For two years now we have been trying to build up a Chair Yoga program at the studio where I teach.  It has been a slow process.  The first class started with not one person registering.  Slowly, slowly we are building this program.  Today’s class had nine participants and being a senior was not the only reason people are participating.  I have been thinking about this.  One of my own teachers who I respect reminds us all the time to know why you are teaching yoga and to whom you are teaching.  So I am beginning to strategize and plan my Chair Yoga class for more than one particular group of people.

Usually Chair Yoga is associated with older folks who have trouble moving or those who cannot get down on the mat.  Chair Yoga is built on a reputation of being the last ditch effort to participate in a yoga class.  I don’t see it that way at all.  While it is very helpful and useful for an older person who has limited mobility it is by no means the only group of people who can benefit by using a chair as a prop.

Here are some thoughts on how Chair Yoga can benefit others:

Chair Yoga is helpful is when you are not able for one reason or another to practice your usual yoga program.   In today’s class there were 2 people with broken wrists.  Both of these people are active and both are consistent participants in a more vigorous yoga program.  They both have been doing yoga for years and breaking a wrist could have put them back some.  However, in the Chair Yoga class they can use the chair as a prop for keeping the weight off the broken wrist while still doing the poses.  It works well.  They will participate in the Chair Yoga session until they are medically released to move back into their usual classes.

Chair Yoga offers a more relaxed class for those who find it hard to relax and enjoy a more traditional yoga class. These may be the people who sit at a desk all day who find that they are not very flexible or people who just need to release a little of the stress in their lives.

Chair Yoga offers people who have health issues to participate in a class that is doable for them.  I have two people who have had double knee replacements, on person with cancer and another who is paralyzed on one side due to a stroke.  We modify the poses to fit the individual.  Awareness is key here so I always include techniques for increasing mindfulness and awareness.

Chair Yoga offers others the opportunity to use the chair as a prop to practice moving into poses that they may not feel comfortable doing in another class.  Iyengar classes use a chair all the time to ease people into the more advanced poses in a safe and progressive way.

Chair Yoga offers a great way to practice balance.  Where else can you practice your balance with the help of an aide?

So you don’t have to be a senior to practice yoga with a chair.  In fact there are many good reasons why a Chair Yoga program is great for everyone.

Now for the hard question:  how do we as teachers of Chair Yoga plan classes that will meet the needs of those who sit in front of us, each with a different reason for being there?  More on this in an upcoming post.