Chair Yoga 101: yoga for everyone! by www.sunlightyoga.com

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Chair Yoga: yoga for everyone!

What is Chair Yoga?
It is Yoga, using a chair (standing and seated, or both), as a prop for support. Chair Yoga can be useful to adapt yoga poses when injured, ill, at your desk (‘office yoga’) or if you have limited mobility. It also can be useful when travelling (practice on planes, park benches or anywhere). Chair Yoga can help make yoga accessible for everyone and is a well needed prop for many so that they can practice yoga poses (asanas) safely. Yoga teaches will benefit greatly by lear ning Chair Yoga as well so that all of their students can have safe and effective options to practice yoga).
 
What is a Chair Yoga class like?
Chair Yoga classes or private sessions gives you the full benefits any other yoga class entails: centering, yoga warm ups, yoga exercises & postures, concentration & breathing exercises, guided relaxation & meditation. The main difference is that students can sit in a chair or use a chair while standing, as a prop, for balance and support.

What are the benefits?

• Improves flexibility (in body and mind)
• Strength (in body and mind)
• Increased energy
• Improved memory and clarity
• Better concentration
• Improved overall health and peace
•  Chair yoga classes also brings social connection and a sense of community
• Chair Yoga creates a team building experience at work

Who can participate? 

• ​Everyone! Chair Yoga is a safe and effective for any group, age, and ability.
• Seniors or those needing a gentle yoga class
• Those with chronic illness  
• Pre and post surgery or injury modifications
• For those in wheelchairs and yoga for those with disabilities 
• Chair yoga at work (in conference rooms or at your desk)
• Post traumatic stress recovery
• Classes at senior centers, community centers & assisted living homes
• Private instruction Chair Yoga specific to the students needs
• Yoga is for everyone! Chair Yoga is a safe and effective way to offer Yoga to any group, age, and level of health or mobility. Includes seniors or those needing a gentle yoga class, those with chronic illness, pre and post surgery or injury modifications, wheelchairs and yoga for disabilities, chair yoga at work  (in conference rooms or at your desk), post traumatic stress recovery, classes at senior centers, community centers & assisted living homes and private home instruction (or online)

​What do you wear?
Anything you want! Shoes or socks can be on of off in Chair Yoga classes

Some Chair Yoga at Work Benefits 

• A fun and safe activity everyone can do (weekly, quarterly or at health fairs)
• Comfortable and accessible. (Stay in your business attire!)
• Learn yoga at your desk to avoid repetitive stress injury 
• Reduce absenteeism art the work place from stress related illness
• Release neck and back tensioning and computer related injuries

Chair Yoga article: Please Remain Seated

Chair Yoga Increases The Accessibility Of The Practice
When speaking about Yoga, we’ve all heard the following statements:
“I can’t do Yoga until I feel better.”
“I don’t have time to get to a class.”
“I can’t get down on the floor and back up again for a Yoga practice.”
“My workday is too long.”
“I’m too old to do Yoga.”
Injury or illness, age or other so-called “limitations” (including working all day at a desk), may prevent people from getting on the floor do practice poses or even stand on a mat for upright postures as we may know the poses. However, with some creativity and modifications anyone, in any circumstance, can always practice Yoga.
 
Renowned yogi Sri T. Krishnamacharya famously said, “If you can breathe you can do Yoga.”
 
Sitting as tall as you can, yet in a relaxed manner is the key to success in many meditation postures and pranayama practices (breathing exercises). Finding a comfortable seat, even in a chair, is a great place to begin to set the stage for the Yoga of breath. One simple, yet powerful practice is to observe the breath as it is. Or you can begin to extend the duration of the breath and slowing count the inhalation and the exhalation. Try starting with something attainable, such as inhaling slowly for three counts, exhaling for three counts and then gently extending the duration first to four counts and then longer as desired. Maintain a sense of ease throughout. Another breathing practice is to recite a mantra (such as “I am”) with each breath.
 
There are chair Yoga versions of most postures that are designed to increase mobility, vitality and flexibility. These include: sun salutations, forward bends, backbends, spinal twists, sitting mountain pose, eye exercises (which can help reduce eye strain from hours at the computer) and breathing exercises (which can calm the body, increase our energy or heighten concentration).
 
At your desk, in a wheelchair or wherever you are right sitting now, stop and take a two-minute Yoga break and reenergize. Try this sequence: Inhale and lift both arms overhead. As you exhale, lower both your arms. Repeat this five to ten times and see how you feel.
Look for chair Yoga classes, often held at Yoga studios, community centers, clubs and senior centers. When standing postures are practiced in these classes, the chair is used for support to enhance stability. But you don’t even have to stand up from the chair to do Yoga. I’ve seen great shifts in posture and energy from my senior home chair Yoga classes using poses from this sequence of gentle chair Yoga suggested here. You can stay seated – and still do Yoga.
 
Stacie Dooreck is a Certified Sivananda Yoga Instructor since 1995, Kundalini and Gentle Integral and Chair Yoga Instructor for online Chair Yoga teacher certifications and yoga courses. sunlightchairyoga.com