Flexibility is an integral part of aging gracefully and maintaining a healthy body in the later years of life. Sometimes flexibility is left behind in the longevity conversation, however it has been proven to be equally as important as other fitness markers that determine the overall healthspan of an individual. New research demonstrates that individuals living in assisted care facilities who combined yogic stretching in their sauna demonstrated clinically significant improvements over their counterparts who did not stretch in a heated environment.
Flexibility is important for many reasons, but it is often overlooked as a means to maintaining high cognitive function. So, even if you are not in your golden years yet, it will benefit you in the long term to include some yogic stretching while in your sauna.
This article will examine why flexibility is so meaningful for longevity of mind and body, why combining heat with stretching enhances longterm results, and furthermore the details of a study performed on an elderly demographic in Germany who combined yoga with their sauna sessions. Finally, find out how you can begin your in sauna yoga protocol safely from home.
Why Does Flexibility Matters In Both Young and Older Demographics?
- Optimize Cognitive Function
- Improve your performance in physical activities
- Decrease your risk of injuries
- Help your joints move through their full range of motion
- Increase muscle blood flow
- Enable your muscles to work most effectively
- Improve your ability to do daily activities (1)
Coupled with grip strength, flexibility may be the most important skill you carry into your senior years. Flexibility can prevent horrific and sometimes deadly falls. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), “Falls are the leading cause of injury for adults ages 65 years and older.” (2) This highlights the importance and necessity for preparing the body and mind to prevent falls. Grip strength is extremely important when it comes to preventing falls and as it turns out, flexibility is also critical.
Improving flexibility can save the life of someone living between the ages of 65 and 80, but it can also improve cognition for anyone at any age. The importance of stretching is not only limited to the body, but also expands to the mind.
Between the ages of 20 and 49 flexibility will decrease by ~ 10% each decade according to neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman of Stanford University School of Medicine. It may come as a surprise but stretching actually lights up certain parts of the brain to help keep our cognition ‘sharp’ in the later years of life. Dr. Huberman writes the following about brain biology and stretching.
“…biology of flexibility, including the specific neural mechanisms that sense stretch and load (i.e., tension) on the muscles and limbs, as well as how specific brain regions like the insula combine those signals to ultimately control limb range of movement.” (3)
Dr. Huberman goes on to write the following as an overview for how important stretching is for individuals of all ages.
“Flexibility is crucial for physical movements and can help prevent injuries, decrease inflammation, modulate physical and mental pain, impact exercise recovery speed and even potentially slow the progression of certain diseases.” (3)
According to the peer reviewed publication entitled: ‘Effects of Acute Stretching on Cognitive Function and Mood States of Physically Inactive Young Adults’ stretching may improve both mood and cognitive states in physically inactive individuals. This article concludes with the following remarks in regards to mood, cognition, and stretching.
“Thus, acute stretching improved mood states and cognitive performance in physically inactive people. We suggest that the improved cognitive performance may be, at least partly, associated with the improved mood states.” (4)
Whether you have been neglecting stretching for decades, or perhaps just a few weeks, it is important for all humans to spend time stretching. As you will soon learn, for those living in their golden years stretching will improve flexibility at a faster rate when done in a heated environment versus in an ambient temperature room.
The Details of the Study: Sauna Yoga Superiorly Improves Flexibility, Strength, and Balance
- Posterior Muscle Chain Flexibility (Sit and Reach)
- Shoulder Flexibility
- Lateral Flexibility of the Spine
- Strength in Lower Extremities
- Static Balance
- Quality of Life
As we age it is not enough to be kept alive for a longer period of time, but rather to improve the quality of life. This means living in a mobile body that can react to changes in terrain, easily grip a handle as you walk down the stairs, as well as the ability to remain cognitively ‘sharp’. Science has not left seniors behind in the conversation about sauna use and longevity.
A recent study entitled: “Sauna Yoga Superiorly Improves Flexibility, Strength, and Balance: A Two-Armed Randomized Controlled Trial in Healthy Older Adults” conducted by the Institute of Sport and Movement Gerontology, German Sport University Cologne, examines exactly how important combining yoga with your sauna time. (5)
Both the benefits of yoga and sauna are well researched and documented, but what happens when you combine the two?
