Chair pose, demonstrated by yoga instructor, Karen Watson Reeves, benefits flexibility and strength. Photography – Fred Padilla.
By Karen Watson Reeves
Did you know we have two classes a week at The Yoga Place taught from a chair? (And as in all our scheduled classes, safety precautions such as temperature check, wearing a mask anytime students are not on the mat, and mats placed appropriate distance for protection, are in place for the students in the chair class.)
If you are struggling with limited mobility, balance issues, healing from an illness, injury, or surgery, or if stiffness doesn’t allow getting up and down from the floor with ease, then chair yoga may be for you!
I took my first chair yoga class about fourteen years ago. My instructor had just been trained in chair yoga and was excited to share her knowledge. I remember thinking, “Really? I came for a good workout, and we are going to sit in a chair?” I confess I was sore in new places the next day.
Here are just a few benefits of practicing yoga from sitting in a chair:
- Increased flexibility. Loss of flexibility happens when people stop moving and twisting and bending. “Use it or lose it” is a true statement. Being able to bend and stretch and move freely allows us to keep doing the things we love, even as we age.
- Improved strength. So many of the yoga poses help build strength, which leads to better balance and ability to withstand injury. Some of the poses are from a standing position with the chair nearby to help maintain balance.
- Improved proprioception. This is the ability to know where your body is in space. Yoga moves the individual smoothly from one pose to the next. With better proprioception, coordination improves and risk of falling decreases.
- Reduced pain and improved pain management skills. Exercise releases natural painkillers, endorphins, and yoga provides us with skills to manage pain. By focusing on the breath and practicing meditation or quieting the chatter in the mind, we can focus on something other than pain.
There are so many more benefits, as in any yoga class. Why not join us for chair yoga and discover some of them for yourself?
Karen Watson Reeves has called Hot Springs home since 2006. She became a registered yoga teacher and a registered children’s yoga teacher in 2011. She has taught children and family yoga in many settings and would welcome an opportunity to help your family stay physically active during this time of quarantine. She owns The Yoga Place, is on the Hot Springs YMCA teaching staff, is an adjunct instructor at National Park College, as well as teaching in several other fabulous venues. www.TheYogaPlaceHS.com.
