Hatha yoga is one of the more popular forms of yoga. While classes can range from very gentle to very vigorous, it is a form that emphasizes a combination of deep breathing and postures designed to open and stretch the body. Hatha yoga class can help improve your balance, relax tight muscles, reduce pain and manage stress. A common misconception is that practicing yoga requires you to get on the floor. However, there are many Hatha yoga poses that can be done while seated in a chair.
Seated Spinal Twist
Yoga is about the willingness to practice at your own level and to learn to connect the mind and body. This means that yoga is not about the ability to achieve advanced postures. According to the Arthritis Foundation's Today Magazine, a modified yoga practice can provide all of the same physical, emotional and spiritual benefits as a non-modified class.
One such modified pose is the seated spinal twist. Sit up straight at the edge of a chair without arms and place both feet flat on the floor. Place your left hand on the outside of your right knee. Look over your right shoulder and begin to gently twist the body to look behind you. Drape the right arm over the back of the chair.
Hold for a slow thirty second count and with each exhale relax the back, shoulders and neck. Come out slowly and repeat other side. Twisting motions should be avoided by those with back injuries and osteoporosis; unless they are approved by a physician.
Seated Half-Lotus Pose
Seated half-lotus pose helps stretch and loosen the hip muscles. Sit up straight with your back against the chair. Place your right ankle on top of your left knee. Using your right hand, gently press the right knee down as far as possible without causing pain. Hold for a slow 30-second count and with each exhale, relax your lower back and right hip. Come out slowly and repeat with the other leg.
If a hip replacement or hip pain makes this pose too challenging, then just cross your right ankle over your left ankle and let the right knee drop out to the side.
Shoulder Rolls
Chair yoga exercises, such as shoulder rolls, can be beneficial for seniors and anyone living with chronic shoulder or neck pain or stiffness. The National Institutes of Health suggests trying yoga to improve flexibility, which will make everyday tasks such as grooming and dressing more effortless. The shoulders need to stay flexible to dress yourself, reach items in high and low places and to be able to flexibly turn the body when driving a car.
To start, sit up straight in the chair and let your arms hang at your sides. Inhale and squeeze your shoulders up to your ears. Exhale and round your shoulders back and down. Combining the breath with the movement, do 8 to 12 shoulder rolls and focus on relaxing the muscles with each exhale. Press your shoulders down a bit further with each repetition.
Seated Chest Stretch
The seated chest stretch can help correct a forward, rounded posture and you can do it throughout the day; if working at a computer, a counter or whenever you are in a rounded position for an extended period of time. Sit up straight against the back of the chair and reach the hands around the back of the chair. If possible, clasp your hands behind the buttocks and chair. If your hands cannot touch, just reach the arms back or hold a towel.
Keeping your back in contact with the chair, lift your hands back, then up and as far away from the chair as possible, until a stretch in felt in your chest. Since this stretch is working to correct a forward-rounded posture, avoid leaning forward. The goal is to gently pull your shoulders back and open your upper body. Hold for a slow 30-second count. With each exhale, relax your shoulders and lift your arms a little higher.
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