Objective: Aging is marked by a progressive decline in physiological capacity, which challenges the preservation of health and independence in older adults. This study aimed to investigate the effects of yoga practice on respiratory parameters, functional exercise capacity, dynamic balance, and health-related quality of life in older adults. Material and Methods: This single-group investigating the effects of yoga study included 20 medically stable volunteers aged 65 years and older. Respiratory muscle strength was assessed with a mouth pressure device, respiratory parameters with spirometry, fall risk with the Timed Up and Go test, balance with the Dynamic Gait Index, hand grip and quadriceps muscle strength with a dynamometer, and health-related quality of life with the Short Form-12 Questionnaire. The yoga program, consisting of active movements, various postures (asanas), and controlled breathing techniques (pranayama), was performed under the supervision of a physiotherapist twice a week for 6 weeks. Data normality was assessed using skewness and kurtosis values. Since the within-group variables were normally distributed, paired samples t-test was used for comparisons, and p<0.05 was considered significant. Results: At the end of the intervention, statistically significant improvements were observed in respiratory muscle strength, respiratory function, quadriceps and handgrip strength, dynamic balance, and quality of life (p<0.05). Conclusion: These findings suggest that yoga, as a safe, enjoyable, and lowcost practice, can be readily adopted by older adults to improve functional capacity, reduce fall risk, and slow age-related decline.
YURDAKUL et al. (2026) studied this question.