Effects of Selected Yogasana Practices on Quality of Life among Elderly Subjects

Background: Aging is accompanied by declining physical function, multimorbidity, and social isolation, all of which influence perceived quality of life. Yoga is a low-cost, low-impact alternative to conventional exercise, but domain-wise evidence in healthy community-dwelling older adults remains limited. Methods: Eighty older adults aged 60 to 75 years were recruited from senior citizen communities and wellness centers and were randomly assigned to either a yogasana group (40) or a control group (40). The experimental group completed a structured 60-minute yogasana program five days a week for one month, while the control group continued its usual daily routine. Quality of life was assessed before and after the intervention using the WHOQOL-BREF. Results: The experimental group improved significantly in the physical (58.95 ± 7.99 to 63.52 ± 7.00), psychological (59.05 ± 6.25 to 63.65 ± 5.47), social (61.88 ± 6.60 to 64.15 ± 6.06) and environmental (60.27 ± 5.99 to 63.12 ± 5.51) domains, with p < .001 for all four. Change-score improvements exceeded those of the control group in every domain, although the control group also improved significantly in the physical, psychological, and environmental domains. Conclusion: A one-month structured yogasana program was associated with improved quality of life across all four WHOQOL-BREF domains in older adults. Given the unblinded self-report, concurrent control-group changes and absence of follow-up, these findings require confirmation in adequately powered trials.