Do you face the difficulty of bending down and tying your shoelaces? Does getting up from a chair seem daunting? If your answer is yes, you need a good yoga form that could replenish your energy and help you get fit (1). You may wonder how you could make all those seemingly complicated yoga moves. The good news is that you can do yoga while sitting in the comfort of your chair and still make immense mobility gains. Chair yoga is becoming increasingly popular in fitness circles. Do you wish to know more? Read on to learn more about the benefits of chair yoga, its poses, and how you can become healthy and active without much hassle.
When asked to picture yoga, most people think of it as putting one’s body through complex moves and finishing by balancing their body on a single foot. That however, is not the entire case.
There are other alternatives to traditional yoga that require simpler and easier moves. Many people don’t have the time to hit the gym. As for others, lifting weights isn’t just the right option for them.
For such people, yoga is miraculous since it requires just their bodies. And chair yoga might be the holy-grail solution for those who can’t twist their body due to immobility, stiffness, or balance issues.
Chair yoga is a modified and simpler form of standard yoga, done while sitting on a chair. It could bring the same health benefits as traditional yoga and is more easily practiced by seniors and those with a physical disability.
The best aspect of chair yoga is that it can be easily modified and adapted according to individual needs. Listed below are some of the top-notch health benefits of chair yoga.
Perhaps, the most significant health benefit of yoga is improving overall flexibility. A 2019 study found that yoga massively enhances flexibility in older adults (2). As we age, our joints may start stiffening, and we lose mobility.
The lack of exercise and following a sedentary lifestyle makes doing basic chores, like climbing the stairs, difficult. For that, chair yoga may help to restore mobility and make us flexible.
Also, many older adults are at risk of falling over. Data reveals that about 3 million old adults experience fall-related injuries every year. Performing chair yoga may help them maintain their balance and prevent them from tripping over (3).
Read More: Sit, Stretch, And Soothe: Chair Yoga Sequence For A Relaxed Mind And Body
While many people link yoga with flexibility, it does much more than enhance mobility. In fact, chair yoga can help improve upper body strength and build muscles.
This could be more effective in older adults as muscle mass declines rapidly with age. Greater muscle mass helps burn calories and increases bone density (2).
The feelings of happiness and relaxation that come with yoga have no parallel. Focusing on breathing and imagining stress leaving your body with every breath creates a feeling of relaxation.
In addition to improving flexibility and building strength, doing chair yoga may relieve stress and cure anxiety. Hectic daily work routines can be stressful for many.
Overdoing it and taking minimal rests leads to burnout and depression. In such cases, doing yoga can be relaxing. Study reveals that yoga relieves stress, anxiety, and depression in women (4).
The benefits of yoga in a chair are not just limited to mobility. They also cover chronic illnesses, including type II diabetes, arthritis, and hypertension. A study revealed that a group of people following a 10-minute chair yoga routine experienced significant improvement in their blood sugar, blood pressure, and heart rate within three months (5).
Chair yoga is also an excellent painkiller. Our bodies produce endorphins when working out, acting as the body’s natural painkillers. Since chair yoga includes gentle movement and deep breathing, it may relieve discomfort and reduce pain significantly. One study revealed that performing chair yoga relieves osteoarthritis pain in older adults (6).
Since yoga relieves stress and fatigue, it creates a feeling of relaxation. This, in turn, improves sleep quality and makes it easier for older individuals to fall asleep easily.
Chair yoga is highly beneficial as it offers multiple health benefits while seated on a chair. From improving flexibility and mobility to boosting mood, there is so much more than an individual could experience from working out while seated.
By now, you must be thinking about how to do chair yoga and make the most of it. We have listed the best chair yoga exercises to supercharge your health and the benefits of seated poses in yoga.
Starting the list with the basic and easy chair yoga pose for beginners – The Warrior I pose or the Virabhadrasana I. This engages your shoulders, arms, and hands.
Next on the list with the basic and easy chair yoga pose for beginners – The Chair Forward Fold. This has been known to improve flexibility by stretching the lower back and legs. It may also help older adults get up from their chairs and walk easily.
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You may have seen yoga practitioners twist their bodies in a complicated manner. While it may seem difficult, it is easier on a chair. The chair twist may relieve lower back pain and enhance flexibility.
The downward dog pose may enhance your flexibility and work out your shoulders. To perform chair downward dog:
The cat-cow pose is a pretty popular yoga pose that enhances flexibility and mobility. The pose is named after the moves replicating those of the cat and cow.
To perform the Seated Cat-Cow Pose with Chair, do the following:
Chair pigeon pose may enhance endurance and mobility in the lower back. It is also known as the hip opener and performs the yoga pose:
If you want to improve flexibility in your legs, then the Single-Leg Stretch Pose is ideal for you.
