Can medication affect your yoga practice?
If you take regular medication, you may have wondered whether it changes what you should or shouldn’t do during yoga.
For most people, taking medication isn’t in itself a reason to avoid yoga.
In fact, yoga and other forms of physical activity may still provide many of the usual benefits, including maintaining:
- Strength
- Mobility
- Balance
- Cardiovascular health
- Coordination
- Body awareness
- Relaxation
- General physical activity
However, some medicines can affect the way your body responds to exercise.
Depending on the medication, this might include changes in:
- Blood pressure
- Heart rate
- Blood glucose
- Balance
- Alertness
- Coordination
- Hydration
- Bleeding and bruising
- Pain perception
- Bone health
That doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t practise yoga.
It may simply mean that your practice needs to take the effects of your medication into account.
Medication isn’t a diagnosis
One of the difficulties with talking about yoga and medication is that two people taking medication may have completely different considerations.
Someone taking medication for high blood pressure has different needs from someone using insulin.
And even two people taking medication for the same condition may be taking different drugs, at different doses, with different side effects.
So rather than asking:
“Can I do yoga while taking medication?”
it can be more useful to ask:
“Does my medication, or the condition I take it for, affect anything that matters during exercise?”
You need to consider both.
Don’t stop medication because you practise yoga
This is perhaps the most important point in this article.
Yoga is not a replacement for prescribed medication.
And a yoga teacher should not advise you to stop, reduce or change prescribed medication.
Even if yoga improves symptoms such as stress, pain or blood pressure, this doesn’t mean medication should automatically be reduced.
If your health changes significantly, your doctor or prescribing healthcare professional can decide whether your medication needs reviewing.
Some medicines can also cause significant problems if they are suddenly stopped.
For example, the NHS specifically warns against suddenly stopping longer-term or high-dose steroid medication without medical guidance.
So:
don’t alter medication to fit your yoga practice.
Adapt your yoga practice to your current health and medication and discuss medication changes with the appropriate healthcare professional.
Blood pressure medication
Medication used to lower blood pressure can sometimes contribute to dizziness or light-headedness, particularly when changing position.
This becomes relevant in yoga because a class can involve repeated transitions such as:
lying → sitting → kneeling → standing → forward folding → standing again.
If your blood pressure drops when you stand, moving quickly through these transitions may make you feel:
- Dizzy
- Light-headed
- Unsteady
- Weak
- Faint
This is sometimes referred to as postural or orthostatic hypotension.
What can help?
- Change position gradually
- Pause before standing
- Use a wall or chair if necessary
- Avoid immediately moving from the floor into a demanding standing balance
- Sit or lie down if you feel faint
- Stay appropriately hydrated unless you have been medically advised to restrict fluids
If dizziness is new, frequent or significant, discuss it with your GP, pharmacist or prescribing clinician rather than simply accepting it as part of yoga.
You may also find my separate guide helpful: Yoga & Blood Pressure: What You Need to Know
Beta-blockers and heart medication
Beta-blockers are used for a number of conditions, including some heart conditions and high blood pressure.
One consideration with beta-blockers is that they can slow your heart rate.
This means heart-rate-based exercise targets may not always reflect exertion in the same way they would for someone not taking the medication.
During yoga and other exercise, it can therefore be useful to pay attention to:
- How hard the activity feels
- Your breathing
- Whether you can comfortably speak
- Dizziness
- Unusual breathlessness
- Chest symptoms
- How you recover
This doesn’t mean beta-blockers prevent exercise.
It means that your expected exercise response may be different.
People with heart conditions should also take into account the condition for which the medication was prescribed.
See: Yoga & Heart Conditions: What You Need to Know for more information.
Medication and low blood pressure
Some medicines prescribed for conditions other than high blood pressure can also lower blood pressure as a side effect.
If you already naturally have lower blood pressure, the combination may make postural symptoms more noticeable.
This can be particularly relevant during:
- Rapid Sun Salutations
- Standing forward folds
- Moving quickly from lying to standing
- Hot environments
- Long periods of standing
- Strong practices where dehydration may occur
Slow the transition and give your cardiovascular system time to adjust.
