Introduced to the world as a modified version of the Hatha yoga style, chair yoga has gained quite a following over time. This yoga style is best suited for individuals suffering from medical conditions like chronic pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and osteoporosis among others. It lets you reap the benefits of yoga even during the later years.
A major advantage of chair yoga is it helps you maintain balance along with improving your flexibility and weight management. This yoga style also improves your overall mental state without much hassle. If you are someone above 50 years of age, give Chair Yoga For Seniors a try.
Want to know what else is Chair yoga good for? Yoga experts have the answer.
Benefit Of Chair Yoga
As a senior citizen, the idea of joining a gym would not be that much attractive to you. Moreover, it cannot help you get over the pain and discomfort you feel after sitting 8 hours on a desk in your office.
Chair yoga is the best solution for you to relieve workplace stress and tension. This yoga style is also mindful practice which provides you with a good measure of self-care for the mind and body.
Do you know that a long flight can lead to the formation of blood clots in your legs owing to remaining immobile for a longer duration? If you travel longer distances via flight, then chair yoga can help you stay active while sitting in one place.
The stretching and movements you practice during chair yoga for seniors help minimize the risk of developing blood clots.
That is not all! Chair yoga does offer you some major health benefits like;
1. Improves Flexibility
Your ability to bend, twist, and stretch during chair yoga practice helps engage in activities you love doing. Add to that, you need not worry about flexibility as through gentle stretch and flexing, you retain the ability to be flexible even during later years.
2. Improves Proprioception
Yoga practice requires you to move from one asana to the next with smoothness. The smooth movement from one asana to the next improves proprioception.
You might ask – What is Proprioception? It is your ability to sense where your body is in space. With more proprioception, you develop better coordination and eventually the risk of injuries due to accidental falls decreases to a large extent.
3. Reduces Pain
Do you know that one of the perks of daily exercise is a reduction in pain? Yes! Working out during the chair yoga session helps your body release endorphins, which are feel-good hormones that counter this pain. In other words, chair yoga for seniors is an excellent therapy for pain relief during old age.
4. Improves Sleep Quality
There is a strong relationship between the level of your physical activity and sleep quality. Chair yoga reduces unnecessary stress and mental pain which in turn contributes to improved sleep. In the long run, a lack of sleep is no more a cause for worry for you.
5. Improves Strength
Every yoga style requires some level of muscle power and strength and chair yoga is no exception. With more strength comes more balance which reduces the chances of a fall. It is what improves your body’s ability to withstand an injury during the later years. However, you should practice the right different types of Pranayama along with Chair yoga to reap the full benefits.
6. Minimizes Stress
Remember, mindfulness is an eternal part of every yoga practice. It is also what leads to a form of moving meditation that promotes relaxation, minimizes stress, and improves your mental clarity.
Also, chair yoga improves your mood and offers relief from mental health issues like anxiety and depression which are quite common at a later age.
7. Improves Pain Management
Apart from helping your body release endorphins, which are the feel-good hormones, chair yoga provides you with the right tools to manage pain. The focus on meditation during this yoga style helps retain your ability to work through discomfort and pain with ease. It is what makes Chair Yoga For Seniors the best yoga style you should practice during the later years.
To reap all these wonderful benefits, you must practice the right chair yoga asanas. Yoga experts have come up with a list of yoga poses to help you practice yoga in later years.
3 Chair Yoga Poses For Seniors
One thing you should remember is all these poses can be easily practised in a normal chair.
With that said, given below are three chair yoga for seniors asanas you should know about.
1. Seated Mountain Pose
The perfect yoga asana that focuses on your breathing and engages the core muscles.
Steps to Practice Seated Mountain Pose
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Sit on a chair with your spine completely straight.
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Take a deep inhale and lengthen your spine.
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Exhale. Push your sitting bones into the chair. Your legs should form a 90-degree angle.
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Take one more deep breath. Exhale. Roll your shoulders down and back.
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Engage your core muscles and keep both arms relaxed by your body’s side.
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Hold this pose for one minute and breath.
2. Seated Warrior I Pose
This chair yoga for seniors pose helps stretch your arms and improves circulation.
Steps To Seated Warrior Pose
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Right from the Seated Mountain Pose, inhale deeply and raise both arms above your head.
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Interlace your fingers with the first finger and thumb out.
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Exhale. Rollback your shoulders.
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Take five deep breaths. Bring both arms back by your body’s side.
3. Reverse Arm Hold
If you want to give your shoulders a gentle stretch and open the chest, do the Reverse Arm Hold pose.
Steps to Reverse Arm Hold
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Inhale. Stretch both arms out by your body’s side. Keep the palms down.
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Roll both shoulders in the forward direction while exhaling.
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Let both your hands swing loosely behind your back.
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Clasp both hands together and pull slightly for some resistance. Do not release the grip.
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Take deep breaths and repeat with the opposite arm.
Conclusion
Do you want to stay fit and healthy during later years? You should read this comprehensive guide on chair yoga for seniors to practise a gentle style of yoga. This yoga will help you not just retain flexibility and muscle strength, it would also help you stay away from accidental falls.
