Bellport Village Yoga

Dynamic Chair Yoga is ideal for people of all ages with limited mobility. Whether as a result of injury, surgery, disability, aging, sedentary lifestyle or simply sitting at a desk or at a computer for long hours, one may discover loss of flexibility and the gradual, but profound, negative impact of that loss.

Most people these days know that practicing yoga is a highly effective antidote with multiple benefits… emotional and spiritual, as well as physical. But many folks also believe that yoga means being able to put your body into the shape of a pretzel or at least being able to get down onto the floor and back up again with ease. Therefore, those who cannot move from posture to posture, getting down and up again from the floor, may hold a false and personally limiting belief that yoga is just not for them. Because as a child I was not naturally flexible as my playmates, for many years I believed I was not a “yoga-type person” (whatever that is).

Based on 16 years of teaching Kripalu Yoga, I now know that yoga is perfect for every body and every body is perfect for yoga.

According to Wikipedia, “Chair Yoga is the term generally used to describe a gentle form of yoga that is practiced sitting in a chair, or standing using a chair for support.” In Chair Yoga traditional yoga postures known as “asanas,” are adapted so that all areas and systems of the body can experience the benefits of yoga.

These asanas help stretch, or open, the neck, shoulders, arms, wrists, hands, rib cage, the entire spine, hips, knees, ankles and feet. This opening releases tensions stored in various parts of the body and creates spaciousness, allowing the healing power of “prana,” the life force, to move freely throughout the body.

Incorporated into the practice of asanas is “pranayama,” or breathing techniques which enhance and deepen the effectiveness of each pose. The key to gaining the full benefit of a yoga session is to make sure you breathe deeply, fully, and in coordination with the movement of the limbs. Combining yoga postures with the breath benefits you at the core level of physical functioning: cellular metabolism. This is because the yogic breath delivers increased oxygen to your cells while the movement and holding of postures improve circulation, removing waste materials that impair efficiency.

In addition to improving metabolic exchange that each cell depends on for optimal functioning, the muscular stretching and rhythmic pressure caused by the breath have a profound impact on the detoxifying mechanisms of the body, including the lymph system, kidneys, lungs, skin, and elimination components of the digestive system. This explains the feeling of freshness after yoga and the light or clarity you see in people’s faces following a class.

Finally, the heart, as the largest involuntary muscle of the body, greatly benefits from yogic breathing practices and from the relaxation experienced in the muscles during yoga, allowing the whole cardiopulmonary system to reset to a healthier rhythm.

In addition, whenever the head is lower than the heart — in postures like seated forward bend and chair-supported downward dog — the whole circulatory system gets a rest. The walls of every fluid-containing tube in the body gain a reprieve from the constant fight against gravity.

We haven’t even begun a discussion of the benefits beyond the physical. Neurobiologists have been studying the interaction between the body and the mind, and their findings show what yogis have been saying for thousands of years: functionally, the body and mind are inextricably bound together. The mind is a subtle body and the body is a gross mind. You can think of it like fingers in a glove; when you move your fingers, the glove moves; if you move the glove, your fingers must move also. This insight is the basis for the revolution in psychiatry over the last two decades and the reason why the standard treatment of mental disorders now consists of tinkering with the organic blood chemistry system rather than the psychological and emotional constructs; more often than not, when you go to a psychiatrist, you get a prescription rather than a dialogue. This interweaving of body and mind also helps explain yoga’s effectiveness.

Other benefits include:

– Increased flexibility and ease of movement
– Improved circulation
– Improved balance, stability and focus
– Strengthened immune system
– Reduced possibility of blood-clot formation in blood vessels
– Increased energy level, awareness and alertness
– Deep relaxation for mind and body
– Self-confidence and self-esteem

Many people in chair yoga classes have health issues, and are there because a health care professional that knows about their problems recommended it. A good chair yoga teacher will ask about, and be aware of any limitations the student might have. Chair yoga has helped people with the symptoms of many health issues including: COPD, hypertension (high blood pressure), anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, vertigo (medical), multiple sclerosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, clinical depression, and chronic pain.

Chair Yoga is a gentle, accessible approach to learning yoga, an ancient science of well-being. Although complicated maneuvers and complex movements are not present in a chair yoga class, it is not a “watered-down” form of yoga.

What is present is an atmosphere of unconditional acceptance and care, creating safe and sacred space for each individual practitioner.