Yoga for Parkinson’s disease: movement and mood in later life

Less anxiety is a meaningful everyday outcome

Ban and colleagues’ pooled analysis found a standardized mean difference of −0.72 for anxiety, with a 95% confidence interval of −1.01 to −0.43. For depressive symptoms, the standardized mean difference was −0.92, with a 95% confidence interval of −1.22 to −0.62. Quality of life also favored yoga. These psychological outcomes were part of what the analysis evaluated, alongside movement and balance. Treating mood as a side issue would miss an important part of the evidence. [1]

The distance you walked is not the only achievement of the day.

An exercise goal can be about spending less time caught up in anxiety as well as moving more. A family conversation can ask how practice felt, alongside asking how the body moved. Those questions offer a way to hear the person describe a result that matters to them. They are a way into the psychological outcomes identified by the research, while clinical assessment remains the place for evaluating symptoms and care. [1][10]

A further report by Kwok and colleagues involved 138 people assigned to yoga, with 71 participants, or stretching, with 67. Participants attended 8 weekly sessions. Symptom experiences, anxiety, depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life were assessed before the intervention, immediately afterward and 3 months after it ended. Here the researchers were interested in the experience of symptoms as part of daily living, as well as in whether that experience changed compared with stretching. [18]

For nonmotor symptom experiences, meaning symptoms beyond movement, the time-by-group interaction coefficients favoring yoga were −1.99 immediately after the intervention and −2.86 at follow-up. For motor symptom experiences, the corresponding coefficient was −1.77 immediately afterward. These are findings about symptom experience in the comparison between programs. They add another perspective to the earlier trial’s examination of movement function and psychological distress. [18]

The report also examined how changes in mood related to quality of life. Changes in anxiety and depressive symptoms were identified as mediators in the association between nonmotor symptom experience and health-related quality of life. For the relationship between motor symptom experience and quality of life, changes in depressive symptoms were the mediator. A mediator is a factor examined as part of the connection between outcomes. The authors’ conclusion emphasized psychological care alongside medication and physical relief of Parkinson’s symptoms. [18]

This makes the idea of quality of life more concrete. The Thunga trial asked about emotional well-being and stigma, while the Kwok work examined anxiety, psychological distress and symptom experiences. These assessments capture different parts of living with the disease. When explaining a concern, separating movement, mood and the burden of being in public can help make the desired change clearer. An exercise program may be chosen with more than one of those aims in mind. [5][10][18]

Mixed results help you choose realistic goals

A 2025 trial by Kwok and colleagues randomized 159 people to meditation, with 53 participants, yoga, with 52, or usual care, with 54. Participants had Hoehn and Yahr stages 1–3. The meditation and yoga interventions used 90-minute group programs over 8 weeks. Assessments took place before the programs and at two and 6 months. This study provides another direct comparison with usual care while also allowing the results of yoga and meditation to be examined separately. [12]

At 2 months, yoga improved anxiety, motor symptoms and health-related quality of life compared with usual care. The mean difference for anxiety was −1.61, with a 95% confidence interval of −2.70 to −0.52. For motor symptoms, it was −6.59, with a 95% confidence interval of −9.82 to −3.36. The study therefore found a physical benefit and an anxiety benefit together, over the period assessed at that point. [12]

Only the meditation group significantly reduced depressive symptoms at 2 months and sustained the motor and quality-of-life improvements at 6 months. The earlier yoga trial reported benefits for depressive symptoms, with different programs, durations and comparisons. [10] [10][12]

Blood measurements added another layer. At 6 months, both yoga and meditation groups had significant reductions in interleukin-6, a substance involved in inflammation. This was a measure of change within the body. For a person choosing an activity, however, the movement and anxiety outcomes remain central to the practical question of what the program might offer. The blood result sits alongside those outcomes; it does not stand in for an improvement in everyday movement. [12]

