Experts explain why the yoga chair is good for adults

Many forms of exercise are not done sitting down—but instructors agree that practicing yoga is not the same as mass exercise. Whether you choose two or four legs (with furniture), a yoga chair has the same benefits as a traditional one, say instructors Jennifer Mast and Lakshmi Voelker.

Although most of their chair yoga students are adults who want to improve their mental and physical health, adapting to the traditional postures of chair yoga is also beneficial for those who have problems with go with people who work at home and spend a lot of time sitting. desk.

Below, we explain what chair yoga is and explain how chair yoga for adults can be an important form of exercise for the elderly in the area.

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What is a yoga pose?

Simply put, a yoga chair adapts to many traditional yoga poses (“asanas”), so they are done sitting instead of standing. Some yoga poses are done standing but use a chair for balance.

Lifeline offers a printable guide of 12 common yoga poses like cat-cow and warrior 2, while Allinna Health has an explanatory guide with five pictures to get you started.

Applying gentle flow to a standing position can improve focus on proper breathing and build flexibility, balance and strength for anyone of any age. whatever the ability, say educators.

The philosophy behind chair yoga is similar to standing yoga poses, and such poses are simple or advanced. “Working with older people has shown me that the yoga chair starts with seeing it as a block, strap or mat,” says Mast of Massachusetts. “The chair is about allowing our bodies to find a movement that feels right but shattering the myths that we all have to fit our bodies in the same place. There is no shame in changing. The body of everyone’s abilities are different on any given day.”

Chair yoga is also a great place to start for adults who have never done traditional yoga and need to build a foundation of knowledge, say the instructors.

“I don’t do power yoga anymore. The yoga chair, for me, showed that we can take this path, and we can get really, really strong with it,” says Mast. “This is about building muscle, balance and flexibility. It’s about range of motion, but probably the most important thing is building hope because there is a lot of fear about aging, especially if someone has fallen or had a hip or knee replacement.”

What are the benefits of chair yoga for adults?

Increasing flexibility and range of motion—especially in the hips, knees, and ankles—is important for fall prevention in older adults, says the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)—which also Note that, annually, one in three adults each year gets a fall. Those risks can lead to not only the need for medical care but the loss of independence.

For adults, the NSCA recommends strength and power training (such as squatting and squatting), as well as balance training. Yoga provides both as well as flexibility, says California-based Voelker.

Plus, there are more benefits to exercise than the physical, he says. “Each birth enriches a different part of the body, a different gland and a different organ, and a different part of our emotional and physical perspective,” she explains. “Just eight movements of the spine in your desk chair, going into the trunk, deep breathing, and spinal movement can change your life and your productivity.”

Kith and Kin Yoga have a video demonstration of what the figure eight backbend looks like, standing and sitting, side by side.

Even one session of deep breathing exercise has been found to lower blood pressure, heart rate and anxiety levels, note senior health researchers cited in Scientific Reports.

What are some of the best yoga poses?

Spinal movements, and many others, are beneficial when done standing or sitting, says Voelker.

His lectures and his book include sitting posture changes such as:

• A tree: Usually a balancing position with the arms above the head or pressed together to the chest. One leg is on the ground, while the opposite leg is akimbo. Here is a video of the different types of Yoga Journal. The tree promotes the flexibility of the spine and combats the collapse of a sedentary lifestyle.

• Triangle pose: Strengthens legs and back and improves digestion. The position spreads the legs apart, the front toes facing forward and the back making a 90-degree angle. The front hand rests on the seat, and the opposite hand rests on the hip of the back leg. (See how to do the triangle chair pose at YogaUOnline.)

• The place of the mountain: Helps improve posture and balance. Standing, involves keeping the legs parallel with a slight bend in the knees, pulling in the navel, while pulling the shoulder blades back. The mountain pose, described by Northern Zen Yoga on YouTube, can be done with yoga blocks under the feet. The same video also has a standing technique that uses the back of a chair for support.

SilverSneakers—a health and fitness program for seniors that is covered by many Medicare plans—shares an example of a chair yoga class with essential positions.

How can adults practice chair yoga safely?

The choice of chair for yoga practice is important, says Voelker. “It must be solid and stable, with a closed seat, straight back, and not wobble or move around. If it has wheels, you should be able to lock them. ” The chair should also not have arms to allow a lot of movement of the hands of the person practicing on it.

As with any type of yoga practice, the safety aspect of chair yoga for adults means having discussions with the care team about whether your body and position are okay, to say the least. Mast. “Safety is always at the forefront of my mind because, even in a chair yoga class, people can slip,” she says. Even if they’re seated, adults shouldn’t exercise on socks, on slippery linoleum floors, or in messy rooms, Mast advises.

So, what is a yoga chair? Practicing and teaching the essentials of it, is a great way for adults to build confidence and physical strength during that time. There is no denying the appeal of yoga around the world. Chair yoga for adults just proves that factors like age and mobility shouldn’t hold back would-be practitioners.