Chair Yoga

Due to trauma, or a debilitating disease, at any time, any one of us could become physically handicapped. Most of us drive cars every day, and there is always a risk of an auto accident and all that means a possible candidate for chair yoga since life is dangerous.

Some younger family members of seniors, and the physically handicapped, get involved in classes and private sessions. When family members participate in a class, or private session, it is always a good quality time for everyone.
Chair Yoga teachers must continually educate themselves, be knowledgeable of body mechanics, use of props, and a variety of ailments. This field requires teachers with compassion and the patience to help those who are doing their personal best.

It is also a field with growth opportunities; as the population is aging, there are not enough Chair Yoga teachers to go around. Some estimates indicate there are 1.5 million, or more, Yoga practitioners, over the age of 55, within the United States. Therefore, the demand far outweighs the supply of Yoga teachers for this particular field.

Isn't Yoga just for young 'hard bodies,' like you would see on the cover of a magazine?

Don't you have to turn your body into a pretzel, to practice Yoga? These are, a few of the many questions I am asked about Yoga and Chair Yoga. Any idea that Yoga is only for the fit, and young, is a complete myth. Anyone can practice Yoga, at any age, but not all Yoga styles are the same.

Many of us struggle, most of our lives, to find the optimum exercise routine, in order to stay in shape. As time goes by, we look for low-impact fitness solutions, due to excessive wear in our joints. It can't be helped that, joints will wear, as our bodies take a lifetime of stress, tumbles, and injuries.

Low-impact exercise philosophy works like this: No pain - No gain, slogans are definitely short-term thinking. When you consider longevity, you want to receive maximum benefits, of a health maintenance program, without abusing or unnecessarily wearing, any body parts out.

It is far better to intelligently exercise the body, than to work the body hard with risk of injury. To injure oneself, while exercising, is irony in its purest form. After all, isn't the purpose of exercise to improve or maintain your health?
Some of us can also blame genetics, for ailments, as certain body parts wear out faster within particular families. I have seen this, up close, and personal. Within the knees of my own family, for generations, there have been knee problems.
My mother, uncle, son, and I have all had knee problems, starting at a young age, and all of us are from the same direct bloodline. With my son, doctors told us he should have surgery on his knees, before he was 10 years of age.
So, the one reason to try a Yoga class is because you have found a low-impact exercise solution. Chair Yoga will develop or maintain the body's circulation, flexibility and strength, with very low impact. It is a complete health maintenance exercise program.

However, there are a multitude of reasons why people attend Chair Yoga classes. Over the years, I have seen clients, who have had a huge variety of ailments, take Chair Yoga classes for physical rehabilitation, and to maintain their overall health.

There is also the social factor. It's good to get out of the house and socialize with friends and family members in a different setting. In fact, Chair Yoga is just one of many activities that take place in the average senior center. You can usually find dancing, Tai Chi, various exercise programs, crafts, card games, and many more activities, in the average senior center.

Back to Chair Yoga: It goes by a variety of different names and is sometimes mixed with other forms of exercise, within the same class, such as: weight resistance, low-impact aerobics, Chair Pilates, and Tai Chi.

Some of the many names associated with these classes are: Stretch, Stretch and Tone, Senior Yoga, Wellness, and Senior Fitness. As mentioned before these classes may contain a mixture of low-impact exercises from different origins.
There is also, another reason to start a Chair Yoga class. What if you suddenly found your mobility limited or were confined to a wheel chair? A common belief is that, Chair Yoga is only for seniors. As you already know, limited mobility has nothing to do with age, and can be a problem, at any point in life.

Every week, I teach Chair Yoga classes in nursing homes, physical rehabilitation units, and adult day care centers. These clients look forward to their Chair Yoga classes every week. The workouts in these classes are restricted to sitting in your chair, but the same mental and physical health benefits apply to all of us.
So, there is no excuse for staying away from a Chair Yoga class. Anybody, at any age, can join a friendly group of people who seek to gain the rewards of good health.

Here is an option for your Chair Yoga classes. There are seated flows and standing flows from the back, or side, of the chair. The flow, which we know as Vinyasa, is synchronized breathing with movement. This brings to mind vigorous Yoga classes for young, energetic, and fit Yoga students.
However, Vinyasa can be gentle, too. If introduced correctly, Vinyasa Flows can be fun for students of all ages and most health conditions. The exception to this is extremely severe arthritis. Unfortunately, excess movement is not encouraged for this particular group.

Do not give medical advice, and explain to your students that you are a Yoga teacher, not a medical doctor. If one of your Chair Yoga students does not like their physician's advice, he or she has the right to seek a second medical opinion from a qualified physician, but do not give medical opinions.

Many physicians advise their patients, with severe arthritis, to stop exercise altogether. Constant friction, in the joints, without lubrication, is an existence of constant pain. This particular group would even be taxed in a gentle restorative style Yoga class or while performing isometrics.

So far, I have met a rare few, who have a severe level of arthritis, and they held postures for a long time with very little movement. That was all they could realistically endure, due to the level of pain they constantly live with. The fact that they try gives them mental comfort.

