5 Reasons Chair Yoga is Awesome
End of the year blog posting (quite down to the moment), looks like this:
Yoga quite literally embodies change. You cannot have a practice without changing (your breath, your body, your perspective, your skin— sweat glands, yes), and it really happens no matter what that practice looks like. And— this year, for me? Yoga was all about remaining present - with breath, with all emotions and feelings, staying conscious/grounded even when I felt foggy or untethered— I practiced a lot off the mat. AND 2022 was the year after 2021, during which I was expecting, and very nauseous and ill, with a limited yoga practice.
SO, practicing anywhere, at any time, was a gift. That often meant taking a 20 second break while documenting patient notes, or practicing ujayii pranayama at a stop light. Get your yoga in, no matter where or what it looks like. Just do it, because your nervous system, and the nervous system of your community/family/friends/loved ones is counting on it. You will quite literally change theirs. Back to our list.
Chair yoga is founded on inclusivity. More people can practice this way, as they’re not necessitated to have use of lower limbs, the cardiovascular reserve to do some of the calisthenic gymnastics that’s involved in a “power flow” class - no judgment, all love, but those classes take a lot of physiological and physical capacity.
You can practice pretty much anywhere that you can be seated. Yep, it’s that easy: Breathe, ground, flow.
No mat, no problem. This, of the many practice types, doesn’t require a single prop aside from a chair. Come as you are.
For the faint of heart (or breath), chair yoga is suitable for cardiac patients, individuals with low blood sugar or on dialysis, cancer patients, etc. And while you can definitely dial up the heat (and difficulty— by engaging the arms, for example), you can also keep things relatively low level so that heart rates stay in a healthy range, and everyone feels comfortable during and after practice.
Your nervous system gets (quite likely) the same benefit as practice on a mat! Breathwork and intentional movement helps to lower the heart rate and blood pressure to healthy levels and keeps your body and brain calm. We know that when we’re stuck in fight or flight (sympathetic drive) mode we can’t think as well, nor can we retain as much information and elevated stress hormones in the body are not good for it. Your body operates best with homeostasis at the level of rest and digest as its default.
Let’s all try to get there. Pepper chair yoga in throughout your day and you’ll wonder how you functioned without it.
Love,
Rebecca