Read More: Can You Use Chair Yoga For Weight Loss?
The next chair yoga pose may be beneficial for improving upper body flexibility. To perform this pose,
Remember to take deep breaths with your body movement and focus on the breath leaving your body. This helps you relax and wind down.
Chair yoga has proven effective in improving flexibility, enhancing mobility, and reducing pain.
A study revealed that individuals with Alzheimer’s, following a chair yoga routine, experienced positive improvements in the Six-Minute Walk Test, the Gait Speed Test, and various other physical fitness tests (7).
This shows chair yoga significantly improves physical fitness, mobility, and endurance. Here are some other health benefits of chair yoga for seniors.
Many obese individuals and people with physical disabilities experience low self-esteem. For such people, chair yoga can be pretty beneficial as they don’t have to go out where they feel awkward or judged. All they have to do is to grab a chair and perform a series of basic yoga poses. Doing seated yoga poses improves flexibility, builds strength, and, most importantly, boosts a person’s self-esteem.
The feeling of accomplishment and the relaxation of systematic breathing alleviates anxiety and makes one feel good about themselves (8).
Most of our time is spent hunching over and focusing too much on our screens. Doing seated yoga poses like the Seated Chest Opener may improve our posture by straightening our backs and physique.
Chair yoga may also relieve inflammation caused by chronic diseases such as Crohn’s, arthritis, or diabetes. And as it alleviates inflammation, the movements also boosts immunity and prevents you from developing chronic illnesses.
Our immune system is hugely compromised when we age, and we tend to get multiple diseases more often due to weak immunity. Doing chair yoga works wonders for our immune system and makes us healthy.
Human attention, concentration, learning, and memory functions tend to decline as we age. Science proves that doing physical exercises like yoga improves blood flow towards the brain and improves mind-body coordination.
Last but not least, joining chair yoga classes helps individuals learn they are not alone in this journey. Attending classes with people with similar issues builds confidence and enhances your self-esteem.
Working out in a group motivates individuals to keep going and experience low anxiety.
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Seated yoga reaps the health benefits of chair yoga for everyone. Almost everyone could benefit from such exercises as they can be done at home, from young adults to older people.
Individuals on wheelchairs or recovering from surgeries can benefit greatly from chair yoga. Many people who hesitate to do yoga on a mat due to instability or balance issues can adopt a chair yoga practice. Also, it can be incorporated as a quick workout while traveling or added into a regular workout routine. Whatever the case, chair yoga makes everyone healthy.
Here is a list of some individuals who could benefit the most from chair yoga.
As we age, our bodies go through some important changes. Our bones become weaker, our muscles lose strength, and we become more prone to falling. Our immune system may also become less effective in fighting off illnesses. Benefits of chair yoga for the elderly have compelled medical experts to explore its potential.
Engaging in chair yoga regularly improves our ability to move around, strengthen our muscles, and enhance our balance. This, in turn, reduces the risk of falling and getting hurt (2).
In addition, chair yoga contributes to healthy aging by supporting our overall wellbeing. It makes our everyday lives easier, allowing us to navigate the later stages of life more comfortably and joyfully.
As mentioned above, chair yoga benefits people with chronic illnesses like hypertension, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes (7). It may also help people with mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.
Many people experience limited mobility due to joint or muscle issues, such as multiple sclerosis or spine injuries. Practicing chair yoga is helpful for such individuals, and they should make it an active part of their life (9).
People who work remotely or spend hours hunched over a screen often experience lower back pain and bad posture. Chair yoga may allow them to fix their posture and alleviate lower back pain.
Chair yoga must be incorporated into our daily routines as it offers many health benefits without any harm. Due to its simplicity and ease of use, it can be done virtually everywhere.
But if you have just started, jumping quickly into doing strenuous yoga daily might not be as effective and may cause you to become stressed.
Ideally, it would help if you started slow with basic chair yoga poses and gradually increase the duration once you become habituated. CDC recommends doing chair yoga two to three times a week for senior adults. Senior adults aged 65 and above should get at least two strengthening days and three balance activities (10).
As such, they should do chair yoga more often as it offers many health benefits for older people and maybe the easiest exercise for them as it massively enhances flexibility and mobility without any hassle.
Chair yoga is a great and simple type of yoga with many health benefits. It helps with things like moving better, getting stronger, becoming more flexible, and managing pain. Both adults and older folks, especially those 65 years or older, can benefit from it.
But before starting any yoga, it’s important to talk to your doctor first. Once you have the green light, you can make it a regular part of your day and enjoy the benefits of chair yoga. You’ll be amazed at how it can work its magic and improve your health and overall well-being. Knowing this, hop on that chair and embark on a wonderful journey toward better health!
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