Preventing falls in older age with yoga-based exercise: effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and implementation

Arm 1: Group-based yoga exercise program Participants allocated to the group-based yoga exercise program will be offered attendance at either face-to-face yoga classes at established yoga studios or online group-based yoga classes delivered by Zoom, in trial-specific groups of 10-20 people with experienced yoga teachers. Participants accessing the classes online will also be offered participation in a class-specific WhatsApp group to promote social connection between class members. Participants will aim to attend 80, one-hour duration classes in total on a twice-weekly basis, over the 12-month period. Participants will be also asked to complete an unsupervised yoga program for at least two 20-minute sessions each week. The yoga classes will be provided free of charge to participants. Class content will emphasise standing yoga postures that challenge balance and build leg strength. The program will be tailored to participant ability and progression of difficulty for each posture will occur as skills and confidence increase. The program is based on the Iyengar style of yoga which was chosen as it involves holding static postures rather than flowing movements, which is likely to be simpler to learn and has been used successfully with older adults. Iyengar yoga also uses aids (“props” e.g. blocks, straps) to modify the postures and to enable people with a range of functional abilities to participate, making it the ideal style for older people. Intervention adherence will be recorded by yoga teachers who will keep class attendance records and participants who will keep home yoga practise diaries.