The Advantages of Chair Yoga for Seniors
What are your thoughts about aging and growing older? I believe that age is a state of mind and you will feel whatever you believe to be true. As I age, I still plan to fully enjoy life and remain of value to the people I care about because I am taking care of my body well. I’ll also be wiser and have more lived experiences to share.
For many, aging is something they fear. Because in our society we associate aging with becoming weaker, and losing parts of yourself. Some may fear growing old not only because of the physical changes they may experience, but also because of the fear of being a burden to the people around you.
Once we are older, we start thinking about what we can do to help offset some of the changes occurring in our bodies- perhaps some people begin to exercise, eat healthier foods, go to bed earlier at night, take vitamins and other supplements - simply trying to live a healthier life.
Aging is an unavoidable life stage. We all know this. For many, it is not just about the numbers, it is about moving forward in life with less mobility, more vulnerability to your surroundings, and much more emotional factors to handle knowing you want to do so much but your body and mind limit you.
Growing old should not hinder us from doing the things that we love, nor give us a reason not to enjoy the remainder of our earthly years. There are practical things that could help us deal with it and the good news is that we do not have to wait until we are old to start. So let’s talk about chair YOGA for seniors!
Understanding Yoga Chair for Seniors
Practicing yoga knows no age. You can do yoga if you are a child and continue doing it as an elder. However, there is a slight difference on what kind of yoga exercises are best as a senior as your mobility changes. For aging populations, and limitations in the physical body chair yoga for seniors is a great fit.
Chair yoga, as the term suggests, is performing yoga while seated on a chair or with the support of a chair while standing for balance. This yoga is ideal for seniors as the movements are gentler and shorter compared with regular yoga. Despite the absence of a yoga mat, chair yoga offers the same physical, mental, emotional and social advantages with that of regular yoga (which maybe you performed in younger years).
Is Chair Yoga Safe for Elders?
Chair yoga was developed in 1982 by yoga therapist Lakshmi Voelker when one of her yoga students was stricken with arthritis and could not get down on the floor to do yoga movements. With her passion for wellness, yoga sequences with the use of a chair were created so more people can still enjoy yoga and its benefits despite mobility issues, disability, and old age.
Chair yoga is the ideal fit for seniors because of:
Limited mobility
Chronic body pains (could be caused by strenuous movements)
Risks of falls and other injuries
Age-related health issues
Challenges with physical balance
What are the Advantages of Chair Yoga for Seniors?
Much like regular yoga, as mentioned earlier, chair yoga offers the same advantages - stress reduction and management, self-care, and physical strength. But what’s in it for elders?
Increases flexibility and strength. Chair yoga allows you to move - twist, stretch, bend - all of which could increase your flexibility allowing you to do a lot of things you thought may have thought were impossible with aging. As your muscles are loosened up with the movements you make, you increase your strength, giving you the physical balance you need to be able to avoid injuries, trips and falls.
Reduces stress and promotes good sleep. As you do chair yoga for seniors, your focus is directed, allowing you to have clarity of mind which enables you to handle stress brought about by daily tasks and routines. With stress reduced and managed, you are off to a good night’s sleep knowing you were able to conquer the day.
Manages chronic health conditions and reduces chronic pain. Doing chair yoga exercises relieves you from anxiety and stress. Thus, you refrain from developing bad habits that lead to chronic health conditions such as diabetes, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Most often than not, with chronic health conditions come chronic pain. Yoga helps reduce pain when endorphin hormone is released which is responsible for helping with discomfort and pain.
Boosts self-confidence and builds relationships. While focusing and taking care of yourself in yoga, you become more aware of yourself and what you are capable of which boosts your self-confidence. Being confident allows you to connect and build meaningful relationships outside of your circle.
Improves brain function and memory. In yoga, you not only move your body but you also focus and do breathing exercises to improve brain function. This is a great benefit to aging as it enhances memory.
Options for Chair Yoga
You have the option of doing chair yoga for seniors alone or with a group. Whichever way you want to do it, here are simple tips for you to get started:
Choose a sturdy chair as your support for your yoga movements. You want to ensure the chair is as stable as possible for supporting your movements. As an option, you can secure your chair on the floor with a yoga mat to avoid the chair from sliding.
Clear your space. Make sure you do your chair yoga a few feet away from furniture, tables and other fixtures to avoid injury.
Start slowly with your chair yoga movements until you have a feel of the routines
Most importantly, if you are unsure, it is best to consult with a yoga Baltimore expert.
Anyone can do chair yoga and enjoy its benefits. Its simplicity as a form of yoga makes it accessible to anyone who wants to achieve a healthy well-being. If you are a senior, you may want to try chair yoga Baltimore out. Or if you have loved-ones who are seniors, you may want to talk to them about chair yoga for seniors to improve their health and mobility .
