I’ve heard people refer to chair yoga vs “REAL” yoga, usually meaning yoga on the ground (on a mat). I think there is a perception that yoga has to be hot, sweaty, fast, and difficult to be effective. That style of yoga leaves a lot of people out, including me, because I prefer a more thoughtful approach.

Even though chair yoga is accessible to more bodies, we can get the same benefits from the practice: increased mobility, flexibility, stability, and a calmer nervous system.

Even in mat yoga we use props, such as blocks or straps, to make poses more useful and/or accessible. A chair is really just another prop. This can be so helpful for anyone who doesn’t want to be on the ground, for any reason. We can do movement while seated on the chair, and use the chair as support for standing poses.

Because I specialize in working with beginners and people over 50, my career virtually exploded once I learned how to teach chair yoga. I even teach chair yoga to younger people in a corporate setting, and incorporate so much of what I learned into my mat classes, too.

This CNN Health article titled “Chair yoga is not just for older people. It’s good for everyone, especially the desk-bound” outlines the many benefits of chair yoga, for all kinds of bodies. I loved this quote:

“Five minutes of chair yoga a day is better than doing it once a week for an hour,” Dooreck said. “You want to create a habit. Once you do five minutes, people often want to do more because they feel better.” (More on this topic next week)

I hope you can make some time to move, breathe, and practice with me this week.

Be Well,

Eva