Again, in the above case, most physicians do not recommend any kind of exercise; however, Pranayama and meditation were a big relief. Vinyasa, of any sort, was out of the question. So, lets concentrate now on the 99% of your Chair Yoga students who are looking for a little stimulation in the form of Vinyasa Yoga.

Your Chair Yoga students can hold a posture for one complete breath. That is one full inhale and one full exhale, while holding a posture. This will be much less vigorous, but your Chair Yoga students will love it. This is not a race and is also mildly aerobic. The benefits are mentally uplifting, as well.

For a fit crowd, an inhale on one posture, and an exhale on the following posture will be fine, but the breath should still be complete. The Chair Yoga teacher is not a drill sergeant, so the pace of any Chair Yoga Vinyasa flow should be slow, thorough, and controlled. Chair Yoga Vinyasa Flow is not a race. The absolute and top priority is to keep Yoga practice safe. Fun is one thing, but safety overrides fun every time.

Until a certain age in life, words like dignity, quality of life, and independence seem to be more suitable for descriptions, or reasons, why independent nations had revolutionary wars, than for senior independence.

However, for seniors, these words reflect the need to stay the course of independence.In some cases, our bodies go on existing, while our physical and mental health is slipping away. We need something that will maintain our health, aside from another prescription, with side effects.

Walking offers many good benefits, but some of us have more wear and tear on the knees, hips, and back, than we would like. We gave up running years ago, and walking is fine, but has to be kept in moderation. We should still walk when, or if, it is possible, but you have to listen to your body and walk accordingly.

Chair Yoga offers a safe, low-impact workout, with cross training benefits that will change your life for the best. Flexibility, mobility, bone density, and strength can all be enhanced with the practice of Chair Yoga. With flexibility comes new found mobility, and this contributes to independence. Many Chair Yoga students start a walking program, or use an exercise bike, elliptical trainer, or tread mill, for enhanced cardiovascular work - shortly after seeing the results of flexibility and mobility.

Fall prevention is also covered in most Chair Yoga classes. Most of us realize the potential consequences of falling down, with bones that are not as pliable as they used to be. We all know how devastating a broken hip can be. Therefore, balancing exercises are covered, and students are reminded to work on balancing at home.
At home, the walls, and your kitchen counter, can also be used for sturdy props when working on balancing exercises. You should also be aware that some prescriptions will affect your balance. This is one more good reason to talk to your doctor, or pharmacist, about the side effects of any prescription.

You can also research any prescription's side effects on the Internet, by going to a search engine and entering the name of the product in your search. This will take you to the manufacturer's site, and at the bottom, you will see the possible side effects of that particular prescription.

Getting back to flexibility, mobility, and balance - you can make the most of your life by visiting a local Senior Center or Yoga studio to inquire about Chair Yoga classes. Some classes are also a mix of disciplines, and may be labeled as stretch, wellness, or stretch and tone classes. If possible, try a class to see if it fits your needs. You will start feeling the results in a week or two and make the most of your life, right now. No matter how much time we have left, we all want to remain independent and keep our dignity intact.

Firstly, let me make it clear that Yoga is not a cure for the huge variety of ailments

that afflict mankind, but it can help in every area of life.Yoga's strength lies in preventative medicine, living a healthy life style, and making any current ailments, more tolerable.

So, the first thing you will gain from a Chair Yoga class is knowledge. The concepts of good health, longevity, and making the most of your life right now, are powerful tools taught in every style of Yoga.
However, Chair Yoga has been developed from many gentle styles of Hatha Yoga, for those of us who are not so steady on their feet, and those who cannot get out of a wheel chair. Many students of Chair yoga remark that they learn so much from each class.

Nutritional information is sometimes discussed in class. The Yogic diet is environmentally safe, humane, will keep us all around for a while longer, and in good health.The postures and low-impact movements lubricate the connective tissue, with reduced friction occurring in the joints. This is great news for weak links within the human body, such as: Knees, hips, spine, shoulders, and more parts that wear out sooner than we would like.

Toning the body is a result of the stretching and flexing of muscles that naturally occur in a Chair Yoga class. This also releases tension, throughout your body, and triggers endorphins. As a result, students have a feeling of euphoria during and after a Chair Yoga class.

Massaging the internal organs is a result of bending and twisting movements that are a trademark of any Hatha Yoga class. You can expect your digestion and elimination to be improved in a very short time. Proper posture is result of focusing on it at all times. Yoga teachers constantly correct spinal alignment that needs a little help. Many will verbal cue you without a physical adjustment, but some teachers are more hands on. You will notice your posture change, for the better, right away and your spine will thank you for it.

Proper breathing helps us deal with stress and oxygenates the blood faster than the more common shallow breath. In many cases deeper breathing will improve high blood pressure. This is not a guarantee, but deeper breathing has a calming effect on the mind and body.

Lastly, the many benefits of learning to relax or meditate are so plentiful that books have been written on the subject. A calm mind leads to a calm body and Yoga will allow you to make friends with your body again.
So, if you have a multitude of good expectations about taking a Chair Yoga class, you won't be disappointed.