Gentle Chair Yoga For Seniors

Vinyasa and other forms of active yoga can be demanding on the body. These forms of yoga are often reserved for some of the younger individuals. However, there are still seniors in shape to perform active yoga. If you cannot perform rapid yoga, the following benefits are what you can expect from performing chair yoga:

• Increased Flexibility
  As we grow older, the muscles become stiffer, which leads to an increased risk of injury. Chair yoga is a simple form of stretching exercises or poses that will loosen your muscles and improve your overall flexibility. Since it is a gentle form of yoga, you will gradually begin to see some of the effects and experience increased flexibility.
• Strength Increases
  Muscle mass is one of the first things we lose when growing older. Once you stop doing active daily tasks, it can be daunting to retain some of your strength. Chair yoga places the emphasis on your muscles, gradually making them stronger. As a senior citizen, it is great for helping you do daily activities like lifting objects.
• Stress Relief
  Dealing with stress daily can be frustrating for many people. However, chair yoga is a less complex way to have the same therapeutic benefits as yoga. Yoga has been proven to reduce the overall stress of individuals, while simultaneously promoting mindfulness to ensure you have a more positive outlook on life.
• Improved Proprioception
  Proprioception might sound like a fancy word. However, it means to be mindful of one’s body in the current space you are in. Yoga gives you complete control over your body while improving your proprioception. The benefit of this is that seniors can avoid falling while being aware of their environments and obstacles.

Seated Mountain (Tadasana)

The seated mountain pose is one of the most common to perform on a chair. It does not require any special movements aside from a modified shoulder shrug. One of the main benefits is that it will increase the blood flow while strengthening your posture. Additionally, it can help with breathing issues.

Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I)

Much like the normal Warrior pose, the warrior 1 pose is one of the top yoga poses for core strength and stability. It targets the upper part of the core and the shoulder blades while improving your breathing. Additionally, the pose is effective for keeping your posture upright.

Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)

One of the biggest issues we develop, as we grow older is back pain. However, yoga can help alleviate mild back pain and strengthen some of the muscles around your spine. The Seated Forward Bend Pose will emphasize your lower back and your core.

Eagle Arms (Garudasana Arms)

The Eagle Arms Pose might not place a lot of stress on your upper body, but it targets your shoulders and joints. As you grow older and become more accustomed to joint pain, you will find that you need to keep them loosened.

Simple Seated Twist (Parivrtta Sukhasana)

While there are many more poses, we have decided to include the Simple Seated Twist as one of the final poses for seniors. A twisting pose turns your body in positions it does not necessarily need to be in. However, it strengthens the muscles around the side of your core, which leads to a large increase in overall flexibility.

Chair Yoga Sequence For Seniors

You can start performing yoga poses whenever you like or when you have the time. For many people, it is simple to do it at their desks during the day whilst working. However, sticking to a routine can be more effective. The following routine is a basic guide that you can follow when you start but can be gradually made harder.

Warm-Up

It is best practice to always start with a 10-minute warm-up session before working out. You can do a few basic stretches to ensure that muscles are loose and ready to be trained.

Performing The Routine

You can break down the routine to as many poses as you like. However, you will need to start small and gradually build up to doing more poses. We have identified a few poses that can be performed in the right sequence to get you started:

• Hands Chest Chair
• Chair Neck Rolls
• Seated Should Circles
• Seated Mountain
• Warrior 1
• Seated Chair Twists

All of these poses should not take you more than 20-minutes to complete with the added 10-minute warm-up routine. However, you should perform them in the above-mentioned order to ensure that the poses work in sequence.

Resting

One thing you need to do when it comes to working out is rest. Rest days are extremely important and will help your body recover to give you the best chance for performing the next day. Muscles also grow and become stronger while resting.

Wrap-Up

Gentle Chair Yoga For Seniors is a great way to get yourself into the world of yoga and loosen up a few of those stiff muscles. It does not take too long to master and within a couple of weeks, you will reap some of the rewards. If you enjoy chair yoga and think we might have missed any poses, let us know in the comment section.