Cheung and colleagues’ pilot randomized trial presents a particularly useful mixture of findings. It included 20 people with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease, with a mean age of 63 and an age range of 49–75. Participants attended 60-minute group yoga classes twice a week for 12 weeks. At 12 weeks, motor function was better in the yoga group than in the control group. Yet sleep and outlook scores on a quality-of-life questionnaire and physical activity levels on a separate questionnaire were worse than in the control group. [20]

Comparisons with the yoga group’s own starting point also showed both favorable and unfavorable changes. Motor function, cognitive function and some blood measures improved, while social and role function, sleep, outlook and physical activity worsened. At 12 weeks, there were no major differences between groups in blood markers of oxidative stress. The authors considered yoga feasible and acceptable as a complementary approach, while calling for larger studies to assess oxidative stress and nonmotor symptoms. [20]

Participation was another part of that pilot study. 17 participants, or 85%, attended at least 75% of classes. 4, or 20%, attended every class. 17 said they definitely enjoyed the program. These observations give substance to the description of yoga as acceptable and feasible: the researchers recorded attendance and participants’ views, rather than judging the program only through symptom scores. Enjoyment and attendance can sit alongside mixed health outcomes in the same trial. [20]

At the 6-month post-intervention follow-up, 14 people answered the survey, a response rate of 74%. Among respondents, 6, or 43%, had signed up for a yoga class and 4, or 29%, practiced independently. Health problems were the main reported barrier to continuing. Some participants found a way to keep practicing after the program, while health remained a condition affecting that habit. For a family arranging a weekly schedule, this gives a practical reason to consider current health as well as available time. [20]

These results encourage a broader review of how a program is going. A better movement score can be welcomed while sleep, mood and the rest of daily life are considered separately. If a burden grows in one area, that belongs in the conversation with a healthcare professional too. The pilot’s mixed findings and the standing-versus-walking results both show why specific outcomes are more useful than a single label of success. [9][20]

Most of the research discussed here concerns mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease, and the studies include adults younger than the senior readership. Applying their findings to severe symptoms or difficulty standing independently requires individual judgment. Short-term symptom improvement also does not establish that yoga stops disease progression. The benefits supported here concern movement, balance and mood in the people and periods actually evaluated. [3][10][12]

Common misconceptions

“Yoga improves walking and balance together” overlooks the different assessments. In one trial, standing sway and motor symptom scores improved, while the walking measurements showed no significant improvement. In another small trial, functional gait and freezing of gait improved. Instead of using balance as a catchall term, describe the movement that causes difficulty: standing, walking or changing direction. That gives a discussion with a clinician a clearer starting point and reflects what the research actually measured. [8][9]

“Yoga is better than ordinary exercise for everything” also goes beyond the comparisons. In the stretching and resistance training trial, improvements in motor dysfunction and mobility were similar between programs; yoga’s additional benefits included anxiety and depressive symptoms. In the physiotherapy trial, some quality-of-life outcomes favored yoga between groups, while movement and balance improved within both groups. These findings allow yoga to have a particular value without dismissing the contribution of other exercise or treatment. [5][10]

“If I improve, I can reduce medication or appointments” is not a conclusion supported by these trials. In Cheung and colleagues’ study, 90% of participants used dopaminergic medication, meaning medication acting on the dopamine-related system. Yoga was studied as an addition to life with ongoing treatment. Changes to medication and treatment belong in discussion with the treating doctor, separately from a person’s own assessment of how exercise has gone. [20]

Safety findings are encouraging within the conditions studied. Cheung and colleagues reported no adverse events, and the systematic review described yoga as safe and well accepted in mild to moderate disease. Those reports came from programs with particular participants and practice conditions. Check whether the setting and participation requirements fit your symptoms. Stop if practice causes pain; when unsteadiness or freezing makes a movement difficult, avoid attempting it alone and seek advice. [3][20]

