Chair Yoga Poses
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Very recently, a dear friend of mine was the recipient of some very un-fun hip surgery. Naturally, this hindered his mobility and he, having always been a person of lifelong vigor and activity, was not at all pleased with this situation. After hearing about his discomfort and lack of flexibility, I offered to track down some information on chair yoga as I was certain that he would be able to handle that and that the practice would yield him wonderful benefits.
Fortunately for me, as a team member for Veterans Yoga Project, I have access to lots of great yoga minds so I put out a call for a bit of info on the topic. Here's what those wise and kind yogis directed me towards.
From the good folks of the VA's War Related Illness and Injury Study Center we get a wonderful series of 7 positions that can assist with stress, breathing and overall mobility. Take a look at the poses and images HERE!
From Olga Kabel at Sequence Wiz, we get a fantastic video that shows an easy yet rewarding series of chair-based movements that will reach all the areas of your body that are most in need when you've been hindered in your regular movements. Put some time aside to watch the whole video while you do the movements yourself.
Also, be sure to save this handy guide! It's a swell quick-glimpse tool to keep around.
You REALLY need to go visit the website of SunLight Yoga! The founder, Stacie Dooreck, has a fantastic educational background in the gentle forms of yoga and has been instrumental in introducing thousands of folks in their later years. The site is a treaure trove of all types of yoga but it has a strong focus on the gentle forms.
On their VIDEO page, they have loads of videos that show a great variety of yoga positions for those with mobility issues. The CHAIR YOGA page is full of other great resources and shows where their upcoming workshops and other gatherings will be.
Barring injury, I'm still plenty fit and mobile and I don't need to engage in the gentler forms of yoga just yet but I can be certain that I'm headed that way. While working on my daily practice, it's comforting to know that a busted hip or reduced mobility down the road won't keep me from holding my own space when I'm no longer to hold some of my favorite poses.
We all may be Old AF ... but we're not dead yet! Go get some!
If you've come this far, take a minute to pop over to the website or Facebook page of Veterans Yoga Project. Their mission is to help our Veterans, their families, and First Responders use yoga and meditation to help them readjust to modern life after deployments, trauma, TBI, or PTSD. Go check them out!