60 and over yoga in Varkala
Gentle, wise practice for later life.
Classes for 60 and over adapt yoga to bodies with a few decades of living behind them. Expect chair yoga, gentle Hatha and plenty of balance work, at a pace that leaves time to feel what you are doing. Nothing is asked of you that you cannot do on the day.
No classes scheduled in the next two weeks.
What 60 and over does for you
You move every joint gently and get to know your balance again, with a chair or wall always within reach. The pace leaves space to notice how you stand, walk and breathe, and many people say they leave feeling looser and steadier on their feet. Getting down to the floor, or choosing not to, is your call. And there is a social side: the same faces each week and a chat before class.
It suits you if
- you are new to yoga and starting later in life
- you want to work on balance and mobility in a calm setting
- getting down to the floor is not easy right now
- you prefer a group of people at a similar stage of life
Read the full guide to 60 and overWhat a class is like, your first time, history and the words you will hear
What a class is like
Classes usually run 60 to 75 minutes at a slow, even pace in a warm but not heated studio. Many use chairs: you might do the whole class seated, or stand behind the chair and hold it for balance poses. Gentle Hatha versions add some floor work with blankets, blocks and bolsters, plus simple breath practice and a guided rest. The facilitator gives clear spoken cues, shows options for each pose and checks in with people individually. You sweat little, talk a bit and often laugh more than expected.
Your first time
- Wear comfortable layers and bring socks with grip, or plan to go barefoot.
- Arrive ten minutes early to tell the facilitator about any joints, operations or medication that affect your balance.
- Ask for a chair or a spot by the wall if you want extra support; plenty of people do.
Good to know
- If you have osteoporosis, a joint replacement, heart or blood pressure issues or recent surgery, check with your doctor or physiotherapist before you start and tell the facilitator.
- Classes may be labeled Seniorenyoga, Stuhlyoga (chair yoga) or simply gentle; the content is often similar, so read the description.
Where it comes from
Practice into old age has been part of modern yoga's image for a century. T. Krishnamacharya lived to 100, B.K.S. Iyengar practiced and taught into his nineties, and Indra Devi, who brought yoga to Hollywood from the late 1940s, sold it in her 1953 book as a way to stay young.
Adapting yoga for people who cannot easily use the floor came next. In 1979, Alice Christensen of the American Yoga Association published Easy Does It Yoga for older people, using chairs and beds as props, and in 1982 Lakshmi Voelker developed chair yoga after a student in her thirties with arthritis could no longer do floor poses. Iyengar's systematic use of props, including chairs, belts and blocks, also opened poses to stiffer and older bodies.
Since the 2000s, the accessible yoga movement has pushed studios to adapt classes for every age and ability, and chair yoga has spread into community centers, care homes and senior clubs.
In Germany, Seniorenyoga and Stuhlyoga run in studios, Volkshochschulen and neighborhood centers. In Berlin, daytime classes for people over 60 are common, and some are certified prevention courses that Krankenkassen partly reimburse.
Words you will hear
- Stuhlyoga
- German for chair yoga: poses done seated or with a chair for support.
- Tadasana
- Mountain pose: standing tall and balanced, the base of many standing poses.
- Vrksasana
- Tree pose: balancing on one leg, often with a hand on the wall or chair.
- Pranayama
- Breath practice; prana means breath or life energy, and ayama means extending it.
- Block
- A foam or cork brick that brings the floor closer to you.