A pilot randomized trial by Joseph S Goveas and team from Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Yoga Center, and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine explored whether Iyengar yoga is safe, practical, and acceptable for adults experiencing prolonged grief later in life. Both yoga and health education participants improved, although larger studies are needed to determine yoga’s specific clinical benefits.
Grief is a natural response to loss, but for some people, intense longing, loneliness, avoidance, and emotional pain continue long enough to interfere with daily life. This condition is known as prolonged grief disorder, or PGD. A pilot randomized controlled trial investigated whether Iyengar yoga could be a practical supportive intervention for PGD in later life. Thirty-nine bereaved adults, with a median age of 62, were assigned to either Iyengar yoga or health education. Both groups attended one 60-minute session each week for 10 weeks.
The yoga sessions combined approximately 40 minutes of gentle, prop-supported postures with breathing exercises, mindfulness meditation, and centering. The approach was designed to accommodate differences in strength, mobility, flexibility, and medical needs. Participation was encouraging. Approximately 85% completed the trial, and more than 90% of completers attended at least eight sessions. Most yoga participants also practiced at home, and no serious adverse events occurred. Yoga participants reported greater perceived benefits and were more likely to say they had increased their exercise habits. Grief, depression, yearning, avoidance, intrusive thoughts, and loneliness improved in both groups. However, there was no significant difference between yoga and health education, and the small pilot study was not designed to prove clinical effectiveness.
The findings suggest that Iyengar yoga is feasible, acceptable, and generally safe when taught by qualified instructors. It may eventually become a useful complement to grief treatment, but it should not yet be considered a replacement for evidence-based grief-focused psychotherapy.
