Benefits of Chair Yoga for Seniors

Written by Heidi Nechtman

It is never too late to start a physical yoga practice.  Never! There really is something for every body and every need.

I have heard many counter arguments:

• I can’t get up and down off the floor easily anymore
• I have an issue with my hip…my shoulder….my [enter body part here]
• I struggle with balance
• I am not flexible/I am so stiff

All of these are GREAT reasons to start a chair yoga practice.  

“Well, I prefer real yoga”, some people say.  Chair yoga is real yoga—we do many of the same poses.   Chair yoga achieves the same benefits as non-chair yoga….and MORE.  There are many props used in various yoga styles that help the practitioner access the poses.  The chair is just another prop that helps address the issues in the counter-arguments above.  It helps many people (not just seniors) access the benefits of yoga safely.

Interested in learning more?  Read on for 6 benefits of chair yoga and important safety considerations.

Improved Strength

Certain medical conditions, inactivity and even just the process of aging cause our bodies to lose muscle mass.  Loss of muscle mass can lead to lower mobility and greater risk of injury.   Therefore, it is incredibly important to include strength training in our exercise plans.  

Using body weight, blocks and a focus on core engagement, chair yoga can strengthen your entire body.  Poses such as seated chair Warrior series or Warrior series standing by a chair strengthen legs, abdominal muscles, back and arms.  This is just one of many examples of how chair yoga can help to maintain strength and health.

Maintenance of Balance, Coordination and Proprioception

Maintaining balance and coordination requires practice.  A chair yoga practice offers many opportunities to practice balance safely and with a focus on proper alignment. 

Simply strengthening the muscles and joints helps with balance.  However, most yoga classes go beyond that with poses such as Tree pose or Warrior III (to name just two of the many balancing poses).  In chair yoga, these poses can be performed holding onto a chair.  Even though there is additional support, your muscles, joints and nerves are all still practicing balance.  Practicing balancing poses in chair yoga allows you to take that improved balance out into your daily life.

Many poses also require crossing the midline (reaching across your body).  Crossing the midline helps to maintain bilateral coordination and communication between the two brain hemispheres.  Practicing these activities is vital to maintaining balance and coordination. In chair yoga, we can cross the midline in both sitting and standing poses to regularly reinforce these skills.

Proprioception is the nonvisual sense that tells the body where it is relative to the space around it.  The receptors are located in the muscles, joints, ligaments, and other connective tissue.

This sense is important to allow you to move freely and smoothly.  Many health conditions, as well as typical aging, affect our proprioceptive sense.  Balancing activities in yoga help to maintain and improve this sense.

Increased Joint Health

As we age and become less active, our joints pay the price for it.  Whether it be conditions like osteoarthritis or simple inactivity, our joints become less mobile and increasingly achy.  It is critical to keep them moving.   Chair yoga is a gentle way to keep joints mobile, especially if specific attention is given to joint movement during classes.  This study investigated the impact of chair yoga on the reduction of pain for patients with osteoarthritis and found that it had a greater impact than certain other exercise activities.

Improved Flexibility

Most people associate yoga with flexibility.  Chair yoga is no different.  Poses seated in the chair or standing by the chair help to restore and maintain flexibility throughout the body.

There is an often repeated phrase…

“Saying you are not flexible enough for yoga is like saying you are too dirty to take a bath!”

The best time to start is right now!

Improved posture and body awareness

Yoga not only increases strength, balance and flexibility, but it also increases awareness of the body.  When you understand better how your body works, you can change the habits that create or increase pain.

In yoga, and chair yoga, we also pay attention to alignment.  When we are working with our legs and feet, we do not forget about our upper body posture.  In seated and standing poses, we practice an open and lifted heart.  This practice allows our body to become comfortable with a better posture and carry that out into the world with us.

Socialization and improved mental health

Breathing techniques and the focus on the present inherent in yoga classes leave us with a calmness and ease that prepares us to move smoothly through our day.  Chair yoga is no exception.  Chair yoga uses breathing techniques, savasana (resting pose) and focusing on the present moment in the same ways as any other yoga class.  Improved mental health is a common reported benefit of chair yoga.  

One benefit that may be unique to a chair yoga class is socialization.  In a chair yoga class, often there is time set aside for interaction, joking and chatting amongst the students.  This is NOT typical in other yoga classes and would be seriously frowned upon.  I go to my other yoga classes for quiet ME time, not chatting.  However, most chair yoga classes are designed for seniors and therefore, there is a balance between silence and interaction.  Chair yoga classes are FUN!

Safety Considerations

As with any physical activity, it is important to follow certain safety considerations when practicing chair yoga.

• Check with your doctor to discuss any restrictions due to medical conditions.
• Tell your yoga instructor about any restrictions you have so they can provide modifications.
• Listen to your BODY.  Don’t do something that causes you pain or pushes you beyond YOUR safety limits.
• Listen to the cues from your instructor and ask if you do not understand
• Ensure that the equipment you are using is appropriate.  Chairs should be sturdy and not have wheels.

Chair Yoga

Chair yoga is a fun, safe way to stay healthy.  The best time to start your practice is right now.  Chair yoga classes are very popular now, so it should be easy to find a chair yoga class near you!

Take a look at my classes here:   https://linktr.ee/PerfectlyImperfectYoga

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Perfectly Imperfect Yoga believes that everyone should have access to the healing powers of yoga.

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