What You Need to Know →
Yoga & Hypermobility: What You Need to Know
If you’re naturally very flexible, you may not need yoga to help you become even more flexible. For people with symptomatic hypermobility, Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder or hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, the focus of a yoga practice may be better placed on strength, stability, proprioception and movement control. This guide looks at stretching, joint hyperextension, working at your end range, muscle tightness, strength, balance and why the deepest version of a yoga posture isn’t necessarily the most beneficial.
Read: Yoga & Hypermobility – What You Need to Know →
Yoga & Back Pain: What You Need to Know
Back pain is a symptom rather than one single diagnosis, which means there isn’t one yoga practice that will be appropriate for everybody experiencing it. For many types of non-specific back pain, remaining active can be an important part of recovery. This guide explores gentle movement, strength, mobility, stretching, forward folds, backbends, twists and restorative yoga. It also explains when back pain needs further medical assessment and the symptoms that shouldn’t simply be managed by adapting a yoga class.
Read: Yoga & Back Pain – What You Need to Know →
Yoga & Medication: What You Need to Know
Taking medication doesn’t usually mean you can’t practise yoga, but some medicines can affect how your body responds to exercise and may mean that parts of your practice need adapting. This guide looks at how medications may affect blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose, balance, alertness, hydration, bleeding risk, pain perception and bone health. It covers considerations for blood pressure and heart medication, anticoagulants, diabetes medication and insulin, painkillers, sedating medicines, corticosteroids and diuretics. It also explains what may be useful to tell your yoga teacher, when to speak to your pharmacist or healthcare professional, and why prescribed medication should never be changed simply to accommodate a yoga practice.
Read: Yoga & Medication – What You Need to Know →
Pregnancy & Yoga: What You Need to Know
Pregnancy doesn’t necessarily mean giving up yoga, but your practice will need to adapt as your body changes. There are also important differences between continuing an established yoga practice and starting yoga for the first time during pregnancy. This guide looks at the benefits of yoga during pregnancy alongside the precautions and contraindications to consider. It covers pregnancy hormones and relaxin, increased joint mobility, overstretching, balance, pelvic floor awareness and modifications for twists, backbends, inversions, abdominal work and relaxation. It also explains why a dedicated pregnancy yoga class can be particularly helpful for beginners and when medical or pregnancy complications mean individual advice should be sought.
Read: Pregnancy & Yoga – What You Need to Know
Returning to Yoga After a Broken Bone: What You Need to Know
Breaking a bone doesn’t necessarily mean the end of your yoga practice, but returning safely involves more than simply waiting until the pain has gone.
This guide looks at bone healing, weight-bearing restrictions, rebuilding strength and mobility after immobilisation, balance and gradually returning to yoga. It also covers wrist, arm, ankle, leg and spinal fractures, and explains why a fracture following relatively minor trauma may be a reason to investigate your wider bone health.
Read: Returning to Yoga After a Broken Bone – What You Need to Know →
Returning to Yoga After a Sprain or Strain: What You Need to Know
When an injured area feels tight, the natural response in yoga can be to stretch it — but stretching isn’t always what a healing muscle, tendon or ligament needs. This guide explains the difference between sprains and strains, the stages of recovery and why progressive movement, strength and loading can be just as important as flexibility. It also looks at ankle, knee and wrist sprains, muscle strains, joint stability, balance and how to gradually return to your usual yoga practice.
Read: Returning to Yoga After a Sprain or Strain – What You Need to Know →
Returning to Yoga After Surgery: What You Need to Know
Returning to yoga after an operation isn’t simply about how many weeks have passed. The type of surgery, the tissues involved, your recovery and the restrictions you’ve been given all matter.
This guide looks at gradually returning to movement after surgery, including wound healing, fatigue, strength, weight-bearing and getting safely onto and off the floor. It also explores considerations following abdominal, heart, joint, spinal, eye and pelvic surgery, and why even gentle or restorative yoga may need adapting while your body heals.
