Meeting yourself where you are. Chair yoga makes yoga accessible to anyone who wants to enjoy the benefits of yoga but may struggle with balance and mobility or may want a more therapeutic approach.
Strength: withstand falls, helps with balance, mobility, improve muscle tone,
Reduce joint strain: takes the strain off of the joints
Portability: one can do chair yoga anywhere
Flexibility: twisting/bending
Proprioception: skill of knowing where your body is in space & coordinating your movements accurately
Reduce Stress: calmer, more relaxed, improved sense of well being
Pain Management: breath work, coping with & managing pain, meditation, better breathing habits
Concentration: cognitive, may help age related declines in brain function
Chair Yoga Practice
A variety of props can be brought in: small hand weights, bands, straps and blocks.
Before we begin our practice with our chair, though, it is important that your space is safe:
The chair needs to be sturdy and able to hold your weight/our body shape.
The chair may or may not have arms.
A chair made out of wood or metal needs to be to weighted for 300 lbs.
The space where you place your chair needs to be on a solid surface. Setting it on a carpet could effect your ability to feel stable; due to the softness of the carpet.
In addition, when you stand behind your chair and press forward on it, it should not slide. I like to place mine on my yoga mat; or make sure that the legs have rubber bottoms.
When you sit on the chair there should not be a cushion (unless you need the extra support). We want to feel secure in our movements. I would like you to feel your bum on the seat.
Create a space where you can relax and not be disturbed.
Lastly, when you sit on the seat of the chair pay close attention to the placement of your feet. You want your feet to rest on the floor. For some our legs are not long enough, when we sit, to touch the floor. **** If that is the case, place a block under each foot. Your hip joint should be in line with your knee joint. We want to feel grounded.
Sequence Structure
You can design a sequence where you are on the chair the ENTIRE practice or one in which you move from the chair to in front of or behind the chair.
You can also design a sequence where you might incorporate weights, bands or blocks into your sequence.
Breathing during practice
Yogis believe that correct breathing brings more oxygen into your blood and helps to control vital energy, which in turn helps calm your mind.
Pursed-lip breathing and diaphragm breathing are two techniques that have roots in yoga. Another useful breathing technique is abdominal breathing. The technique is as follows:
Breathe in, letting your stomach expand.
As you breathe out, contract your stomach muscles, pressing your stomach inward.
Focus on contracting your lower abdomen and ribs as you breathe out. This helps to raise your diaphragm, enabling your lungs to empty all the way and thus improving the depth of your breathing.
Begin & End your practice with your breath.
As you begin each class Sit with your eyes closed and your hands in your laps. INHALE and EXHALE very naturally. Take your breath into your belly on the INHALE and pull your belly in and relax your chest on the EXHALE letting all of the air out.
As you end each class in a Seated Savasana Sit back in your chair, place your hands in your lap and close your eyes. As in the beginning INHALE and EXHALE very naturally. Relax your entire body from your feet to the top of your head. Try to clear your mind of distracting thoughts. Keep yourself in the present.
Please end each practice sitting quiet and reflecting. Then SMILE.
I would love to hear from you. Please comment so that I can best serve you in your practice
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