Anticoagulants and blood-thinning medication
Anticoagulants reduce the blood’s ability to clot.
They are prescribed for conditions where there is an increased risk of harmful blood clots.
The NHS identifies excessive bleeding as the main side effect of anticoagulants.
This doesn’t mean that someone taking anticoagulants can’t practise yoga.
But it does mean that the consequences of:
- Falling
- Knocking yourself
- Strong physical adjustments
- Bruising
- Hitting your head
may be more significant.
Think particularly about fall risk
Be cautious with:
- Advanced balances
- Unsupported balance challenges
- Inversions with a risk of falling
- Fast transitions
- Crowded practice spaces
Using a wall or chair for balance can be sensible.
You are still training balance.
You are simply reducing the consequences of losing it.
Diabetes medication and insulin
Exercise can affect blood glucose.
This is particularly important for people using insulin or other glucose-lowering medications that can cause hypoglycaemia.
Diabetes UK explains that physical activity can help the body use insulin more effectively and that people using insulin or other blood-glucose-lowering medication may need to monitor glucose around exercise. (Diabetes UK)
Yoga may look gentle, but it is still physical activity.
Depending on:
- The style of yoga
- Intensity
- Duration
- When you last ate
- When medication was taken
- Your individual response
your blood glucose may change during or following a class.
Hypoglycaemia during yoga
A hypo is generally defined as blood glucose below 4 mmol/L.
Symptoms can include:
- Shaking
- Sweating
- Hunger
- Dizziness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Palpitations
- Blurred vision
- Headache
- Confusion
Diabetes UK advises stopping activity and treating a hypo promptly with fast-acting carbohydrate. (Diabetes UK)
If you are at risk of hypoglycaemia:
- Know how exercise affects you
- Monitor glucose as advised
- Keep your usual hypo treatment nearby
- Don’t leave it in a distant changing room
- Tell your teacher what you need them to do if you become unwell, if appropriate
You don’t necessarily need to announce your diabetes to the entire class.
But having what you need accessible is important.
You may also find: Diabetes & Yoga: What You Need to Know helpful.
Painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication
Pain is unpleasant, but it also provides information.
If medication significantly reduces pain, you may be able to move further or load an injured area more comfortably than you could without it.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the underlying tissue has recovered.
For example, if you take pain relief for:
- A back injury
- Knee pain
- A sprained ankle
- A shoulder problem
- Postoperative pain
and then practise yoga, be careful not to interpret:
“That doesn’t hurt anymore”
as:
“This tissue can safely tolerate anything I ask of it.”
This becomes particularly important when returning after injury or surgery.
Follow your rehabilitation guidance rather than using pain alone to determine how far you should progress.
Sedating medication and drowsiness
A wide range of medicines can cause drowsiness or reduced alertness in some people.
Depending on the particular medicine, this can include some:
- Pain medicines
- Antihistamines
- Sleep medicines
- Anxiety medicines
- Antidepressants
- Other medicines affecting the nervous system
Not everyone experiences these effects.
But if your medication makes you sleepy, dizzy or slower to react, consider how that affects your yoga practice.
Be particularly careful with:
- Standing balances
- Inversions
- Rapid transitions
- Getting on and off the floor
- Hot yoga
- Complex sequences
A slower, supported practice may be more appropriate on days when you feel particularly drowsy.
Antidepressants and other medicines affecting the nervous system
There are many different medications used for depression, anxiety and other neurological or psychiatric conditions.
They don’t all have the same effects, so it isn’t helpful to make one rule about yoga and antidepressants.
Depending on the particular medication and individual response, possible side effects may include things such as:
- Dizziness
- Drowsiness
- Changes in blood pressure
- Sweating
- Changes in alertness
For many people, none of these will significantly affect yoga.
The important thing is to understand how your particular medication affects you.
If you have recently started a medication or changed the dose, it may be sensible to be more cautious until you know how you respond.
Steroid medication and bone health
Corticosteroid medication deserves particular mention.
Short courses and long-term treatment don’t carry the same considerations.
However, the NHS notes that taking higher-dose or longer-term corticosteroids can increase the risk of weakened bones and osteoporosis. (nhs.uk)
This becomes relevant to yoga because someone taking long-term systemic steroids may also need to consider their bone health and fracture risk.
