Yoga in popular culture is often regarded as being solely in the domain of young, able-bodied, human pretzels. But the face of yoga is changing. There are yoga classes for individuals of every body type, including those limited to a chair due to injury, mobility or age. Chair yoga is also appropriate for office workers to practice at their desk.
Training
Chair yoga teacher training helps new teachers develop the skills to teach challenging populations such as seniors, paraplegics and individuals with other disabilities. Through the training, teachers learn the main poses in chair yoga and how to safely support their students in those poses. Chair yoga poses usually focus on the upper body, specifically the spine, shoulders, back muscles, neck and chest. Anatomy lessons help teachers learn the major muscle groups, joints, tendons and connective tissues of the torso and head.
Locations
Chair yoga teacher trainings are available in most major cities and at retreat centers worldwide. Some teacher training programs are also available online through self-study courses. Check with your local yoga studios to inquire whether they sponsor a chair yoga teacher training program.
Certification
Depending on the course, a chair yoga teacher training course may supply a 200-hour registered yoga teaching certification. Courses range from 30 hours to more than 200 hours and the number of hours dictates the certification for the course. Not all chair yoga certification programs require students to be 200-hour registered yoga teachers. If you are already a registered yoga teacher, consider joining a shorter chair yoga course to upgrade your Yoga Alliance certification to an "Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher." To upgrade through Yoga Alliance, each teacher must complete continuing education credits every three years. Thirty credit hours must come from learning opportunities, courses and certifications.
Teaching Opportunities
Certified chair yoga instructors can teach at rehabilitation centers, offices, senior centers and yoga studios. Teachers may also develop their own list of private clients and classes.
Poses
Chair yoga poses include seated neck stretches, side bending, chest opening poses, back stretches, arm and wrist stretches. The poses are designed to release accumulated tension that comes from sitting at a desk or in a chair frequently. Chest, shoulder and upper back poses coax the upper body out of its habitual forward-rounding position.
