How do they look and feel young? Yoga is the answer for 2 women teachers aged over 60

At 73 years old, Pushpa Thakurdas Vatvani has the fitness and energy levels of somebody half her age. The resident of Jakarta, Indonesia, is free of the health issues that affect many people as they get older – no stiff joints, osteoporosis, heart problems, poor balance, anxiety or memory loss. She believes that she has yoga to thank for that. “People have told me that I move like someone in their 40s or 50s, and I still feel as strong and vibrant as I did when I was younger,” says Vatvani, who started studying “ancient” or “sacred” yoga under Indian yoga gurus in her mid-teens. A guru appointed Vatvani to start teaching yoga in the 1970s. Since then, she has instructed people from all walks of life. “Doing yoga regularly for nearly six decades has kept my heart and lungs healthy, my muscles, bones and joints strong, and my mind relaxed. It probably helps that I’ve been a vegetarian for many decades, too,” she adds. “Yoga breathing, or pranayama, is … an excellent natural way to stay healthy as you age, because it strengthens the respiratory and circulatory systems, improves blood flow to the brain, encourages the removal of toxins from the body and calms the nervous system.” Susan Sims, 63, has also experienced the health benefits of yoga as she has got older. The mum of four began practising yoga 18 years ago as a way to keep fit and feel emotionally “grounded”. “At the time, I thought it was cool to be able to do various yoga poses, or asanas, but over the years I’ve noticed I’ve become stronger,” says Sims, who lives in Hong Kong and began teaching yoga in 2018. “Yoga has also improved my posture and boosted my stamina. I can do inversions and get into challenging poses without feeling any discomfort or pain, and I’m definitely more agile.” Yoga is proven to have a host of physical and mental health benefits. New research also supports Vatvani’s and Sims’ claims regarding the positive impact of this weight-bearing activity on ageing. One study review, published in October 2024 in the journal Experimental Gerontology, found that certain yoga poses, like the Boat Pose – a seated posture that involves balancing on your bottom as you raise your legs straight up and reach your arms forward – may help with maintaining and promoting muscle growth. Yoga also enhances flexibility by elongating muscles and improving joint mobility, helping with movement and relieving the stiffness associated with ageing. It may even reduce the risk of osteoarthritis, which causes joints to become painful and stiff. It also improves balance and coordination, lowering the risk of falls and related injuries, which are common in old age. The same review revealed that because yoga is a mind-body practice that combines breathing exercises and meditation, people who practise it regularly enjoy lower stress levels. Chronic stress is said to contribute to bone loss, so yoga may help maintain bone density, which in turn reduces the risk of osteoporosis – a bone disease – and fractures. Stronger muscles, bones and joints can help us live more independently, have a better quality of life, and be more physically active as we age. Yoga also safeguards cardiovascular health, as the review discovered. The integration of physical postures, breathing exercises and meditation, and specifically poses like backbends and inversions, enhances blood circulation to all parts of the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients to tissues. This also helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure. And, according to the review, yoga may even combat depression and anxiety, since regular practice is known to elevate the production of mood-boosting hormones like serotonin and endorphins. Yoga is also good for the brain. As we age, we may experience memory issues and a decrease in other cognitive functions. A study, published in February 2024 in The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, found that yoga may improve brain health, with practitioners enjoying greater attention, faster processing speeds, and better executive function and memory. Lung elasticity decreases as we age, affecting our breathing efficiency. The same study revealed that the breathing techniques typically performed while practising yoga poses may strengthen respiratory muscles, helping us breathe better and more efficiently. Yoga is an important component of “biohacker” Bryan Johnson’s exercise schedule. The American entrepreneur became known for his efforts to reverse the ageing process and was featured in the Netflix documentary, Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever. According to his Exercise and Fitness Protocol for Longevity, Johnson dedicates 20 to 30 minutes a week to gentle yoga and stretching, including mobility work, as part of his active recovery routine. Johnson believes that managing stress is crucial to living longer. Yoga, along with meditation and other mindfulness techniques, enables him to practise mindfulness and lower stress. “Our physical health is closely linked to our mental well-being, and when our mental state is poor, our body is affected,” says Sims, who trained in the school of Iyengar Yoga and teaches Hatha yoga with a focus on alignment. “When you do yoga, you have to quieten your mind. This has a positive effect on the nervous system, and when we’re calmer we tend to feel it in our body – we breathe better, sleep better, feel less tension in our muscles, slow our heart rate and minimise inflammation. “These benefits become more important as we age.” Vatvani, who does about 20 minutes of meditation, breathing exercises and asanas every day, says that she cannot imagine a life without yoga. “As a child, I read that yoga can transform you. At the time, I didn’t know what that meant, but now I get it. Yoga has helped me find peace within, and with that, an ability to accept and embrace the highs and lows of life, including getting older.” Like what you read? Follow SCMP Lifestyle on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also sign up for our eNewsletter here.

How do they look and feel young? Yoga is the answer for 2 women teachers aged over 60

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}On International Day of Yoga, two instructors aged 63 and 73 describe how the practice protects them against typical ageing issues

On International Day of Yoga, two instructors aged 63 and 73 describe how the practice protects them against typical ageing issues