If osteoporosis has developed, certain yoga movements may require modification.
You may find my separate guide: Osteoporosis & Yoga: What You Need to Know particularly useful.
Long-term corticosteroid use can also affect blood glucose, blood pressure and eye health in some people, which reinforces why we need to look at the whole person rather than simply the name of a medication. (nhs.uk)
Diuretics, hydration and yoga
Diuretics increase urine production and are used for a number of cardiovascular and other medical conditions.
Depending on the particular medication and individual circumstances, hydration, blood pressure and electrolyte balance may be relevant considerations.
This becomes particularly important with:
- Hot yoga
- Very warm weather
- Long classes
- Strong physical practices
- Significant sweating
However, don’t simply increase your fluid intake without considering your medical advice.
Some people taking diuretics may also have been given specific guidance about fluid intake because of the condition being treated.
Follow the advice you’ve been given by your healthcare team.
Medication that affects balance or coordination
Some medications can make people feel:
- Dizzy
- Unsteady
- Drowsy
- Slower to react
These effects may be particularly noticeable when a medicine is first introduced or its dose changes.
If your balance is affected, consider modifying:
- Tree Pose
- Half Moon
- Warrior III
- Standing Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose
- Advanced balances
- Inversions
Use:
- A wall
- A chair
- A wider stance
- A toe on the floor
- A smaller range
There is no prize for refusing support.
Using support allows you to practise balance while managing your fall risk.
Medication and heat
Heat can change how demanding exercise feels and may interact with issues such as:
- Blood pressure
- Hydration
- Dizziness
- Sweating
- Cardiovascular conditions
This doesn’t mean every person taking medication must avoid warm environments.
But if your medication affects blood pressure, hydration or temperature regulation, hot yoga deserves particular consideration.
Speak to your pharmacist or healthcare professional if you aren’t sure whether heat is appropriate with your medication or medical condition.
Starting a new medication or changing your dose
This is something I think is particularly important.
You may have taken the same medication for years without it affecting your yoga practice at all.
But when you:
- Start a new medication
- Increase a dose
- Reduce a dose
- Change medication
- Add another medication
you may not yet know exactly how it affects you.
For a short period, pay extra attention to:
- Dizziness
- Balance
- Fatigue
- Drowsiness
- Heart rate
- Blood pressure symptoms
- Blood glucose where relevant
- Coordination
- Exercise tolerance
You don’t necessarily need to stop yoga.
You may simply choose a gentler practice until you know how your body responds.
If side effects are significant or persistent, speak to your pharmacist, GP or prescribing healthcare professional.
Taking several medications
Some people take multiple medicines.
This is sometimes called polypharmacy.
This doesn’t automatically create a problem with yoga.
But the combined effects of several medications can sometimes matter more than one medicine considered in isolation.
For example, someone may be taking different medicines that each contribute to:
- Lower blood pressure
- Dizziness
- Drowsiness
- Balance problems
The overall effect may therefore be more noticeable.
This can be particularly relevant for older adults, where reducing fall risk becomes especially important.
A pharmacist can be an excellent person to speak to if you’re unsure how your medicines may affect exercise.
Do I need to tell my yoga teacher what medication I take?
Not necessarily.
Your yoga teacher doesn’t usually need a complete list of every medication you take.
What they do need to know is information that may affect your safety in class.
For example:
“My blood pressure medication can make me dizzy when I stand quickly.”
“I’m taking anticoagulants, so I need to be careful about falls.”
“I have diabetes and need to keep my glucose monitor and hypo treatment beside me.”
“I’ve recently changed medication and it’s making me a little drowsy.”
This gives your teacher information they can actually use.
You may also need to tell them about the medical condition itself, particularly if it changes which poses or practices are appropriate.
Ask your pharmacist
People sometimes assume they need a GP appointment whenever they have a medication question.
But pharmacists are medication specialists.
If you’re wondering:
“Could this medicine make me dizzy?”
“Does this medication affect blood pressure?”
“Is exercise likely to affect this medicine?”
“Does this medication increase my risk of bleeding?”