*** It should be noted that this study refers to the broad band term of ‘yoga’ to mean simply stretching in synchronicity with breath, and is not referring to the many different forms of yoga emerging from the subcontinent of India. Where yoga is written here it is simply referring to the westernized exercise practice of using certain stretches that stem from the deep and historic traditions of Yoga.***
This German study focused on individuals in a living assisted environment. The participants were all willing to engage in the study. Of those participants half of them were chosen to practice yoga in a sauna set to 122 degrees fahrenheit, while the other half practised the same stretches in a non-heated environment. (5)
The participants were all between the ages of 69-80 with relatively similar initial fitness test results. (5)
In this study each sauna session and yoga session lasted for 30 minutes, and was conducted once a week. (5) The study concluded that:
“Large and statistically significant improvement in favor of the sauna group (INT) was observed for the chair sit-and-reach test” (5)
The study goes on to describe how both shoulder and spinal flexibility were also improved, and to the researchers surprise balance, as well as strength improved more in the sauna bathing group than it did for the participants who practised yoga in a room temperature space. (5)
The study writes the following on the preliminary findings:
“Based on the findings of our study, performing yoga poses in a seated position in a warm environment can superiorly improve flexibility in healthy community-dwelling older adults.” (5)
The most surprising aspect of this study was the questionnaire of the individuals who participated in Sauna Yoga. All reported a remarkable improvement in their overall quality of life.
The final remarks from the study are below:
“During the intervention, none of the participants complained about inconvenience or negative effects regarding sauna yoga. On the contrary, only positive feedback was given, and participants enjoyed and looked for further sessions. Therefore, it is recommended that sauna yoga under supervision is a suitable activity for healthy older adults and can be incorporated into an activity program in spas, fitness centers, and senior activity centers. Additionally, the results of this research may lead to a new perspective on thermal therapy as treatment for diseases that decrease ROM (e.g., arthrosis and rheumatism).” (5)
These results are very promising for anyone looking to improve the overall quality of life during the golden years, and furthermore to extend the importance of strength, flexibility, and balance and therefore live a safer existence.
Take a look at the chart below to see the data from the study.
Data for pre- and post-testing for the sauna yoga group (INT) and the control group (CON). The rANOVA interaction effects were calculated with baseline values included as covariates, and effect sizes are given as partial eta squared (ηp2).
| INT | CON | GROUP × TIME Interaction | ||||
| Test | Pre | Post | Pre | Post | p | ηp2 |
| CSR | 7.86 ± 7.86 | 16.70 ± 9.08 ** | 3.65 ± 15.30 | 7.80 ± 13.60 | 0.028 * | 0.241 |
| BS | −5.34 ± 10.70 | −2.05 ± 5.72 | −4.15 ± 5.69 | −2.90 ± 13.10 | 0.129 | 0.130 |
| LF_R | 44.90 ± 4.54 | 44.60 ± 4.92 | 46.50 ± 6.53 | 45.0 ± 6.46 | 0.379 | 0.043 |
| FL_L | 46.50 ± 4.49 | 44.90 ± 4.57 | 46.10 ± 5.20 | 45.0 ± 4.62 | 0.713 | 0.008 |
| 5STS | 7.26 ± 1.80 | 5.90 ± 1.20 ** | 6.73 ± 1.93 | 6.73 ± 1.93 | 0.061 | 0.181 |
| SR_EC | 14.60 ± 12.40 | 22.0 ± 11.0 * | 5.54 ± 12.40 | 7.80 ± 6.54 | 0.056 | 0.189 |
Chair sit and reach (CSR); back scratch (BS); lateral flexion right/left (LF_R/LF_L); 5 times sit-to-stand (5STS); Sharpened Romberg eyes open/eyes closed (SR_EO/SR_EC); significance level was set at p < 0.05 *, p < 0.01 **. (5)
Find out how you can begin practicing yoga in your sauna at home.
How You Can Practice Yoga Safely Inside Your Sauna
If you choose to stretch in your sauna at home then you must be extremely careful as the floor can become slippery with perspiration. You will want to be well prepared with plenty of towels to dry your body as well as surfaces of the sauna off.
Sauna Yoga is different from heated yoga in that it is done in a warmer environment by at least 10 degrees Celsius. (5) You will want to prepare yourself for a ‘chair yoga’ session. This will allow you to focus on stretching both the upper and lower body from the safety of a seated position.
You could look at a chair yoga class on Youtube, or participate in one at your local yoga studio. It is important that as you stretch in your sauna that you breathe with the movements. Your exhales should be a little longer than your inhales. A good rule of thumb to follow is that if you are moving into a stretch you should do so on an inhale, and release on an exhale.
You will then (after practicing the poses outside of the sauna), start with just 4 postures that you plan to use in your sauna. Keep it simple and safe, especially in the beginning. You may want to follow along by listening to a chair yoga class on your sauna speakers. Be gentle with yourself and remember to breathe deeply and slowly. If you feel dizzy, or uncomfortable in any way then stop the stretching and remove yourself safely from the sauna.
Be sure to maintain excellent hydration, and if you are unsure if Sauna Yoga is for you then please consult with a medical practitioner. Also, consider having a family member, or a friend close by in case you need help at any time during your Sauna Yoga session.
Sources Cited:
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/stretching/art-20047931
- https://www.cdc.gov/falls/data-research/index.html
- https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/improve-flexibility-with-research-supported-stretching-protocols
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0031512519888304
- https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/19/3721