Read: Returning to Yoga After Surgery – What You Need to Know →
Yoga & Blood Pressure: What You Need to Know
Having high or low blood pressure doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to stop practising yoga, but the considerations for each can be quite different.
This guide looks at yoga with both hypertension and low blood pressure, including exercise intensity, breath-holding, inversions, dizziness, postural hypotension, hydration and moving safely between lying, sitting and standing. It also explores how movement, breathing and relaxation may form part of a wider approach to supporting cardiovascular health.
Read: Yoga & Blood Pressure – What You Need to Know →
Yoga & Heart Conditions: What You Need to Know
A heart condition doesn’t automatically mean that you need to stop exercising, but the type of heart condition, how stable it is and the advice you’ve been given all matter.
This guide looks at yoga alongside coronary heart disease and angina, heart failure, arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy, pacemakers and ICDs, as well as returning to yoga after a heart attack or heart surgery. It covers exercise intensity, breathing, inversions, cardiac rehabilitation and the symptoms that mean you should stop exercising and seek advice.
Read: Yoga & Heart Conditions – What You Need to Know →
Yoga & Joint Replacements: What You Need to Know
Having a hip, knee or shoulder replacement doesn’t necessarily mean giving up yoga, but your practice may need to change as you recover and adapt to your new joint.
This guide looks at returning to yoga after joint replacement surgery, including hip precautions, kneeling and deep flexion after knee replacement, and weight-bearing following shoulder replacement. It also explores rehabilitation, strength, balance, using props and why your surgical team’s individual advice should always take priority over achieving a particular yoga pose.
Read: Yoga & Joint Replacements – What You Need to Know →
Yoga & Diabetes: What You Need to Know
Having type 1 or type 2 diabetes doesn’t usually mean that you need to stop practising yoga, and regular physical activity is an important part of diabetes management.
This guide looks at how yoga and exercise can affect blood glucose, including hypoglycaemia, insulin and diabetes medication. It also explores the adaptations that may be needed if diabetes has affected your feet, nerves, balance, eyes, blood pressure or cardiovascular health, as well as practical ways to prepare for and practise yoga safely.
Read: Yoga & Diabetes – What You Need to Know →
More guides coming soon
I will continue adding to this collection, looking at yoga alongside different health conditions and stages of life. As the collection grows, you will be able to return to this page and find all the guides in one place.
A diagnosis doesn’t define your yoga practice
Two people with the same diagnosis can have very different experiences.
One person with arthritis may have significant restrictions in a particular joint while another doesn’t.
One person with hypermobility may experience frequent instability while another is naturally very flexible but has few symptoms.
Back pain can behave completely differently from one person to another.
Even conditions such as osteoporosis or glaucoma can vary in severity, treatment and individual risk.
This is why these guides are starting points rather than prescriptions.
Your medical diagnosis, symptoms, previous injuries, medication, treatment, fitness, experience and individual circumstances all matter.
Working with your yoga teacher
If you have a medical condition, injury or recent diagnosis, please tell your yoga teacher. You don’t need to feel that you are making a fuss. Knowing about a condition allows your teacher to:
- Offer an alternative posture
- Suggest appropriate props
- Reduce a range of movement
- Give you additional support
- Help you avoid a particular position
- Allow extra time for transitions
- Suggest when individual tuition may be more appropriate
Most importantly, it means that you and your teacher can work together rather than waiting until a pose causes a problem.
When a group yoga class might not be the best starting point
Sometimes you may need more individual support than is possible within a group class. This might be the case if:
- You have recently received a diagnosis and are unsure what you can do
- You have been given specific movement restrictions
- You are recovering from surgery or injury
- You have significant mobility limitations
- You are worried about returning to exercise
- You need multiple adaptations
- You want to learn how to modify poses before joining a class
- Your symptoms vary considerably
- You would simply feel more comfortable exploring yoga privately first
A 1-to-1 yoga session allows us to look at your individual circumstances and explore ways of adapting yoga for you.