“Could this medicine make me drowsy?”
a pharmacist can often be an excellent source of advice.
You can also check the patient information leaflet supplied with your medication.
Medication and yoga contraindications
There are relatively few situations where the simple fact that you take medication automatically makes yoga contraindicated.
More often, the question is whether the effects of the medicine or the underlying condition create a reason to modify the practice.
For example:
Dizziness or postural hypotension - Modify rapid transitions and standing balances.
Increased bleeding risk - Reduce fall risk and avoid unnecessarily forceful physical adjustments.
Hypoglycaemia risk - Plan for exercise, monitor as appropriate and keep hypo treatment accessible.
Significant drowsiness - Avoid complex balances, inversions and rapid sequences.
Reduced pain perception - Don’t use the absence of pain as your only measure of whether an injured area is ready for greater load.
Osteoporosis related to long-term medication - Follow osteoporosis-specific movement guidance.
Significant changes in heart rate or exercise tolerance - Follow the advice provided for the underlying cardiovascular condition.
The medication itself isn’t necessarily the contraindication.
The physiological effect is what matters.
When should you stop practising?
Stop your yoga practice if you experience symptoms such as:
- Feeling faint
- Significant dizziness
- Chest pain
- Unusual or severe shortness of breath
- Sudden confusion
- Significant weakness
- Loss of coordination
- Symptoms of hypoglycaemia
- Significant bleeding
- A significant fall or head injury while taking anticoagulants
- Any severe or rapidly developing symptom
Seek appropriate medical assistance depending on the nature and severity of the symptoms.
Don’t try to breathe or stretch your way through something that requires medical assessment.
Practical tips for practising yoga while taking medication
1. Know why you take your medication.
2. Read the medication information leaflet and understand common side effects.
3. Pay particular attention to dizziness, drowsiness and balance.
4. Change position slowly if your medication affects blood pressure.
5. Use support for balance if necessary.
6. If you take anticoagulants, think carefully about fall risk.
7. If you’re at risk of hypoglycaemia, have your usual treatment accessible during class.
8. Don’t assume pain relief means an injury has healed.
9. Consider bone health if you take long-term systemic corticosteroids.
10. Be particularly aware of side effects when starting or changing medication.
11. Don’t change medication because of something a yoga teacher tells you.
12. Tell your teacher about effects that could influence your safety.
13. Ask your pharmacist if you’re unsure how your medication affects exercise.
14. Follow condition-specific exercise guidance as well as medication considerations.
15. Stop and seek appropriate help if you develop concerning symptoms.
Summery
Taking medication doesn’t usually mean you can’t practise yoga.
For many people, medication and yoga will happily coexist for years without any particular problem.
But some medications change things that matter during physical activity.
They may affect:
blood pressure + heart rate + blood glucose + alertness + balance + bleeding risk + pain + hydration + bone health.
Understanding those effects allows you to adapt your practice appropriately.
Sometimes that adaptation may be as simple as:
- Standing up more slowly
- Using a wall for Tree Pose
- Keeping your hypo treatment beside your mat
- Avoiding a high-risk inversion
- Choosing a cooler class
- Taking more time when transitioning from the floor
- Not pushing an injury simply because pain medication makes it feel better
It is also important to consider why you’re taking the medication.
Someone taking antihypertensive medication still needs to consider their blood pressure.
Someone taking insulin still needs to consider their diabetes.
Someone taking medication following heart disease still needs to consider their cardiovascular condition.
And someone taking long-term corticosteroids may need to consider their bone health.
This is why my Yoga & Your Health articles look at individual conditions as well as general yoga safety.
Most importantly:
don’t stop or change prescribed medication in order to practise yoga.
If medication is causing symptoms that interfere with your practice, speak to your pharmacist, GP or prescribing healthcare professional.
Your yoga practice can then be adapted around your health rather than asking your health to adapt around your yoga.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I practise yoga while taking medication?
Usually, yes. The important considerations are the condition being treated and whether your medication causes effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, low blood pressure, changes in blood glucose or increased bleeding risk.
Do I need to tell my yoga teacher what medication I take?
Not necessarily. However, tell them about effects that could influence your safety, such as dizziness, balance problems, hypoglycaemia risk or increased consequences from falling.
