Reasons for practicing chair yoga

Posted On : 08 October 2018.

So why a chair? Well, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a chair. It attests to the broad applicability of yoga that it can be practised with something so common. Thanks to the late BKS Iyengar, the use of props became famous worldwide. This has allowed people from different walks of life to practice yoga. It has also expanded and diversified the usage of yoga. Yoga therapy, for example, has opened up the benefits of yoga for therapeutic uses. It is using yogic practices for a problem. If you know the contraindications, then you can avoid problems. Yoga can treat 99.9% of diseases.

Let’s look at reasons of how chair yoga can be helpful:

Appeals to a wider audience

Not all of us are as flexible as some yogis practising for years. So, the use of props such as chairs makes yoga accessible to the elderly, disabled and folks who are recovering from injuries. After all, one of the main goals of yoga is to prepare the practitioner to sit in a comfortable seat that enables them to meditate. So, it’s not all about the asanas.

Prevents injuries

A chair can come in handy when learning a new pose, especially balancing poses. The thing about challenging poses is that while they offer immense health benefits if performed incorrectly, they can also cause some severe damage to the body. So, when teaching young children, the elderly or the differently-abled, a safe prop like a chair can be the first introduction to a pose like a wheel pose.

Allow you to take your time

New practitioner can explore their limits and take time learning the nitty-gritty details until they develop the balance and stamina to go into extended practices. Another great thing about a chair is that it provides a mental crutch, too. Those who dread working out can be subconsciously lured into doing some exercises with a chair rather than weights. The chair provides a good base and mental comfort for those who are using yoga for therapeutic purposes.

Lastly, a recent study showed that sitting on a chair for extended periods was more harmful to a person than smoking. Being knowledgeable about chair yoga can help those who have sitting jobs. A yoga pose or two can be easily performed at an office. So, the chair stretches the applicability of yoga to the workplace! This is huge, especially since yoga is an effective technique for dealing with stress, anxiety and depression.