International Yoga Day 2024: Yoga Adaptations For Seniors With Limited Mobility

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Yoga seems hard sometimes, don't you think? Or maybe you think it's only for the young and bendy? Well, think again!  Chair yoga makes yoga easy for everyone. With chair yoga, you can get all the benefits without the struggle.
As we grow older, adapting our habits and lifestyles becomes crucial for maintaining well-being. Challenges like joint pain, achy muscles, fatigue, and other age-related issues can hinder physical activity. Consequently, many seniors find themselves leaning towards a sedentary lifestyle, exacerbating these concerns. However, chair yoga offers a practical and cost-effective exercise option that brings remarkable benefits to older adults.

Read on to find out what Rati S Tehri, a Yoga Expert suggests asanas are for seniors and people with limited mobility:

What Is Chair Yoga?

Chair yoga takes regular yoga poses and changes them. Instead of the floor, you use a chair. This makes yoga accessible for seniors, people with disabilities, or anyone who has trouble moving. With chair yoga, you can stretch and strengthen without getting up and down.

Why Chair Yoga Works?

It helps you get more flexible¬, stronger, and better balance. But you don't have to work too hard.  The chair lets you modify poses to your ability. You still get the same benefits as regular yoga. And it's a simple way to exercise during your day without leaving your chair.

The Awesome Benefits of Chair Yoga

Perks for Your Body

Chair yoga is amazing for your body in many ways:

1. Improved Flexibility: Stretching while seated helps your body become limber and agile.
2. Better Strength: Simple movements while sitting work your muscles, especially your core¬ and legs.
3. Enhanced Balance: Doing balance poses while holding a chair reduces the risk of falls.
4. Reduced Pain: Gentle¬ seated movements can ease chronic aches and pains in joints and muscles.

5 Essential Chair Yoga Poses

1. Tadasana (Mountain Pose with Cat/Cow) -Mountain Pose aims for a strong, upright posture. Sit at the front of your chair, feet, and knees hip-width apart. Place hands on thighs or let them rest at your sides. Lengthen your spine by reaching the crown of your head upward. Relax shoulders away from ears, chin parallel to the floor. Create space at the back of your neck and look forward. From here, practice Marjaryasana (Cat) and Bitilasana (Cow). Exhale, draw the navel towards the spine, tuck the tailbone, and round your back. Inhale, arch your back, lift your chest, and gaze towards the ceiling.

2. Bharadvajasana(Bharadvaja’s Twist) - Start in Mountain Pose, seated at the front edge of your chair. Inhale to lengthen your spine. Exhale and twist to the right, keeping hips facing forward, twisting from waist and shoulders. Use left hand on outside of right thigh for gentle leverage, and reach right arm back to hold chair for stability. Stay here, deepen the twist on exhales if comfortable. Release hands and unwind back to Tadasana. Repeat on the other side.

3. Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose) -From Mountain Pose, bring feet together. Cross right leg over left thigh and extend arms parallel to the floor. Lift left arm, align bicep with ear, bend elbow, and reach hand toward the back of the neck. Internally rotate the right arm, palm facing behind you, and bend the elbow, bringing the back of the hand toward the spine. Reach down with your left hand and up with your right, moving hands toward each other along the spine. Fingers may meet in Gomukhasana, but it's optional. Unwind and repeat on the opposite side.

4. Tittibhasana (Firefly Pose) -From Mountain Pose, widen your knees towards the chair's seat corners. Place your hands on the front edge of the seat. Lengthen your spine, activate your core, and press your hands firmly into the seat as if preparing to lift off in Firefly pose. Straighten your legs, engage your quadriceps, and lift your feet off the floor.

5. ViparitaVirabhadrasana (Reverse Warrior) - From Mountain Pose, shift your weight to the right side of the chair, letting your right buttock hang off the edge. Open your left knee outward, ensuring your thigh rests fully on the seat. Point your left foot and knee to the left, aligning your knee over your ankle. Extend your right leg straight to the side, pressing the outer edge of your foot down firmly. Inhale, lengthen your spine, and extend your arms parallel to the floor. Exhale as you lean to the right, reaching your left hand toward the ceiling and placing your right hand on your left leg in Reverse Warrior. Return upright, bend your legs into Mountain Pose, then shift to the left side of your chair and repeat the sequence on the opposite side.

Chair yoga allows people of all ages to stay active. It means finding what's best for you. That's the fun journey to better health! What's holding you back? Get a chair and begin your chair yoga adventure now! You won't regret taking care of your body and mind.