Below is a summary of the reference and findings for the invitation to the Bones of Steel Workshop.

At Satori Method we have had 1000’s of students in our 30+ years of teaching fitness, wellness, and the energy arts who have shared with us their transformational results – students in their 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. You can read many of their stories here.

Weight-Bearing & Resistance Training:

• High-Intensity Training: Postmenopausal women engaging in high-intensity resistance and impact training (e.g., squats, deadlifts) twice weekly for 8 months experienced nearly a 3% increase in spine and hip BMD, while a control group saw a 1% loss. The Guardian
• Weighted Vests: Incorporating weighted vests during strength training has been shown to increase hip bone density by approximately 1% over 20 weeks. Allure
• Engaging in weight-bearing and resistance exercises is widely recognized for its effectiveness in increasing bone mineral density (BMD). Such exercises stimulate bone formation by applying mechanical stress, which encourages the body to strengthen bone tissue. Activities like squats, lunges, and weightlifting are particularly beneficial.

Tai Chi & Bone Health:

Tai Chi, a low-impact, weight-bearing exercise, has been associated with improvements in bone mineral density (BMD) and reductions in fall risk:

• Lumbar Spine BMD: A 48-week Tai Chi program led to a 5.05% increase in lumbar spine BMD among perimenopausal women. Frontiers
• Fall Risk Reduction: Regular Tai Chi practice has been associated with a 20% to 40% reduction in fall risk, which is crucial for preventing fractures. Harvard Health
• Tai Chi, a low-impact martial art characterized by slow, deliberate movements, has been shown to improve bone health. A meta-analysis involving postmenopausal women found that practicing Tai Chi led to a significant increase in vertebral BMD, with a standardized mean difference (SMD) of 0.37 . Additionally, Tai Chi has been associated with a 20% to 40% reduction in fall risk, which is crucial for preventing fractures. PubMed

• Postmenopausal Women: A meta-analysis found that Tai Chi practice led to significant increases in vertebral BMD and overall health status scores in postmenopausal women. BioMed Central
• Fall Prevention: Research indicates that regular Tai Chi practice can reduce the risk of falls by 20% to 40%, which is crucial for preventing fractures in older adults. Harvard Health
• Long-Term Benefits: An umbrella review concluded that Tai Chi might be a safe and effective exercise for improving BMD loss in postmenopausal women, especially when practiced for more than six months. Frontiers

Qigong & Bone Health:

Qigong, a full body energy arts practice, encompasses various traditional moving meditation exercises that have shown results in maintaining or improving bone health:

• Baduanjin Qigong: A 12-week Baduanjin Qigong program helped maintain BMD and reduced inflammatory markers in middle-aged women, suggesting its efficacy in preventing bone loss. PubMed
• Wuqinxi Qigong: This form of Qigong has been associated with improvements in BMD and bone metabolism, indicating its potential as a preventive measure against osteopenia and primary osteoporosis. PubMed
• Burn Patients: In individuals recovering from severe burns, incorporating Qigong into rehabilitation programs led to greater increases in Bone Mineral Density (BMD) compared to standard physiotherapy alone. AuntMinnie

Breathwork & Bone Health:

Breath-focused practices like Qigong inherently incorporate controlled breathing techniques. These practices contribute to:

• Breathwork techniques, particularly those activating the parasympathetic nervous system, may contribute to bone health. By reducing stress and lowering cortisol levels, deep breathing exercises create a favorable environment for bone formation. While direct studies on breathwork’s impact on BMD are limited, the indirect benefits through hormonal regulation are promising. Dynamic Physio
• Stress Reduction Breathwork helps lower cortisol levels, which, when elevated chronically, can lead to bone loss.
• Improved Circulation: Breathwork enhances nutrient delivery to bone tissue.
• Hormonal Balance: Breathwork supports overall endocrine function, which plays a role in bone metabolism.

Alignment & Posture:

Bone alignment is foundational to building and maintaining strong, resilient bones. When your bones are properly aligned, your body can distribute weight and mechanical forces evenly through the skeleton, reducing unnecessary stress on joints and tissues. 

• Maintaining proper body alignment ensures even distribution of mechanical stress across the skeleton, which can help in preserving bone density. Poor posture may lead to uneven stress distribution, potentially accelerating bone loss in certain areas. Practices that promote good posture, such as yoga and Pilates, can be beneficial in this regard. Rehab Concepts

• Stress Distribution: Maintaining proper body alignment ensures even distribution of mechanical stress across the skeleton, which can help in preserving bone density.

