Take a seat - the benefits of Chair Yoga
You may have seen yoga teachers and students practising yoga and thought - “I could never do that”, I can’t get up and down on the mat like that”, “My back/hip/knee would play up”, “I am to stiff/old/inflexible!”. How about trying a CHAIR yoga class? In my Chair Yoga classes, we stay seated throughout to give us a safe base to move our bodies comfortably and within their limits. Chair Yoga is about movement, poses, breathing and relaxing - it has all the elements of a mat-based yoga practise without the getting up and down on and off the mat.
Chair Yoga is suitable for ANYONE and EVERYONE of all ages. It’s especially ideal if you have any mobility issues or health conditions that mean you would prefer to stay seated. Chair Yoga is more than just exercise, it’s about learning how to breathe fully and effectively to bring calm to the body and mind. We mobilise our bodies gently and get our muscles and joints working with flowing, repetitive movements. We hold poses for a few breaths, just enough to feel a stretch or sense of opening in the body.
Chair Yoga can help you develop stronger muscles and keep joints mobile. The longer we keep our bodies moving, the less at risk we are of falls or other mobility injuries. Our posture can also improve with regular Chair Yoga exercises, and we release those niggling aches and pains that can bring our mood and energy down. After a chair yoga class, you might feel relaxed and need a sleep or you might feel you have lots of energy - one of my students feels so energised she vaccums the whole house afterwards!
We practise breathing more slowly to help us feel calm but also to slow down our heart rate and lower our blood pressure. Many of us breathe small and shallow breaths, but in chair yoga we learn to use the full capacity of our lungs to breathe better.
My Chair Yoga classes give people a chance to get out of the house, feel calm and relaxed, move safely and comfortably, meet other people and socialise with each other at the end when we have a cuppa to celebrate our hard work!
We often have a giggle in class, none of us know our left or right, and we take things at our own pace.
If you’re interested in coming to a Chair Yoga class you can book online or message me to book a space and pay cash on the door at a cost of £8 per session. You can also buy four classes for £28.
Classes are held at Hugglescote Community Centre on Grange Road Hugglescote from 11am to 12 noon each Monday (please contact me in advance to book a space in case of holidays etc).