Can blood pressure medication make yoga difficult?
Some people experience dizziness or postural hypotension. Slowing transitions and pausing before standing may help. Persistent or significant symptoms should be discussed with your healthcare professional.
Can I practise yoga while taking blood thinners?
Anticoagulants don’t automatically prevent yoga, but they increase the consequences of bleeding and some injuries. It is sensible to reduce fall risk and seek medical advice following a significant head injury.
Can I practise yoga if I use insulin?
Yes, but physical activity can affect blood glucose. If you’re at risk of hypoglycaemia, follow your individual diabetes exercise plan, monitor glucose as advised and keep your usual hypo treatment accessible. Diabetes UK notes that activity such as yoga can lower glucose for some people and recommends planning exercise carefully when using insulin or other glucose-lowering medication. (Diabetes UK)
Can painkillers make me overstretch?
Potentially. If medication reduces pain from an injury, don’t assume that the underlying tissues have completely recovered. Follow your rehabilitation guidance rather than using pain alone as your measure.
Can I do yoga while taking antidepressants?
For many people, yes. There are many different antidepressants, however, and side effects vary. If your particular medication causes dizziness, drowsiness or other symptoms that affect exercise, adapt your practice and discuss persistent side effects with your healthcare professional.
Do steroids affect yoga?
Short-term and long-term steroid treatment have different considerations. Longer-term systemic corticosteroid use can increase the risk of osteoporosis, as well as affecting blood glucose and blood pressure in some people. (nhs.uk) If your bone density is reduced, osteoporosis-specific yoga precautions may be appropriate.
I’ve just started a new medication. Should I skip yoga?
Not necessarily. But until you know how the medication affects you, consider a gentler practice and pay particular attention to dizziness, drowsiness, balance and exercise tolerance.
Who should I ask about medication and exercise?
Your pharmacist is often an excellent first point of contact for questions about medication side effects and interactions. Your GP, specialist or prescribing clinician can advise where the underlying condition or treatment requires more individual guidance.
Please note: This article provides general educational information and isn’t intended to replace advice from your GP, pharmacist, specialist or prescribing healthcare professional. Medicines within the same broad category can have different effects, and individual responses vary. Never stop, reduce or alter prescribed medication because of advice given in a yoga class. If you’re unsure whether your medication or medical condition affects your ability to exercise, ask an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
References
- NHS – Anticoagulant medicines: side effects. Information on bleeding risk, dizziness and when to seek medical attention while taking anticoagulants. (nhs.uk)
- Diabetes UK – Exercise and diabetes. Guidance on physical activity, insulin sensitivity and exercising when taking insulin or other glucose-lowering medicines. (Diabetes UK)
- Diabetes UK – Does exercise lower blood sugar levels? Guidance on the effects of different types of physical activity on blood glucose and managing exercise when using insulin or other glucose-lowering medication. (Diabetes UK)
- Diabetes UK – Hypoglycaemia. Guidance on recognising, preventing and treating low blood glucose. (Diabetes UK)
- NHS – Steroids. Information on corticosteroid side effects, including osteoporosis, high blood glucose, high blood pressure and eye problems, and the importance of not abruptly stopping some steroid treatments. (nhs.uk)
- NHS – Prednisolone: side effects. Information on longer-term effects including osteoporosis, diabetes control and high blood pressure. (nhs.uk)
Topics Covered in This Article
- Yoga and medication
- Medication and exercise
- Blood pressure medication
- Postural hypotension
- Beta-blockers
- Heart medication
- Anticoagulants and blood thinners
- Fall and bleeding risk
- Diabetes medication
- Insulin
- Hypoglycaemia and yoga
- Painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication
- Pain masking
- Sedating medicines
- Antidepressants
- Drowsiness and balance
- Corticosteroids
- Steroids and osteoporosis
- Diuretics
- Hydration
- Medication and hot yoga
- Starting a new medication
- Medication dose changes
- Taking multiple medications
- Polypharmacy
- Talking to your yoga teacher
- The role of your pharmacist
- Medication-related yoga precautions
- When to stop exercising
- When to seek medical advice
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