How to Do Chair Yoga

Social media feeds crammed with images of health fashions twisted into poses requiring excessive power, flexibility, and steadiness might go away you pondering, “Yoga will not be for me.”

Nadine Kelly, MD, founding father of Yogi MD, desires to vary your thoughts.

“We have a tendency to think about yoga as an athletic endeavor that must be accomplished on a mat,” Kelly says. “Yoga observe is about rather more than the bodily [poses]; the observe consists of abilities like respiration, regulating your feelings, and practising self-care.”

Chair yoga, a mild type of yoga that’s accomplished whereas seated or utilizing a chair for steadiness, makes the observe extra accessible. In chair yoga, it’s potential to maneuver into poses like cat/cow, warrior, solar salutations and ahead folds, all whereas seated.

Kelly believes the Arthur Ashe quote, “Begin the place you might be, use what you’ve got, do what you possibly can,” is ideal for chair yoga.

“You’re there to work and to problem your self, but it surely’s about … realizing what’s best for you,” she says. “I consider yoga poses as adaptable to a scholar’s physique and never the opposite means round.”

Whether or not yoga is finished in a chair or on the mat, the observe nonetheless focuses on the identical core rules: focusing in your breath, listening to your ideas, and staying within the second.

Analysis reveals yoga is linked to decreased ranges of stress, nervousness, and melancholy, lowered ldl cholesterol and blood strain, improved vitality, higher sleep high quality, much less ache, and lowered physique mass index. Matt Minard PT, DPT, bodily therapist with Atrium Well being in Charlotte, NC, believes these advantages lengthen to chair yoga.

Chair yoga can also be a superb, secure exercise for newbies.

“It’s a good way to work your core, discover the completely different vary of movement of the joints and prioritize motion,” Minard says. “Whenever you’re sitting down or utilizing a chair for steadiness, the security issue goes means up.”

Though chair yoga is commonly promoted as a observe for many who might battle with a mat observe, anybody can profit from one of these light train.

Kelly says chair yoga is especially well-suited to individuals who use wheelchairs and people rehabilitating after surgical procedures, dwelling with power diseases, or coping with steadiness points that make it laborious to get down onto a yoga mat. It’s additionally excellent for a fast exercise throughout the workday or whereas touring.

You could find chair yoga lessons at neighborhood facilities, health amenities, and yoga studios. There are additionally loads of on-line choices. On this video, Kelly gives detailed directions for a brief chair yoga observe that’s appropriate for all ranges.

To observe at residence, use a sturdy chair (an workplace chair on wheels or overstuffed armchair are usually not applicable for chair yoga). Minard suggests a chair that naturally positions your hips barely larger than your knees and permits you to put each toes flat on the ground.

“In case your toes aren’t flat on the bottom, your weight is all in your backbone and if the chair is simply too low and your knees are above your hips, there may be extra impingement in your hips,” Minard says. “You need to have the ability to do sluggish, managed actions with out placing further stress in your again or hips.”

Make certain the chair is on a secure floor like carpet or a yoga mat to maintain it from slipping. You too can place the again of the chair towards a wall for further stability, Minard provides.

Yoga props like blocks, straps, and resistance bands which are frequent in mat practices aren’t required for chair yoga — until you need an additional problem.

“Chair yoga is an effective place to begin to make use of muscle tissue you haven’t used shortly with out the potential dangers of overloading [your muscles and joints] or falling,” Minard says. “If the resistance out of your physique weight isn’t sufficient of a problem, you possibly can add gentle hand weights, ankle weights or resistance bands to your chair yoga observe.”