What Is Chair Yoga?
Chair Yoga is often misunderstood to be an age-specific practice when, truthfully, we’d all be much better off with a couple of chair Yoga sequences under our belts. Students who experience back pain, or are wanting to counter a high-intensity lifestyle can all benefit from a chair Yoga practice. It is a safe and accessible practice for anyone with the potential to be especially supportive to students who experience physical limitations.
Chairs Provide Balance and Support
The asanas, or postures in Chair Yoga, are done both seated and in a seated position, using the chair for balance. Chairs and props are supplied to ensure the safety and support of all practitioners….no mats are needed. With a chair or two, additional bolsters, blocks, and straps, this class emphasizes the mind-body connection through gentle movements while subtly strengthening and stretching the muscles with the rhythm of the breath.
Additional Benefits
For students navigating the physiological changes due to aging, chair Yoga is a wonderful practice to explore the numerous benefits of Yoga with the added support of a seat. Increased body awareness, balance, stamina, mobility, lung capacity, digestion, mental clarity, stress relief are few of the many benefits that keep students coming back into the Yoga practice.
How Can Chair Yoga Benefit you?
Regardless of age, all people at some point have to navigate a physical limit due to injury or illness. Chair Yoga is an excellent option of practice to aid in the healing process and to navigate the challenges that come with trauma, surgery, chronic pain, painful disorders, or any illness that leads to limited mobility or restricted activity. This type of yoga complements traditional physical therapy, is a genuine friend in chemotherapy recovery, gently soothes and helps to relieve pain for many who suffer from Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, and other chronic pain conditions.
At Lotus Yoga our Chair Yoga sequences can also be extremely beneficial to those who spend a large amount of time sitting. We live in an era where long periods of sitting happen if you want them to or not. The different sequences can offer a number of diagnostic and creative tools to relieve back and neck discomfort, increase blood flow, and help to maintain muscle, bone, and joint health. Many different asanas, or postures, are readily available within the practice. Just as in a Basics or Vinyasa class, each posture has various benefits that can be taken off the mat and right to a desk or a couch.
Adaptive Chair Yoga is available here at Lotus Yoga and Wellness for any stage of life. There are no preconditions for learning this style of Yoga. There’s no expectations for flexibility or range of motion. Adaptive Chair Yoga is designed to support the student as they are. This class is available to anyone, regardless of size or ability. Our only goal is to make everybody feel welcome, Yoga is right for everyone and they’ve come to the right location. Caregivers are always welcomed to practice as well.
No matter what your health issues or degree of fitness, you’re still able to practice Yoga!
Call Lotus Yoga today to find a class time for you!