#56 11 Reasons to Try Chair Yoga
In blog # 43 Improving Balance (link) I asked if anyone had ever tried yoga to improve balance. Thanks to my new chair yoga class, I can answer that question now. Yes. Yoga does improve balance. I recently tried chair yoga and am amazed at how much more balanced I feel.
1. Improves balance. I was fearful of poses with regular yoga, thinking I might fall. In chair yoga, even during the standing exercises, you can hold onto the chair as needed.
2. Exercise strengthens muscles. Chair yoga exercises strengthens the muscles – all of them.
3. Besides improving muscle tone, deep breathing is another benefit.
4. Deep breathing can reduce stress.
5. A reduction in stress can lead to better sleep.
6. A sense of well-being.
7. Lower blood pressure.
8. Better circulation with improved mental clarity.
9. It can be a way of meeting new people. With a loss of hearing, we can start to avoid situations and feel isolated.
10. For those of us with hearing issues, yoga is a great exercise because the environment is quiet. We don’t have to worry about background noise.
11. Better posture.
Various yoga classes are led in different ways. If you try a class and don’t care for something (like the temperature of the room, possibly music in the background), try a different class. YouTube videos are another way to try chair yoga.
The exercises shouldn’t hurt. Follow the instructor as able. If certain movements hurt, either quit or do them in a modified way that doesn’t hurt. It should not hurt.
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Readers: Have you ever tried yoga? If not, why not? No need to shy away from yoga because of pictures of some poses you have seen.
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Dear God, Thank you for the courage to try chair yoga. Help me to continue to try new activities. Help me select which activities to try. I want to challange myself. Thank you for your help. Amen.