7 Yoga Experts Share Their #1 Tip for Building Strength
Strength Doesn't Feel the Same Anymore — And That’s Not a Bad Thing
At some point, usually in your 40s or 50s, the way you define strength starts to shift.
It’s not just about what your body can do anymore. It’s about how steady you feel when everything else around you is changing. Your energy, your hormones, your sleep, your identity, your priorities.
You still want to feel strong. But you’re also tired of pushing yourself the way you used to.
THAT’S WHERE YOGA COMES IN.
And not just any yoga. I’m talking about strength-based yoga, restorative practices, and mindful movement that actually support the season of life you're in now, not the one you used to be in.
This piece brings together insights from seven respected yoga teachers.
🙌 All women.
🙌 All deeply experienced.
🙌 All shifting the conversation around what yoga for midlife strength really means.
But first, let’s talk about where to start if you’re feeling brand new.
1. Why Strength Starts with Your Nervous System
Inspired by me, Natalia Rennie
🌐 nataliarennie.com
Before I ever taught strength-based yoga, I taught women how to feel safe in their bodies again.
Because here’s the truth. If your nervous system doesn’t feel safe, your body won’t build strength.
^^^ It doesn’t matter how consistent you are or how well you eat. If your system is stuck in stress mode, strength just won’t stick.
And in midlife? That low-level stress isn’t always loud, but it is CONSTANT. Hormones are shifting. Recovery slows. Sleep can feel like a gamble. You feel wired, tired, and worn down all at once.
So what do you do?
You start smaller. Slower. Smarter.
You work with your body, not against it.
🤗 Every time you let your breath slow.
🤗 Every time your shoulders drop just a little.
🤗 Every time you pause instead of pushing...
That’s nervous system work. And that’s strength work, too.
This is exactly what we focus on inside Beginner’s Yoga Basics — a 5-part series I designed specifically for women in midlife who want to feel strong again, without getting overwhelmed or burned out.
^^^ You don’t need another punishing routine. You need a foundation that meets you where you are.
Start with your breath. Start with your base. That’s where real strength begins.
2. Stillness Is Strength, Too
From Judith Hanson Lasater
🌐 restorativeyogateachers.com
Judith Hanson Lasater has been teaching yoga for over 50 years. She’s the author of Restore and Rebalance, and one of the leading voices in restorative yoga.
Her message is simple.
“Stillness isn’t the absence of effort. It’s the presence of awareness.”
We’ve been trained to think that rest is a reward for working hard. Judith teaches that rest is part of the work.
Her restorative yoga practice creates space for your body to repair, reset, and return to balance. In midlife, when recovery takes longer and fatigue is real, that kind of stillness becomes essential.
Strength without recovery isn’t sustainable. It’s just borrowed energy. And eventually, it runs out.
3. Smart Strength Over More Strength
From Tiffany Cruikshank
🌐 yogamedicine.com
Tiffany Cruikshank has spent years bridging the gap between yoga and science — and her take on strength?
It's clear, practical, and refreshingly doable:
“Load your tissues, BUT load them wisely.”
Translation? Your body needs challenge to stay strong, especially as estrogen drops and bone density becomes more of a factor in your 40s and beyond.
But challenge doesn’t mean punishment.
That’s where Tiffany’s brilliance really shines. She teaches women how to build strength with precision — the kind that supports your joints, improves balance, and helps you feel steady in your day-to-day life.
^^^ Grocery bags. Stairs. Lifting. Twisting. Getting up off the floor. That’s what this is for.
And this is exactly the kind of movement we build inside Fortify40 1.0.
It’s a 4-week beginner-friendly yoga program designed for women in midlife who want real strength and structure, without burning out or getting lost in the process.
Inside Fortify40 1.0, ypu practice for life.
Not for validation.
Not for flexibility points.
Not to keep up with some 25-year-old instructor doing handstands on a beach.
We move in ways that help your body work better.
^^^ We train your core, your balance, your mobility... with consistency, not random “chaos”.
👯♀️ You don’t need to be perfect.
👯♀️ You don’t need to “go hard.”
