Olivia Rigby Yoga Therapy

13/05/2026

This is a really interesting article from "The Conversation," helping to explain why we now do our yoga therapy practice with light weights on our wrists and ankles.

https://theconversation.com/strength-training-may-be-the-key-to-healthy-ageing-276133 Article by Christopher Hurst, Senior Research Associate, Newcastle University

Some of the key takeaways for me are that:

Maintaining muscle strength combats sarcopenia, improves mobility, balance, and reduces the risk of falls and fractures.

Strength training—using weights, resistance bands, or body weight—is the most effective way to build and maintain muscle, even with lighter weights if effort is high.

Healthy ageing is about staying independent, maintaining mobility and continuing to enjoy everyday activities as you get older. For many people, what matters most is being able to get out of a chair without help, carry shopping home, climb the stairs and recover quickly after illness. This may seem ordinary but it is deeply meaningful. These small acts underpin independence and dignity.

It is also not necessary to train every day. Evidence suggests a single session per week can be enough to produce meaningful gains in strength, particularly in people new to training.

The UK Health and Social Care select committee is currently examining how physical activity can support healthy ageing, with strength training forming part of the discussion.

Older people are willing to try strength training, even if they have never done it before, when exercises are tailored to their needs and supervised by qualified professionals.

Strength training is not about aesthetics or performance. It is about preserving function, confidence and your quality of life for as long as possible.

Maintaining muscle strength is one of the most accessible, effective and low-cost ways to influence how well we age.

For more information on working with light weights in my over 50s yoga therapy classes, please visit my website
https://www.oliviarigby-yogatherapy.co.uk/

or contact me, Olivia Rigby, on 07746197511 or [email protected]

I am a specialist Yoga Therapist running classes and 1-2-1 sessions in the Greater Manchester area. I specialise in General Yoga Therapy, Yoga for MS, ME, Yoga Nidra and Yoga for Women's Health.

20/04/2026

There will be no yoga therapy classes week beginning 20th April, 2026.
Classes will resume on Wednesday 29th April, 2026.

There is a recording available in the meantime so please let me know if you would like the link sending.

Best wishes
Olivia 🧘‍♀️

24/02/2026

Hi folks - all yoga sessions are cancelled from Thursday 26th February 🏖️😎☀️

Classes resume on Monday 9th March.

There is a 90 minute zoom recording available whilst I am away. Please let me know if you would like the link sending to you.

I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Best wishes
Olivia 🧘‍♀️

20/10/2025

Morning everyone - there are no yoga therapy classes this week as I am having a week off.

We will be back to normal from Monday 27th October.

See you all next week.

Olivia 🧘‍♀️

26/08/2025

Some good ideas from Dr Xand about posture.
The most interesting point being, “You want your body to support itself.”

Coming along to a Yoga Therapy class, either online or in person, will definitely help your body find its most comfortable and self-supporting posture.

https://oliviarigby-yogatherapy.co.uk/schedule.html

Here are Dr Xand's three suggestions on how to look after your back without turning into a statue.

05/07/2025

All over 50s Yoga Therapy classes with Olivia Rigby are continuing throughout the summer.

If you enjoy practicing your yoga from the comfort of your own home, then join us online every Monday morning, from 10 - 11.30 or
every Tuesday evening, from 6.30 - 8 or
every Thursday from 6.30 - 8

If you prefer the in-person experience then come along to Burrs Country Park, above the Lamppost Cafe, every Thursday morning from 10 - 11.30

All sessions are drop-in so you do not have to book, just come along when you can.

For more information about the sessions, or to find out more about Yoga Therapy, then please visit my website
https://oliviarigby-yogatherapy.co.uk

If you have any questions you can contact me on 07746197511 or [email protected]

I look forward to seeing you soon.
Olivia 🧘‍♀️

27/05/2025

Scientific evidence is starting to show that strength training keeps us healthy as we get older.

Surely there can be no better way to optimise your health and wellbeing than joining an over 50s Yoga Therapy for You class with the addition of light weights?

We have continued our effective, familiar yoga practice but now use dumbbells and wrist and ankle weights to help improve our strength, stability and posture alignment.

Taken from Saga magazine, May 2023
https://www.saga.co.uk/magazine/health-and-wellbeing/benefits-of-strength-training

“First and foremost, strength training allows you to stay strong to manage the everyday tasks. It supports mobility, stability and flexibility.”

Strength helps us in everyday activities, whether that’s lifting boxes out of the attic, digging the garden, or carrying the shopping.

It also allows you to stay mobile and flexible, making things like getting up and down from the floor easier, or being able to bend to pick things up. Having strength for these things also decreases the risk of injury.

It keeps your body in good shape; if you can move well, you feel well, and have the energy to keep up with those younger than you."

For details of all my over 50s Yoga Therapy for You classes please visit my website
https://oliviarigby-yogatherapy.co.uk/schedule.html

For more information please contact me on 07746197511 or [email protected]

I look forward to seeing you on the mat soon
Olivia 🧘‍♀️

01/05/2025

"Movement works wonders!" says Age UK
https://www.ageuk.org.uk/siteassets/documents/act-now-age-better/act-now-age-better-leaflet-by-age-uk.pdf

Come along to a yoga therapy session, in a class or 1-2-1, and you too can get the benefits of
"a sharper mind
better mood and mental health
stronger heart
healthier metabolism
better balance and fewer falls
stronger bones through menopause" , according to AgeUK's campaign "Act Now, Age Better"

For more information, please visit my website https://oliviarigby-yogatherapy.co.uk/
or contact me on 07746197511 or [email protected]

Best wishes
Olivia🧘‍♀️

08/04/2025

Why is over 50s yoga therapy practiced in bare feet?
Yoga is traditionally practiced in bare feet and as you get older it is particularly beneficial to keep the muscles and bones in your feet working effectively.

Recent studies show that people in a care home were 80% less likely to fall in barefoot shoes than in normal shoes. Working in bare feet helps strengthen your muscles, and improves your gait so your feet work more effectively. This can improve your posture and balance and therefore reduces the risk of falling.

Having bare feet and having strong foot muscles, which does come from spending as much time barefoot as possible, is critical later in life.

Doing the postures in bare feet also improves your connection to the ground and your proprioception. As we age, our peripheral nervous systems, the nerves that help us sense our environment in our hands and feet, especially if you have any metabolic disease, get much worse at giving you that feedback, that proprioception.

For a full list of all available sessions throughout the week, please visit https://oliviarigby-yogatherapy.co.uk

1-2-1 sessions provide more personal support, especially if you have any sort of injury or health condition.

Come and give an over 50s Yoga Therapy class a try.
Your feet will thank you for it! 👣🚶‍♀️

01/04/2025

Why over 50s Yoga Therapy with light weights?
"Everyone loses muscle with age, typically about 3%-5% each decade after age 30. The loss can become more noticeable and start to speed up at around age 60"
(extract from WebMD "Sarcopenia with aging" July 2024)

Exercise and strength training can help you rebuild muscle mass. Adding light weights to a yoga therapy practice can help improve your overall physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

Come and join one of my sessions that are available online and in-person throughout the week.
https://oliviarigby-yogatherapy.co.uk

Or for a more personalised programme a 1-2-1 session can help improve an existing health condition.

For more information, please visit my website or contact me on 07746197511 or [email protected]