We can look at different postures, use props and alternatives, and help you become more confident about which options may work best for your body.
Yoga in Exeter, Exminster and Topsham
I teach small yoga classes in Exminster and Topsham, with an emphasis on making yoga accessible to the people who are actually in the room. You can also find me at Exeter Golf and Country Club.
My classes are Hatha-based and include a combination of movement, strength, mobility, balance, breathing and relaxation. I encourage the use of props and variations because bodies are different and our bodies can also change from one week to the next.
I also offer 1-to-1 yoga sessions, which can be particularly useful if you have a health condition, are returning to yoga after a break or would like some individual guidance before attending a group class.
Find out more about my classes and how to book here
Before you practise
The information within this collection is designed to help you understand some of the considerations around yoga and different health conditions. It isn’t intended to diagnose a condition or replace advice from your GP, consultant, physiotherapist or other healthcare professional. If you have recently received a diagnosis, undergone surgery, experienced a significant change in symptoms or have been given specific exercise restrictions, check with the healthcare professional managing your condition before making significant changes to your activity. And when you come to yoga, please tell me about anything that may affect your practice. Yoga doesn’t have to be about achieving the perfect pose. Sometimes the most valuable part of the practice is learning how to move in a way that works for the body you have today.
Explore Yoga & Your Diagnosis
Currently available:
- Yoga & Osteoporosis: What You Need to Know
- Yoga & Glaucoma: What You Need to Know
- Yoga & Hypermobility: What You Need to Know
- Yoga & Back Pain: What You Need to Know
- Yoga & Medication: What You Need to Know
- Pregnancy &Yoga: What you need to Know
- Yoga & Sprains: What You Need to Know
- Yoga & Broken Bones: What You Need to Know
- Returning to yoga after surgery: What you need to Know
- Yoga & Blood Pressure: What You Need to Know
- Yoga & Diabetes: What You Need Know
More guides will be added regularly, so you can return to this page whenever you need information about adapting yoga around your health.
Please note: The information on this page and within the linked articles is for general educational purposes. It is not intended to diagnose or treat medical conditions or replace individual medical advice. If you have a medical condition or are unsure whether yoga or a particular form of exercise is appropriate for you, speak to an appropriate healthcare professional.
Yoga classes in Exeter, book here
My yoga classes run in themes for five weeks. This allows for people to put in place adaptions to suit their body and learn the different options of each yoga flow that are right for them. After the five weeks you will find each yoga flow published on my blog, with a free interactive copy. You will find the yoga class for this theme below.
Want to try one of my yoga classes?
I run yoga classes in Exeter- Exminster & Topsham, Devon
My Exeter based yoga classes are suitable for most levels of yogis. There are flowing sequences, often using sun salutations and vinyasa to warm the body and move through the yoga postures.
The yoga classes include an element of all styles of yoga, to bring a fresh angle to yoga and will encourage the use of yoga props in a fun and informal environment to help you explore your practice. My styles include Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Flow Yoga, Yin Yoga & Restorative Yoga.
Variations to yoga postures will be given throughout the class allowing each person to adapt the class to their personal level of yoga practice. All equipment is provided.
Classes are available at Kiva & Zen Studios in Topsham, Exeter, Victory Hall in Exminster, Exeter.
Book a yoga class today and immerse yourself in the tranquil atmosphere of my Exeter yoga venues, while rejuvenating your mind and body through the practice of yoga.
Each session is designed to help you connect with your inner self, cultivate mindfulness, and improve flexibility, strength, and balance. Whether you're a beginner to yoga or an experienced practitioner, there's a class for you in my Exeter venues.
As a Yoga Teacher, I underwent my initial yoga training in India and am both qualified and registered with the Yoga Alliance. Since completing my initial yoga qualification, I have undertaken further yoga studies both here in Exeter and in locations around Europe.