👯♀️ You just need a plan that makes sense for where you are right now, and where you want to go next.
And that? That’s exactly what Fortify40 1.0 was built to do. If you’ve been waiting for something that finally sticks, this might be the thing.
➡️ Explore Fortify40 1.0 — strength, structure, and support made for women 40+
4. Slow, Precise Movement Builds Power
From Annie Carpenter
🌐 smartflowyoga.com
Annie Carpenter, often called “the teacher’s teacher,” has a way of bringing you back to the heart of your practice without adding noise or pressure.
Her whole philosophy? Move with precision, not perfection.
She believes discipline isn’t about rigidity. It’s about respect.
^^^ Respect for your breath. Your joints. Your real life.
Annie’s SmartFLOW method teaches you how to slow things down. Not as a fallback, but as a strength strategy.
Because here's the truth: Fast doesn’t always mean strong. Fancy doesn’t always mean helpful. And being “challenged” doesn’t always mean it’s good for your body.
In midlife, form REALLLLLLLY matters.
And Annie’s work is a reminder that every pose is a chance to listen, adjust, and meet your body where it actually is, not where you think it should be.
This is exactly the kind of approach we build into Beginner’s Yoga Basics.
It’s not about chasing flexibility. It’s about building real, functional strength, starting with your breath and your base.
“Cause, if you’ve ever felt like yoga moves too fast or assumes you already “know the drill,” this might be your way in.
➡️ Explore Beginner’s Yoga Basics: strength without the overwhelm.
5. Strength Can Be Playful (and Personal)
From Kathryn Budig, 🌐 kathrynbudig.com
Kathryn Budig has spent years helping women reclaim their strength. Not through perfection. Through play.
Her approach is deeply personal. She invites you to explore your body, your movement, your confidence—not with pressure, but with curiosity.
Because when we stop performing and start exploring, the body softens. And in that softening, strength can finally land.
In midlife, when SO much of our identity is shifting, this message hits differently.
You don’t have to look strong to be strong. You don’t have to move seriously for it to count.
Joy counts too.
Kathryn’s work is a reminder that;
😊 The movement can feel like freedom.
😊 It can feel like fun.
😊 It can feel like home.
If yoga has ever felt too serious, too strict, or just not like you, this might be the permission you’ve been waiting for.
6. Gentleness Builds the Kind of Strength That Lasts
From Elena Brower 🌐 elenabrower.com
Elena Brower has spent over two decades guiding women back to themselves through breath, stillness, and the kind of gentleness that’s anything but passive.
Her teachings bridge yoga, meditation, art, and emotional intelligence. And at the heart of her work is a quiet invitation:
Not to push harder — but to soften on purpose.
Because when life gets loud, Elena reminds us that clarity doesn’t come from force. It comes from presence.
“When you meet yourself with gentleness, she says, “you build trust. And from trust, strength blooms.”
In midlife, that kind of strength feels different. It’s not about intensity. It’s about inner steadiness.
The ability to pause. To listen. To respond, not react.
7. Strength Is the Courage to Stay Present
From Sarah Powers 🌐 sarahpowersinsightyoga.com
Sarah Powers weaves yoga, mindfulness, and Buddhist psychology into something that feels both ancient and refreshingly relevant.
Her message about strength is simple, but it lands deep:
“Real strength isn’t about holding tighter. It’s about staying present when it would be easier to check out.”
And let’s be honest, in midlife, that’s no small ask.
^^^ When your body feels unfamiliar, when energy crashes for no clear reason, when emotions get loud or unpredictable… distraction starts looking real tempting.
But presence is a practice.
Not a perfect one. Not always graceful. Just honest.
Sarah teaches that each breath, each pause, each moment you choose to stay instead of escape — that’s strength.
The kind that doesn’t shout, but steadies you.
It’s the strength that helps you stay with your life, even when it’s shifting. To sit with discomfort, not because it’s easy, but because it’s true.
That’s the kind of resilience we build inside Fortify40 1.0 too. It’s not just movement. It’s learning how to meet yourself — in this moment, in this body — and not turn away.
And over time? That kind of presence makes you unshakable.
