Chair yoga has a geriatric reputation, but experts say these minimal movements can dramatically improve your overall health at any age.
Tight muscles make daily life more difficult, and sedentary jobs exacerbate the challenges. While we inevitably lose flexibility as we age, we can take steps (or stretches, rather) to slow down the process.
Chair yoga aims to add flexibility and mobility from the seated position, making it a counterbalance to desk sitting.
While most people assume you can’t get a good workout sitting down, experts say otherwise.
Stacie Dooreck, a certified yoga instructor based in Larkspur, California, has taught chair yoga at companies throughout the Bay Area.
“It’s safe for all ages and can be very gentle,” she told CNN. “It also helps with flexibility, posture — people in offices are usually hunched over at their desks — and combats repetitive stress injuries, like carpal tunnel syndrome.”
The therapeutic benefits of yoga are well established; regular practice is associated with improved sleep, decreased blood pressure, and less chronic pain.
In terms of om at the office, a 2012 study from the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology found that employees who participated in both yoga and mindfulness programs at work reported feeling less stressed during their 9-to-5 hours by the study’s end than those who didn’t participate in the programs.
Further research has revealed practicing mindfulness in the workplace via yoga and other techniques can be an effective buffer against anxiety, stress and burnout.
Yoga, whether in a chair or on a mat, has been found to benefit both mind and body. A study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that people who participated in yoga and breathing classes twice a week reported decreased symptoms of depression and increased productivity.
While chair yoga is getting a rebrand as an all-ages endeavor, The Post reported that yoga may be the key to thriving in old age, as this 98-year-old yoga teacher shows.
How to start chair yoga
Dooreck assures that the benefits of chair yoga can be felt in as little as five minutes a day.
“Five minutes of chair yoga a day is better than doing it once a week for an hour,” she said. “You want to create a habit. Once you do five minutes, people often want to do more because they feel better.”
She recommends beginners engage in the following poses, taking care to take deep breaths through the nose as you move through them.
Warm-up
Begin your practice by warming your joints up. Sit on the edge of your seat and make circles with your hands and feet. Dooreck explains, “This motion can prevent issues such as carpal tunnel syndrome in your wrists, plus combat fatigue in the legs.”
Cat-cow
Cat-cow pose can easily be converted to a seated position. Sitting up straight, inhale as you lift your chin and push your chest forward, expanding your chest. On you exhale, mimic a cat by rounding your spine, a movement that stretches the upper back.
Side bends
Put your left hand in the air, lean to the right, then switch sides.
Twists
Twist your body to one side, hold the pose for three to five breaths, then switch.
Seated forward bend
To combat shoulder tension, place both feet on the floor, interlace your fingers, raise your hands in the air, and fold forward until your chest is on your knees and your hands graze the floor.
Seated pose
End your chair yoga practice with a moment of mindfulness. With your feet on the floor and hands resting on your thighs, take several deep, slow breaths. Thank your body for showing up for you and try to clear your mind before returning to work.