• Optimal alignment stimulates the bones in a balanced way – especially during movement – encouraging healthy bone remodeling and density. Misalignments, on the other hand, can lead to compensations, poor posture, and uneven pressure that weaken specific areas, increasing the risk of fractures, joint wear, and chronic pain.

• Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF): This resource emphasizes that proper body alignment reduces stress on the spine, enhances posture, and helps prevent fractures, especially in individuals with osteoporosis. Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation

• Bone Talk: This article discusses how optimal skeletal alignment during weight-bearing activities can enhance the beneficial forces on bones, promoting bone strength and reducing injury risk. Bone Talk

• Chiropractic care can improve body alignment and posture, which may contribute to better bone health and reduced discomfort associated with osteoporosis. Healthline

Humming & Vibrational Resonance:

When you hum, your body becomes a vibrating chamber – especially your facial bones, chest, and even your spine. Humming sends sound waves directly through your skull and into your skeleton via bone conduction – the same principle used in certain hearing aids and sonic therapies. Much like sound therapy or tuning forks, vibrational energy is believed to help nourish and energize cells, including in the skeletal system. While humming won’t directly increase bone density like weight-bearing exercise, it may support bone vitality by:

• Stimulating fascia and bone tissue
• Enhancing fluid exchange around the joints and bones
• Gently “waking up” underused areas of the body
• Stimulating the vagus nerve, which triggers the parasympathetic (rest-and-repair) system. 
• Enhancing energy flow through the body’s meridians and bones

• Reducing stress hormones (like cortisol), which protects bone density
• Improving digestion and absorption of calcium and magnesium
• Enhancing recovery and tissue repair

Chronic stress, on the other hand, increases bone loss, so regular humming may help create a protective, healing environment for your bones to thrive.

Additional Related Links:

Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation
Bone Talk
Healthline

Statistics, Findings & Facts:

• A hip fracture doubles your risk of death within a year. (CDC / National Institutes of Health). 1 in 4 people over 65 who break a hip die within 12 months. 
• The majority of people who fall once will fall again within the next 12 months. (CDC Data)
• 1 in 2 women over 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis. (National Osteoporosis Foundation)  This is more common than breast, ovarian, and uterine cancer combined.
• You can lose up to 20% of your bone density in the 5–7 years following menopause. (UCLA Health). That’s one-fifth of your bone mass – gone in under a decade unless you intervene.
• More than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falls—mostly sideways. (CDC Injury Prevention Center). Most of those falls are linked to weak feet, ankles, and poor alignment and posture, not age.
• Only 20% of people fully regain their pre-fracture mobility after a hip break.”(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons). That means 80% live with permanent limitations, often losing independence.
• Bones stop growing by age 30, but they never stop remodeling. Bone is living tissue, constantly breaking down and rebuilding. 
• Osteopenia is silent, but shows up in 43 millionAmericans. That’s 1 in 2 adults over 50 walking around with weakened bones.
• After the age of 40, you lose about 1% of your bone mass every year.  (International Osteoporosis Foundation). That’s 10% per decade.
• Fractures from osteoporosis are more common than heart attack, stroke, and breast cancer—combined. (National Osteoporosis Foundation). Most people never get screened for bone loss until after a break.
• Breaking a bone can trigger a downward spiral in health – leading to permanent disability in 50% of cases.
• Men also experience bone loss, though it typically occurs later in life and at a slower rate than in women. While osteoporosis is more common in women, men are still at risk, particularly as they age. 
• A hip fracture DOUBLES your risk of death within a year. (CDC / National Institutes of Health) And 1 in 4 people over 65 who break a hip die within 12 months.
• As you age, you lose bone mass, so by the time you’re 50, your bones may already be 20–30% weaker… even if you’ve never had a single fracture. 
• Only 20% of people fully regain their pre-fracture mobility after a hip break. (American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons) That means 80% live with permanent limitations.
• Your bones stop growing by age 30 – but they never stop remodeling. Bone is living tissue, constantly breaking down and rebuilding. If you don’t stimulate it, it just keeps breaking down.

Summary:

Incorporating a combination of the above practices, into a regular health and fitness routine, may offer synergistic benefits for bone health, especially for individuals at risk of osteoporosis or related conditions. To learn more about the bone boosting exercises that address the above findings please visit the Bones of Steel Workshop page.