What you can do today

• If you have Parkinson’s disease or another chronic condition, or take medication, speak with your treating doctor before starting. Describe the movements causing difficulty and the proposed class conditions, and agree on a suitable practice duration and frequency.
• After your doctor’s clearance, consider a Hatha yoga group program of 60 minutes twice a week for 12 weeks, including standing postures within the session. Stay within reach of a wall or stable chair. If you are unsteady or experience freezing, avoid attempting difficult movements alone. Take breaks according to how you feel, and stop if pain or illness develops. [9][20]
• To include breathing and meditation, practice with an instructor using the combination studied in 60-minute sessions twice a week for 12 weeks: postures, breathing and meditation. The 60 minutes describes the whole program, not 60 minutes devoted solely to breathing or meditation. [5]
• Review movement, sleep and mood before and after a period of practice, with family involvement if helpful. Tell a healthcare professional both what improved and what became more burdensome. Even in a 12-week trial, movement and sleep findings differed. [20]

Fit practice around Parkinson’s care at On the Shore Tachikawa

When fitting yoga around Parkinson’s care appointments and prescribed medication timing, consider a fixed weekly time to keep moving at On the Shore Tachikawa.

The studio is a 1-minute walk from JR Tachikawa Station’s North Exit, at 3F Etoile Bldg, 2-14-10 Akebonocho, Tachikawa, Tokyo. It opens every day from 8:00 to 23:30. Compare the lesson schedule with your medical appointments when choosing a regular time.

Older guests should begin with room-temperature yoga, and anyone sensitive to heat or with a chronic condition should consult their doctor first. Guests told by a doctor not to exercise cannot join. Pregnant guests cannot join lava-stone hot yoga.

On the Shore Tachikawa is a lava-stone hot yoga studio with more than 25 kinds of yoga lessons, including room-temperature yoga. Other activities include Pilates, women-only kickboxercise, boxercise, HIIT and personal training. Many of our yoga instructors speak English, and the studio’s owner often helps guests from the US bases in English herself.

A 60-minute trial yoga lesson costs ¥1,980 including tax and includes 2 bath towels, 1 face towel and mat rental. Read the studio information and prices before choosing a time for a trial booking.

References

1. The Effects of Yoga on Patients with Parkinson’s Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials — Mengke Ban et al., 2021, Behavioural Neurology. DOI: 10.1155/2021/5582488
2. Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials on the effects of yoga in people with Parkinson’s disease — D. Suárez-Iglesias et al., 2021, Disability and Rehabilitation. DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2021.1966522
3. Comparison of yoga and physiotherapy on motor neuropsychiatric symptoms and quality of life in Parkinson’s disease — Akash Thunga et al., 2022, Annals of Movement Disorders. DOI: 10.4103/aomd.aomd_49_21
4. Functional Improvements in Parkinson’s Disease Following a Randomized Trial of Yoga — M. Van Puymbroeck et al., 2018, Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : eCAM. DOI: 10.1155/2018/8516351
5. Hatha yoga training improves standing balance but not gait in Parkinson’s disease — Naveen Elangovan et al., 2020, Sports Medicine and Health Science. DOI: 10.1016/j.smhs.2020.05.005
6. Effects of Mindfulness Yoga vs Stretching and Resistance Training Exercises on Anxiety and Depression for People With Parkinson Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial. — J. Kwok et al., 2019, JAMA neurology. DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.0534
7. Effects of Meditation and Yoga on Anxiety, Depression and Chronic Inflammation in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial — J. Kwok et al., 2025, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. DOI: 10.1159/000543457
8. Effects of Mindfulness Yoga Versus Conventional Physical Exercises on Symptom Experiences and Health-related Quality of Life in People with Parkinson’s Disease: The Potential Mediating Roles of Anxiety and Depression. — J. Kwok et al., 2022, Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. DOI: 10.1093/abm/kaac005
9. Effects of yoga on oxidative stress, motor function, and non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease: a pilot randomized controlled trial — Corjena Cheung et al., 2018, Pilot and Feasibility Studies. DOI: 10.1186/s40814-018-0355-8

Cover photo: A person bends forward, reaching both hands toward the feet in a stretch. (Photo: Kpa1563 / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons)

Information as of October 2026. For your own health, consult a doctor.

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