By Debbie Gardner
dgardner@thereminder.com
It’s the latest “fountain of youth” discovery – and you don’t even have to leave your chair to do it if you don’t want to.
It’s called chair yoga – and it’s rapidly gained popularity on social media channels as well as in elder living communities.
Prime turned to local yoga studio owner and longtime contributor Sheila Magalhaes of Heartsong Yoga in East Longmeadow for the lowdown on the chair yoga craze.
“It’s a reflection of the aging of America,” Magalhaes said, noting yoga itself became mainstream when the baby boom generation was reaching its 40s and 50s. “It’s a natural process of people who want to be moving and know that movement brings joint mobility, bone strength, balance, flexibility, focus and concentration, and that chair yoga makes it accessible to those who might not feel as able-bodied [as they were,] yet are looking for a practice that can help them with their overall health and wellness in their later years.”
“The chair feels safe and stable,” Magalhaes continued, explaining the appeal of the practice. “In the chair, seated, you can do almost all of the traditional [yoga] poses otherwise you might do sitting on the floor.”
Prime gets a taste of chair yoga
To illustrate this concept, Magalhaes invited Prime to visit a weekly chair yoga class she leads for residents of Brownstone Gardens, a 62 and older independent living community in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. The class, which has been a weekly function since COVID-19, is sponsored by Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services of West Springfield.
A dozen men and women of varying abilities – some quite able-bodied, several who needed assistance to stand or walk – waited eagerly for the class to begin. Asked how they felt about chair yoga, there was a resounding chorus of “We love it!” with comments including “it helps with balance” and “it’s keeping me strong” added by several members of the group.
Before the class met, Magalhaes had shared wit5h me that the practice of chair yoga, like yoga itself, “helps us to concentrate and focus and be in the present moment, and this helps people to minimize anxiety, reduce stress and even alleviate depression. The breath and the movement help the body to release the feel-good endorphins, lowering the stress hormones and I feel that helps people to become more responsive rather than reactive.”
Magalhaes opened the weekly practice with classic yoga breathing exercises – done seated in a chair instead of standing or seated on the floor – as she encouraged attendees to focus on their breath to help them achieve “being in the present moment.”
“We are changing the brain, connecting a pathway to the present moment,” she told the class, asking them to consider “What are you grateful for?” as they prepared mind and body for the day’s session.
Following the breathing exercises, a series of side-to side head rolls, shoulder rolls and arm swings helped warm up the body for some more complex movements, which included pointing and flexing feet and swinging each leg. Hip stretches, torso rotations and arm raises were also part of the warm-up program.
“You don’t have to be flexible to do yoga,” Magalhaes stressed to the class.
Many of the moves the class performed mimicked those I’ve done in the yoga classes I’ve attended for 10 years, only they were done seated.
Attendees did eventually leave their chairs, incorporating a series of standing movements that again mimicked those I was familiar with, such as the five-pointed star and tree pose, done with the added safety and stability of a hand on the chair. Magalhaes repeatedly encouraged her students to do what they could within their own limitations and abilities, but to not be afraid to try a bit more if they felt comfortable. Then practice closed with a return to the chair for more breathing exercises and some quiet time, much like a traditional yoga class.
“Chair yoga can be for people of all ages, and anyone who feels they would appreciate the support of the chair,” Magalhaes told Prime. “You use the chair for seated centering and warming up, and then you stand and use the chair for stability … The practice helps with your balance and confidence to be able to be on your own two feet and be able to even stand on one foot … which leads to a stronger foundation and stronger legs and being able to do more things on your own.”
Chair yoga practices to try!
Following the class, Magalhaes shared a series of chair yoga poses that readers could sample at home.
Settle and arrive “in the present moment”
If you can, have your feet flat on the floor (or put a cushion under them) legs uncrossed.
Rest your hands in your lap.
Eyes closed, breathe in and out through your nose, slowing down the breath.
Imagine the top of your head reaching to the sky as your sitting bones sink to the chair, and feel your feet on the ground, your spine lengthens and your heart lifts, as your shoulders melt away from your ears.
Imagine or feel a softness in the belly and release tension in your mouth, cheeks, jaw.
Allow the breath to deepen, and the exhales to lengthen, to invite in the “relaxation response.”
Ask yourself “What am I grateful for?”
Sitting like this for just two minutes can quiet your mind.
Mobility of neck, shoulders and spine
Drop your head gently, chin to the hollow of the throat.
Gently sway it from side to side.
Lace your fingers around the back of your head and fold forward, pause, then lift up and stretch back, pause.
Repeat a few times, release your hands to your lap.
Gazing forward, simply turn your head to the right, then the left, pausing to feel the stretch.
Lift arms up and out to the side and up over the head and then sweep them down a few times, connecting breath and movement.
Turn your palms up, bend your elbows and put your fingers on your shoulders and roll your elbows forward, then back a few times.
(Meanwhile easy breathing in and out through the nose.)
Side stretch, one arm down by your side and the other up and lean over, and switch, do a few times.
Twist, take your left hand to your right knee, right hand by your right side, and gently twist your torso looking over the right shoulder.
Switch to the other side, pause and linger in the stretch and breathe.
Classic Balancing posture, the Tree Pose
Stand beside your chair:
Right hand holds the chair, left hand to your waist.
Anchor your left foot to the floor, put your right heel against your left ankle, turning your right knee to the side as you balance on one foot. Hold the chair and lift your left hand up to the sky. If you feel confident, lift the right arm up too. Repeat on the other side.
Come back to sit, to close your practice
Place your hands, one to the heart and one to the belly, and feel your deep full breathing.
Maybe set a timer for 2 minutes of quiet time.
Again, consider gratitude, and also what we call loving kindness:
May all beings be happy
May all beings be healthy
May all beings be free from suffering
May we know that all is well.
Namaste, the light in me sees the light in you.
