The 5 Yoga Poses Every Older Woman Should Do

After more than three decades of teaching yoga, I know that women as we age carry a lot of baggage in our hearts, minds and, of course, on our bodies.

We lift children and then grandchildren, care for a spouse or aging parents and juggle professional responsibilities. More often, though, it's invisible. We carry worry, family schedules, emotions and expectations. We carry grief, guilt, resentment and the peculiar belief that we should be able to handle it all without help.

Eventually, someone says the words I hear so often.

"Julie… my tank is empty."

Not because she's weak or doing anything wrong. She's simply been carrying too much for too long.

I don't hear a lack of motivation. I hear depletion — the kind that comes from giving your energy away in a hundred small ways, day after day, year after year. We tend to think of energy as something we get from a good night's sleep or another cup of coffee. But energy is also something we protect. And if we're constantly pouring into everyone else without refilling ourselves, eventually there's not much left to give.

If you're nodding your head right now, you're in good company. And you're not imagining it. If it feels like women are carrying more than ever, the numbers suggest that you're right. According to the 2025 Caregiving in the U.S. report from AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving, nearly one in four American adults is a family caregiver, and three in five family caregivers are women. No wonder so many of us eventually say, "My tank is empty."

The body is always communicating. The question is whether we're listening.

Your jaw feels tight. Your shoulders seem permanently attached to your ears. Your breathing stays shallow and your hips feel stiff. Maybe your pelvic floor has started waving a little white flag, too.

It's easy to chalk all of that up to getting older — and yes, our bodies do change with age. But as a teacher, I've learned that many women aren't just feeling the effects of aging.

They're feeling the effects of carrying too much.

The good news? Your nervous system doesn't need an entire day off to start feeling better. It responds to small moments of safety. A deep breath, a gentle stretch or a few quiet minutes where no one needs anything from you.

That's one of the reasons I love yoga. Not because it helps us twist into pretzel shapes, but because it reminds us how to come home to ourselves, de-stress and get fuel in that tank through simple poses like these:

Start with the one your body seems to be asking for and notice what happens when you give yourself permission to pause. Soon you will be doing all five regularly!

1. Release your jaw.

This is the simplest practice on the list, but don't underestimate it. Part your lips slightly and wiggle your lower jaw side to side as you relax your tongue away from the roof of your mouth. Gently massage the muscles just in front of your ears as you take three slow breaths, sighing on the exhales.

Many of us don't realize how much we're holding until we finally release our jaw.

2. Stop pretending your shoulders are earrings.

Slowly lift your shoulders toward your ears, roll them back and let them completely drop. Repeat five to ten times.

As you exhale, imagine setting down one thing you've been carrying today.