Benefits of Chair Yoga for seniors - Reduce Pain and Improve Health

While the ancient practice of yoga has different levels of difficulty and an intricate repertoire, it can get daunting for someone new to the idea. This is especially true of seniors and those struggling with mobility issues. The good news is that yoga has exercises for every skill group, and chair yoga is one. Seniors can easily avail themselves of the benefits of chair yoga without having to worry about their abilities.

Table Of Content

• WHAT IS CHAIR YOGA?
• BENEFITS OF CHAIR YOGA FOR SENIORS
• HOW DOES CHAIR YOGA SAFELY IMPROVE SENIORS’ HEALTH?
• WHAT DO I NEED FOR CHAIR YOGA?
• A CLOSER LOOK AT SOME BASIC CHAIR YOGA EXERCISES
• CHAIR YOGA FOR SENIORS: A 30-MINUTE ROUTINE
• SAFETY AND COMFORT ARE OF UTMOST PRIORITY
• FINAL THOUGHTS
• FAQ

What is chair yoga?

As the name suggests, you can practice chair yoga while sitting in a chair or using a chair for support. It offers routines at different levels of difficulty but is among the more gentle yoga poses for seniors. The flexible, easy, and gradual flow makes it a particularly good alternative in the following cases;

• People with mobility issues, who find it difficult to get on the floor or sit up.
• Seniors who have arthritis and experience joint pain.
• Those who are at risk of falling due to vision impairment or any mobility issue.
• Those who can't stand or hold a position for long periods.
• Those with balance issues, vertigo, or who have had a stroke.

Benefits of chair yoga for seniors

With its safe and gentle strategy, chair yoga offers multiple variations that are perfect even for those with limited mobility. Yoga for older men allows them to experience many benefits of an active lifestyle without risks. These include;

• Increased flexibility: Flexibility is essential in performing most of the daily tasks. Therefore, it’s important to stretch, bend and twist every day. Those who practice chair yoga push their bodies to maintain and increase flexibility and thereby improve overall mobility.
• Muscle strength: Although gradual, chair yoga can help build muscle strength with each pose. This, in turn, improves mobility and balance and buffers your body against injury.
• Better balance, coordination, and proprioception: Proprioception is the awareness of your body’s movements in space. In a chair yoga sequence, you’re required to transition from one pose to another, and this improves proprioception, which in turn enhances overall balance and coordination.
• Reduced stress: Yoga inherently requires you to be mindful of your breathing and movement, shifting your focus off stressful thoughts. The movements are almost meditative and promote relaxation.

• Reduced pain and better pain management skills: Any form of exercise helps release endorphins—our body’s natural pain killers. Research has repeatedly shown how exercise, including yoga, has significantly reduced the consumption of pain medication that people with chronic back pain take. In addition to this, the practice equips you to focus on breathing and helps you cope with pain.
• Better sleep: Having a regular exercise regimen, including yoga chair positions, helps regulate your body’s circadian rhythm and improves sleep quality. Around 55% of yoga practitioners report improved sleep where the focus was on the quality of sleep rather than quantity. Chair yoga provides just the right amount of exertion without pushing to the point of exhaustion or discomfort. This sets one up for a good night’s sleep at the end of the day.
• Helps boost confidence and reduces depression and anxiety: A comprehensive body of research supports that yoga can reduce the symptoms of depression among people of all age groups, including those above 65 years old.

How does chair yoga safely improve seniors’ health?

Chair yoga is ideal for seniors since it caters to those with mobility issues. It is one of the beneficial activities for bedridden adults, as you can tailor the sequences according to the individual’s ability level, with a slow and strain-free progression that adds to a senior’s confidence over time.

Most seniors are apprehensive about starting an exercise program because several factors can make movement challenging for them, including mobility issues and chronic diseases.

Exercises like chair yoga allow seniors to stay active and improve flexibility and strength without engaging in strenuous or full-range movements.

What do I need for chair yoga?

Chair yoga is a convenient, cost-effective form of exercise that doesn’t require much equipment or training. All you need is a chair and a simple guidebook or YouTube video tutorial to help you practice. Since the exercises are simple, you probably won't need an instructor and can do it from the comfort of your own home. A caregiver or family member can assist if needed.

A closer look at some basic chair yoga exercises

Here are some basic exercises, including warm-ups that promote flexibility and strength:

1. Warm-Up: Candle Pose: Begin by being seated straight in your chair and facing forwards. Lift your arms above your head with elbows slightly bent and join your palms together in a ‘namaste’ position. Hold this position for 30 seconds or for as long as you are comfortable. You can repeat this exercise a few times.
2. Raised hand pose: Seat yourself straight in a chair, facing forwards. Slowly lift both your arms straight above your head while simultaneously lifting your legs parallel to the floor. Hold this position for 30 seconds and repeat three times.
3. Star Pose: Begin in a seated position and slowly lift your arms straight above your head but stretched beyond your shoulders. Stretch both your legs outward until you assume a seated star-jump position. Hold this for 30 seconds and repeat a few more times.
4. Spinal twist: Begin this pose by being seated and facing forwards. Slowly begin to twist your torso to one side and aim to align your shoulders with the arms of your chair while facing behind you. Hold this twist for 30 seconds before slowly facing forwards again. Repeat this process on the other side. You can repeat this a few times as per your comfort level.

Chair yoga for seniors: A 30-minute routine:

A caregiver or family can help their loved ones do a 30-minute routine that features gentle chair yoga poses and balance for seniors.

The only equipment needed is a chair and a resistance band or hand towel to assist in stretching, but this is optional. You can also use a tall grab bar for extra support.

Keep in mind that this routine is flexible, and you can tailor it according to your loved one’s specific needs. Here is a brief overview of the routine.

Warm-up poses: This section lasts 10 minutes and features warm-up exercises, including twists, stretches, focused breathing and reaching that improve mobility and flexibility. (Begins 30 seconds into the video)

Standing poses: This section lasts about 5 minutes and includes standing poses that involve holding the back of the chair for support. These poses are great for improving balance and strength. (Begins 9 minutes and 30 seconds into the video)

Lower body poses: Here, the focus is on improving flexibility with lower body stretches using a belt strap or towel. However, the exercises are equally beneficial without the use of a strap. (Begins 14 minutes and 45 seconds into the video)

Shavasana or cool down: This is a restful pose to cool the body down where the participant relaxes and focuses on breathing deeply. (Begins 29 minutes and 25 seconds into the video)

Safety and comfort are of utmost priority

Even though Chair Yoga starts with a gentle progression, a senior's safety and comfort are important, and one should monitor it at all times. Here are some useful tips to ensure this:

• Begin with warm-up chair yoga poses and slowly progress to more complicated ones.
• Do not exercise if you’re feeling unwell, dizzy, or nauseous.
• It's important to stop an exercise if it causes any pain or discomfort that's unusual.

Final thoughts

People of all age groups and ability levels can practice chair yoga. What’s great is that it requires minimal tools and preparation, and you can do this at home. However, joining a chair yoga class can make the workout livelier and more social while providing the opportunity to make friends.

Once you’ve tasted the benefits of chair yoga, here’s the next step for you— 25 fun balance exercises for the elderly.