Yoga is a great way to stay both physically and mentally fit. Through various stretching poses, breathing exercises, and meditation, yoga offers great benefits without any intense exercise. However, as we grow older or out of shape, even the basic yoga poses can be a challenge. That’s where Chair Yoga comes in!
Chair Yoga, as the name implies, is a form of yoga that you can practice while sitting in a chair. For some with mobility issues, Chair Yoga can be a great starting point to either get the same benefits as other yoga or to start working towards other exercises.
Below, we explain the different benefits you can achieve through Chair Yoga, how to get started, some of the basic and advanced poses, and general exercise tips.
If you want to learn more about Yoga in general, please visit our Introduction to Yoga.
Chair Yoga for Seniors Guide
Benefits of Chair Yoga
Yoga in general helps build strength and improve flexibility while also reducing stress and anxiety. By including the mind and spirit in exercises that focus on the body, yoga is a holistic approach to fitness. Chair Yoga is no different.
Flexibility and Mobility
By practicing the different Chair Yoga poses on a regular basis, your muscles and joints will have better range of motion. With the better range of motion, this helps make moving around easier as it also reduces stiffness. Altogether, this makes daily activities easier and more comfortable.
Strength and Balance
Along the same lines as flexibility and mobility, Chair Yoga also challenges your muscles with varying resistance, which helps build muscle. As some poses focus on the core, legs, and arms, Chair Yoga can help strengthen your stabilizing muscles, which in turn helps improve your balance.
Stress and Anxiety Relief
Aside from the physical movements in Chair Yoga, you also practice breathing exercises that help promote mindfulness. As you focus on your breathing, you experience a sense of calm, which helps reduce stress and improves anxiety.
Location
Because Chair Yoga is performed in a chair, you can practice Chair Yoga anywhere you have a chair: at home, a senior center, at work, and so on! This is one of the greatest benefits of Chair Yoga: the accessibility to practice it wherever you go. And for those who practice other forms of yoga or prefer cardio and/or strength training: Chair Yoga can be a great addition to your routine if you can do anything else.
Getting Started with Chair Yoga
To get started with Chair Yoga, we recommend reading our Introduction to Yoga first, which covers the basics of yoga, how to set up your area, and how to tune out distractions. For Chair Yoga specifically, however, we have to pick out our main piece of equipment: our chair.
When looking for the right chair to use in Chair Yoga, we need to consider the following:
- Stability: As we will be performing different stretches and movements, we need to make sure the chair is sturdy and stable, able to support you throughout the Chair Yoga poses.
- Firm Seat: To ensure our stability and balance isn’t affected during the routine, we want to have a chair with a firm, flat seat. A chair with a cushion and compress too much under you, and this will affect your balance during the routine.
- Seat Height: Look for a chair that, when you sit in it, your feet are flat on the floor and your knees are at a 90-degree angle.
- Back Support: The chair should have a straight backrest to provide adequate back support.
- Armrests: Armrests on your chair are optional, but it’s a good idea to look for a chair that does have armrest because they offer additional support during poses. However, make sure the armrests are at a good height and don’t restrict your movements.
- Non-Slip: To help with the chair’s stability, we need to avoid chairs with wheels, and we can further improve the chair’s stability by setting the chair on top of a yoga mat or carpet. This will help avoid the chair from slipping during the routine.
- Comfort: Remember, even though you’re practicing yoga, you will still be in a chair for an extended period of time, so make sure the chair is comfortable. You should be able to do the Chair Yoga poses but also be able to relax and meditate without any pain or discomfort.
Beginner Chair Yoga Poses for Seniors
Once you have your chair picked out and set up, you’re ready to try out some of the basic Chair Yoga poses for seniors.
- Neck Stretches: Gently tilt your head to the left and right to stretch your neck, then alternated by tilting your head forward and backward.
- Seated Forward Bend: Bend your upper body forward from the hips while keeping your back straight to stretch your lower back.
- Seated Cat-Cow Stretch: Arch your upper back while seated to stretch your upper back.
Advanced Chair Yoga Poses for Seniors
After you’ve spent some time practicing the basic Chair Yoga poses, you can start to try some of the more advanced Chair Yoga poses for seniors.
- Seated Warrior Pose: Reach as high as you can overhead to stretch your arms and shoulders.
- Seated Tree Pose: Lift one foot and place it on the opposite inner thigh to stretch your hips and other inner thigh.
- Seated Pigeon Pose: Cross one ankle over the opposite knee and lean forward slightly to stretch your hips and glutes.
Tips for Practicing Chair Yoga
So far, we’ve covered how to pick out the right chair and mentioned a few basic and advanced Chair Yoga poses you can try out. As you begin practicing Chair Yoga, however, we want to reiterate some of the guidance we mentioned in our Introduction to Yoga guide.
Listen To Your Body: As with any exercise, you should feel some resistance, but make sure you’re not pushing yourself too hard. If any aches or pains from exercising persist, always consult a healthcare professional.
Additional Support: In our Introduction to Yoga guide, we mentioned how yoga blocks or yoga straps can be great additions for beginners who are having trouble practicing certain poses. If you’re having trouble with a certain pose in Chair Yoga, adding extra support like a pillow or yoga block can be a great way to help you move forward.
Hydration: Even though Chair Yoga may not be considered as intense as other exercises, it’s still important to stay hydrated before, during, and after your exercise. Not only just for practicing Chair Yoga, but for your overall health as well.
Chair Yoga for Seniors: Summary
As we grow older or get more and more out of shape, the hardest part is to get started. Many of us think the only way we can get started is by going out and running for hours or lifting weights several times a day, but some of us physically can’t.
But that’s no excuse, because we’ve shown how practicing Chair Yoga can help you achieve the same benefits as other forms of yoga and exercise, such as improvements in strength, flexibility, and balance, along with an overall reduction in stress and anxiety. We’ve also shown how to pick out a good chair to start practicing Chair Yoga, and then even showed some beginner and advanced Chair Yoga poses to get started.
So, from here, you’re next step is to pick out your chair, start trying out some different yoga poses, and continue learning more to improve your knowledge of Chair Yoga and fitness in general.
We hope this guide helps set a good foundation for you if you plan to pursue Chair Yoga, senior or otherwise. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to Contact Us so we can continue to help!