Chair Yoga Get Fit Where You Sit

[Guest guest]

Chair Yoga Get Fit Where You Sit™

by Lori Batcheller for http://www.disaboom.com

According to a 2003 study by Yoga Journal, over 15 million Americans

now practice yoga, and the number is growing. Yoga is perhaps the

perfect form of exercise, for in addition to toning and stretching

muscles, it works to balance every system of the body. It also calms

the mind and reduces stress. And you don't need to twist yourself

into a pretzel, or even get down on a mat, to reap the many benefits

of this ancient practice. All you need is a chair, your breath, and

the willingness to learn.

Lakshmi Voelker Binder, a yogini with nearly 40 years of experience,

developed Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga™: The Sitting Mountain Series ™

in 1987 when one of her students, Candace Terry, found she could no

longer get down on the floor to do yoga because of worsening

arthritis symptoms.

" I wanted to develop a style of yoga that would be accessible to

everyone, regardless of their physical condition, " explains

Lakshmi. " With Chair Yoga, everyone, regardless of age or ability,

can benefit from yoga. "

After Candace began practicing Lakshmi's chair asanas (poses), she

quickly became stronger and more flexible. Within six months of daily

practice, Candace regained the strength and vitality to attend

regular yoga classes again.

Besides being a great stress reliever, yoga activates the

parasympathetic nervous system, which is the opposite of the flight-

or-flight (sympathetic) system we easily fall into. The gentle flow

of breath and movement calms the mind, increases blood circulation,

improves strength, reduces muscle tension, and enhances respiration.

It's also grounding, improves focus, and helps people become more in

touch with themselves and what they need.

" Many of us live with our sympathetic nervous system activated to

some extent nearly all the time, " explains Lakshmi. " Deep breathing

reminds our bodies of what it feels like to deeply relax. " And once

we relax, we become more clear-headed and productive.

For people with disabilities, yoga offers additional benefits,

including improving gross motor skills; developing self-esteem;

improving communication, listening, and relationship skills; and

helping people discover their unique qualities in a non-competitive

atmosphere. And, for those in wheelchairs, Chair Yoga enhances one's

friendship with the chair by making it more of an extension of his or

her body.

Almost any yoga pose can be modified to be practiced in a chair, and

Lakshmi encourages all her students to be creative and do the best

they can with the limitations they currently have. Any style of chair

can be used for yoga, though a sturdy armless chair works best. For

those who spend their days in a wheelchair, arm and leg rests may be

removed, or kept in place as needed.

" The only limitations of doing yoga in a wheelchair are the

individual's physical limitations, " says Lakshmi, who quickly points

out that she rarely uses the word " limitation. "

" There's a yogic phrase: `Matrika Shakti,' " she says, " which

translates to `the power of the word.' How we use words determines

the effectiveness of our teaching and the messages we give to

ourselves. "

For example, if we have a child who is clumsy or trips or falls often

and we tell the child that he/she is clumsy, that he/she could

stumble over a thread on the floor, then it is pretty much a

guarantee that this child will not become a graceful ballerina!

Lakshmi is also careful not to address any issue as a problem.

Instead, she uses the word " challenge " in place of disability,

illness, disease, or ailment. Challenge, she says, is more neutral

and removes any negative energy around wording. Focusing on abilities

and avoiding attention on problems and limitations yields the best

results from yoga, or any practice.

Reaping Yoga's Benefits from a Chair

To get the most benefit from yoga, perform each movement slowly while

breathing steadily. As you begin a practice, focus more on the

alignment of the body, moving only to the point of slight sensation

or gentle stretch. This cultivates the ability to listen to your own

body and do only what feels good. Once you've developed an external

awareness of the body, you can begin to deepen the breath and become

attuned to the internal sensations, including shifts in thoughts,

emotions, and energy, using compassionate self-awareness. Eventually,

you'll learn to trust your intuitive guidance as you move from one

pose to another.

Lakshmi suggests adding an affirmation to each Chair Yoga session.

The affirmation, or intention, keeps your mind focused on what you

want to accomplish during your practice.

Some of Lakshmi's favorites include:

• Everything is slowing down—my mind, my motion, my breath

• My body is relaxing as deeply as it wants

• It feels good to let my mind relax

To cultivate awareness of your body and emotions and how they shift

and change in response to yoga practice, briefly check in with

yourself before starting a yoga session, noting how busy your mind is

and where you are holding tension in the body. Over time, yoga will

remove the blocks that naturally develop in all of us so that energy

can flow freely and true healing can take place at the level of mind,

body, and spirit.

In 1999, Lakshmi created a tape and tutorial book to bring Chair Yoga

into everyone's home and workplace. Lakshmi Chair Yoga modifies many

of the more popular asanas, including Sun and Moon Salutations,

Mountain, Warrior, Triangle, Tree, Dancer, Eagle, and Stick. For more

information, visit www.yogawithlakshmi.com.

Simple Spinal Movements

The Simple Spinal Movement series moves the spine through all of its

available motions—forward and back bending, side bending, and

twisting. When coupled with mindful breathing, this series provides a

complete yoga session.

Sitting Mountain:

Come halfway forward on your chair. Sit with each " sit bone " equally

weighted on the chair, lengthen up through your spine, lift your

sternum, tuck the chin slightly so that it is parallel to the floor,

and lift the crown of the head toward the sky. Inhale, roll the

shoulders forward, up, back, and down and engage the abdominal

muscles. Align the knees directly above the ankles and, ideally,

position the hips, knees, and ankles at 90-degree angles. Keeping a

soft elbow, place the palms of the hands facedown on the knees for

grounding, or turn them up as a receiving gesture.

Hold for several three-part (dirgha) breaths: inhaling, expand the

belly fully, then draw the breath up into the rib cage, noticing the

ribs expand to the side, then continue to draw the breath up into the

chest, right up under the collar bone. Exhaling, relax the chest,

then the ribs, then and the belly. Repeat.

Cat/Cow:

From Sitting Mountain, with your palms face down on your knee,

exhale, tuck your tailbone and curve your spine backwards tucking the

chin towards the chest. Inhale, beginning at the tailbone, arch the

spine forward, lift the sternum, and reach the crown of the head

towards the sky. Repeat slowly four times.

Simple Twist:

From Sitting Mountain, inhale, then while exhaling place the left

hand on the right knee, twist around to the right and place your

right hand on the chair close to your buttock. Repeat to the other

side. On the fourth repetition, hold the twist for four breaths. Each

time you inhale lengthen up through the spine. As you exhale, twist a

little more from the belly, chest, and neck and rotate the eyes to

look out over your right shoulder. To come out, exhale and rotate the

torso forward, hands back to the knees. Repeat to the opposite side.

Side Bend:

From Sitting Mountain, place hands on the hips. Inhale. Exhale,

lengthen through the spine and reach the spine to the left, as if you

were lengthening out over a full moon. Inhale back up, and then

exhale to the right. Repeat four times to each side. On the fourth

repetition, take four deep breaths, lengthening the spine slightly on

the inhale, and arching a bit more on the exhale. Inhale back up and

repeat to the opposite side.

Meditation:

Sit quietly with an upright spine for two minutes, focusing the

mind's attention on the breath as it flows in and out of the nostrils

or on the rise and fall of the belly with the breath.