Chair yoga for seniors: 10 best poses to improve posture and flexibility

When individuals develop outdated, they have an inclination to face stability points and fall usually. Bettering power and staying match can be wanted to hold out each day actions with ease. Strolling, a low-impact train, could assist aged individuals. Doing chair yoga for seniors can be useful. It may assist to extend joint mobility and suppleness, enhance posture, and extra. All they must do is sit on a chair or use it to help the physique. Stretching, twisting, and bending can all be executed with the assistance of the furnishings. The excellent news is the sort of yoga can be executed by individuals with knee issues.

What’s chair yoga?

It’s a type of yoga that may be executed whereas sitting or standing. A chair is used as a supportive gadget whereas doing yoga, permitting individuals, particularly senior residents, with concern of fall and stability issues to apply safely. “Aged individuals with stability points, knee, hips, or again issues who can’t train standing, can do chair yoga for seniors,” says health coach Dr Mickey Mehta.

It may be executed anyplace, anytime, however simply be sure the chair doesn’t have wheels, and is secure. You should use a wood chair, or a steel folding one, ideally backless.

What are the advantages of chair yoga for seniors?

Chair yoga for seniors is useful particularly for individuals with decrease physique issues. Throughout an evaluation revealed within the Worldwide Journal of Scientific Analysis in 2023, chair yoga was discovered to be simpler in aged individuals with decrease extremity issues. One other research revealed within the Healthcare journal in 2023 confirmed that it helped in enhancing the purposeful health and each day life exercise scores of aged girls with knee osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint illness.

Listed here are a number of the advantages of doing chair yoga for seniors:

• Elevated joint mobility and suppleness: “Chair yoga for seniors helps enhance flexibility, significantly within the backbone, shoulders, and hips,” says the skilled.
• Muscle strengthening: By utilizing postures and motions tailor-made to the chair, it really works the muscle tissues within the decrease, higher, and core areas. Throughout a 2019 research revealed within the Matters in Geriatric Rehabilitation journal, researchers discovered that the contributors who did chair yoga noticed an enchancment in higher and decrease limb muscle power, agility and stability.
• Higher posture: By fostering spinal alignment and strengthening again muscle tissues, it aids in higher posture.
• Improved circulation: “The delicate motions enhance blood stream and circulation, significantly for individuals who would possibly sit for prolonged intervals of time,” says Dr Mehta.
• Fats discount: Doing yoga helps cut back physique fats by rising blood stream to muscle tissues and fats cells. “This releases fats for vitality, and so, helps in weight reduction,” says the skilled.

Chair yoga for seniors: 10 poses you may attempt

1. Chair Tadasana or Mountain Pose

• Sit straight on the chair to do the seated model of the Mountain Pose.
• Interlock your fingers, inhale and stretch your arms upwards together with your palms dealing with the ceiling.
• Exhale and regularly deliver down your arms.

2. Chair Vakrasana or Spinal Twist Pose

• Sit straight in your chair.
• Inhale and twist your physique in the direction of your proper facet whereas holding the again of your chair with each the arms.
• Exhale then do it on the left facet.

3. Chair Garudasana or Eagle Pose

• To do chair yoga for seniors, sit on the furnishings, inhale, cross your proper arm over the left one on the elbow, and take a look at touching each your palms.
• Exhale, cross your proper thigh over the left one, and take a look at turning your proper foot on the calf of your left one.
• Then, do it on the opposite facet.

4. Chair Uttanasana or Ahead Bend

• Sit, inhale and bend ahead over your legs.
• Loosen your arms and contact the ground for those who can.

5. Chair Utthita Parsvakonasana or Prolonged Facet Angle Pose

• Sit on the chair, inhale and bend ahead over your legs.
• Loosen your arms and contact the bottom.
• Take your proper hand subsequent to your left foot.

6. Chair Pawanmuktasana or Wind-Relieving Pose

• Sit, inhale, increase your proper leg upward in the direction of your chest and take a look at touching your brow to your knee.
• Exhale, do it together with your left leg.

7. Chair Bhujangasana or Cobra Pose

• Stand behind the chair, holding its again relaxation. Inhale and stretch upward to do the Cobra Pose.
• Exhale, stand straight and chill out your physique.

8. Chair Virabhadrasana or Warrior Pose

• Maintain your proper leg folded at 90 levels on the facet of the chair. Your left leg must be straight and prolonged behind.
• Inhale and lift your hand on the shoulder stage.
• Elevate each your arms upward, and press them collectively.

9. Upavistha Ardha Utkatasana or Seated Determine 4 Stretch

• Sit upright together with your toes flat on the ground.
• Place your proper ankle in your left knee, making a “determine 4” form together with your legs.
• Gently press down in your proper knee to deepen the stretch.
• Maintain for a number of breaths after which swap sides.

10. Chair Urdhva Hastasana or Raised Fingers Pose

• To do chair yoga for seniors, sit, inhale, and take your arms up.
• Loosen up your shoulders and preserve good higher physique posture.

Chair yoga for seniors may be executed by aged individuals, and even novices. But when your physique hurts whereas doing any of the poses, it’s best to take a break and seek the advice of a physician.