Why Chair Yoga
Chair Yoga brings students joy
Maria was my first chair yoga student two years ago. She had knee replacement surgery and couldn’t get up and down from the ground. She asked me to accommodate her limitations by just doing “chair yoga.” Before I started teaching her, I didn’t know how beneficial chair yoga could be. I personally have been doing “regular on the ground” yoga since I was young. I always enjoyed all the yoga poses done on the ground and the getting up and down from the floor. But when I had to be inventive and creative to help Maria, I started thinking critically about what benefits yoga brings and what we can do when we can't get to the ground. After a few months of teaching private lessons with Maria, Eastmont Library asked me to start teaching group classes, and I gladly accepted the challenge. I now teach public classes at both Eastmont and Dimond Libraries in Oakland. See my class schedule to see when to attend.
Let’s go through some of the benefits of yoga that don’t require getting on the ground:
Breathing. Lots of breathwork can be done in any position. The breath balances the nervous system, reducing stress, improve blood pressure, improving sleep, improving cognitive function, and improving circulation.
Meditation. Focusing on the breath or other types of meditation can be done in any position and are well suited to a chair. Meditation has been shown to help reduce stress, improve sleep, help with focus, and improve mood.
Seated versions of regular “yoga asana.” Yoga Asana is the moving part of yoga. It strengthens the muscles of the body. Many regular poses can be re-imagined for a chair or standing next to a chair. Each pose has a list of benefits. I take a few poses and re-imagine them for the chair, ensuring that they give the same benefits.
Community. Being together in a chair yoga class gives the students a warm sense of community as we share a space together.
Sound. It is lovely to hear each other breathe, chant, and listen to any musical offerings that the teacher might provide (I often play my Tibetan singing bowl).
Chair yoga is accessible to anyone. I highly recommend that if you have any issues with getting up and down from the floor, you find a chair yoga class in your community and attend it regularly.
