Benefits of Chair Yoga - Part 1
Paul M. Jerard Jr.
In comparison to many forms of exercise, the benefits of Chair Yoga far outweigh the risks. The therapeutic exercises work the body, from head to toes, to the best of any client's ability.
Therefore, the method used, addresses the whole body in a single routine. This is an amazing feat, for a low-impact exercise program, where the average session lasts 45 to 60 minutes. The following information will highlight some of the many benefits of regular participation in a Chair Yoga class.
Increased circulation is a result of movement and every body part that can move is used in a typical Chair Yoga class. For many of us, we think of cardiovascular heath first, and this is right fully so, but Chair Yoga helps many other forms of circulation, within the body, as well.
To sit still for days on end, we invite diseases of many kinds. Diabetics need movement to keep sugar levels in "tolerance zones." Chair Yoga also has routines for the feet, toes, hands, and fingers, so there is no part of the body left out. Due to this whole body approach, the immune system is also stimulated by regularly attending Chair Yoga classes.
The many movements, bending, and twisting, in a regular Chair Yoga session, stimulate the elimination of toxins, within the body. Every time you bend the waist in one direction or another, the stomach aids in digestion and the lower back is gently stimulated.
Now, back to cardiovascular benefits - There seems to be a lot of confusion about what is classified as aerobic exercise. One of the definitions for aerobic exercise is: Any exercise that would increase circulatory and respiratory ability. When the heart and lungs have to work harder to keep up with the body's need for oxygen that is aerobic.
In fact, gardening and housework are also aerobic exercise that most seniors routinely do. This is not to say that gardening and housework are complete health maintenance systems, but they do burn over 200 calories per hour, for the average person, and meet the aerobic definition.
Much of this mentality stems from the "No pain - No gain" era. Most of the original advocates of this theory are now "nursing their own wounds" and practicing gentler forms of exercise. After all, none of us are immortal, and the body can only take so much abuse over time.
May I remind anyone, who is left standing, from the No pain - No gain era, that walking is also classified as aerobic exercise. So, whether you walk or run a mile, aerobic benefits are gained and significant calories are burned.
About the author:
Paul Jerard, is a co-owner/director of Yoga teacher training at
Aura Wellness Center. He has been a certified Master Yoga
teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts.
He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults,
and seniors. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right
for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career
as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org
The latest information and news on Yoga Articles :
Yoga instructors will travel with shuttle bus passengers at CVG airport on November 25 and November 26.
Yoga in a chair (Louisville Courier-Journal)
If the idea of getting down on the floor to strike a yoga pose makes you say, "Ouch!" instead of "Om!" you can bypass mats and go directly to chairs at Urban Active. The Louisville-area health club offers a 45-minute "Ch. Oga" class ? and it's literally yoga in a chair.
Yoga plus one (Courier-Post)
Inhale. Stretch. Exhale. Pose. Yawn. Sound familiar? Luckily, there's hope for the yoga-tired. Hybrid classes featuring yoga along with what may seem like its polar opposites are cropping up everywhere.
Yoga workshop set for this weekend (The Iowa City Press-Citizen)
A three-hour workshop on addressing back pain through yoga will be this weekend.
Study aims to determine yoga's benefits to breast cancer survivors (Courier-P...
The Ohio State University Medical Center is setting out to prove what many breast cancer survivors have long suspected: Yoga helps strengthen the immune system as well as the bodies of those recovering from the disease.
Yoga: Ancient Indian practice has been turned on its head (PhysOrg)
You can do it in the air. Or by sea. You can do it if you're young. Or old. Or in 100-plus-degree rooms (Bikram yoga).
Meditation and yoga prescribed for Wall Street brokers (EARTHtimes.org)
New York - The constant fluctuations on Wall Street can grate on even the toughest businessman's or businesswoman's nerves. In search of a remedy, more and more brokers are taking calming classes in yoga and meditation, the New York Times reported. W...
Therapeutic Yoga Workshop (Jackson Free Press)
Butterfly Yoga in Fondren is hosting yoga teacher, author and columnist Doug Keller , E-RYT 500, for a weekend Yoga Therapy Workshop , Dec. 5 through 7.
Yoga master travels to area to teach her trade (The Frederick News-Post)
The gymnasium at the William R Talley Recreation Center transformed Tuesday from basketball courts into a yoga studio
No connection with BJP, says yoga guru Ramdev (rediff.com)
Ruling out joining any political party, yoga guru Ramdev, who shared the dais with Sangh Parivar leaders in Panipat recently, insisted he had "nothing to do with the BJP".