Yoga has been acknowledged worldwide as a complex and beneficial practice that connects your body to your mind meanwhile working for both of them. Seniors in our houses are often seen promoting yoga among youngsters, kids, and even themselves. That is the perk of yoga-it literally suits every age group perfectly.
Now senior citizens need to indulge themselves in various physical and mental activities so there is a balance in life for them. Who wants to sit and watch a news channel or sleep the entire day? While this is what life mostly looks like after retirement, it is necessary for the elders of the house to keep moving and being involved in certain activities throughout the day. No one likes to have a brain freeze when there are millions of things that can be done instead.
Chair yoga for seniors is one such practice that demands consistent efforts and nothing else. Here, the person performing the chair yoga doesn’t even need to bend and fold his body in certain arduous ways to make a pose. Chair yoga is performed sitting on a chair without putting much physical effort into it. Senior citizens are highly prone to becoming prey to physical and mental ailments. If there is one way to avoid these diseases and problems, it is yoga.
10-Minute Chair Yoga For Seniors:
We have listed a few chair yoga exercises for seniors that can help the senior individuals with their bodies and mind collectively. These are simple to perform and highly effective, provided, they’re performed regularly with consistent efforts and determination.
1. Overhead Stretch:
Among the top chair yoga poses for seniors, this one is pretty simple, yet effective for our loved ones. The overhead stretch is probably the most simple pose one would have to do.
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How To Do?
To perform this chair yoga pose, the individual simply sits on a chair upright with a straight spine. Now, stretch both your arms sideways to your body, with palms facing downward. Now, lift your arms up slowly. Take your arms up above your head whilst keeping them straight. Do not bend the arms at the elbow. Perform this for about 2-3 minutes. Do not overstretch your arms.
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What Does It Do?
Well, to start with, yoga chair poses for seniors bring them into action without demanding any huge muscle movement. The overhead stretch is a good way to keep your posture in check. For senior citizens, it is very common to lose the right posture and that is not easy to handle. It also makes sure that any breathing difficulty is also being addressed. Abdominal muscles get a boost from the overhead stretch.
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What Muscles Are Stretched?
The deltoids, obliques, and Latissimus Dorsi are stretched in one go with the help of overhead stretch.
2. Neck Stretch:
This one is also pretty simple to carry out. It helps strengthen your neck and relieve any stress off the spine.
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How To Do:
Keep your back from touching the back of your chair and sit up straight in your chair. To feel the crown of your head rising toward the ceiling, slowly extend your neck upward. Hold your left temple by slowly reaching up with your left hand while holding the chair base with your right hand.
Without bending your back or raising your right shoulder, take a long, slow breath out and gently incline your left ear toward your left shoulder. Before switching to the opposite side, take several slow breaths in and out while in this position.
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What Does It Do?
This one helps your entire body to relax and relieves any neck pain.
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Which Muscles are Stretched?
Trapedius, Scalenus medius, Levator Scapulae, and Sternocleidomastoid are all the muscles that are impacted by this chair yoga exercise for seniors.
3. The Reverse Arm Holds:
this might trick you up a little as it needs you to stretch your arms across your body. But as tricky as it might seem, it is a very good exercise to keep your body in motion.
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How To Do?
Start in this pose by sitting with your back straight and away from the chair’s back. Reach your arms straight out to your sides at a low, wide angle as you take a deep breath in. Reach your hands behind your back while slowly exhaling and bending your elbows slightly. Take several deep breaths while arching your back slightly to feel the stretch in your shoulders.
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What Are The Benefits?
This yoga pose helps in maintaining the right posture, relieving stress, and releasing spinal muscle tension.
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Which Muscles Are Stretched?
The deltoids and spine are stretched during this pose.
4. Chair Pigeon Pose:
Now it’s time to bring that lower body into action too. This one helps increase blood flow and flexibility.
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How To Do?
Sit straight up with your back to the front of the chair and away from the back of the chair. Lift your left ankle just enough so that it rests on top of your right knee or thigh. Feel free to use your hand to help you if you have trouble bringing your ankle to your knee.
When you exhale, bend forward and inhale deeply while slightly flexing your left foot. In the forward position, take a few inhale deeply before getting back to sitting up straight. Repeat the previous steps while gently switching sides so that your right ankle rests on your left thigh or knee.
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What Does It Do?
It is a very good pose for relieving pain in your lower back. It also increases flexibility around your pelvic area and additionally, it improves your posture.
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Which Muscles Are Stretched?
Hips, pelvis, hamstrings, and Peroneus Longus (ankle) muscles are stretched.
5. Seated Forward Bend:
This one helps you with the issues in your back and spine. Try it out while sitting on a chair and you can be relieved of a lot of pain.
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How To Do?
Start this exercise by sitting up straight, with your feet on the floor and your knees touching. Breathe deeply in. When you exhale, slowly bend forward and feel your back stretch out, one vertebra at a time. If you don’t feel any strain or discomfort, lean forward as far as you can. Before returning to an upright position, remain in this position for a number of deep breaths.
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How Does It Help?
It helps relieve the stress off your back, reduces fatigue, improves digestion, and prevents lower back pain.
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Which Muscles Are Stretched?
Hips, arms, torso, and spine are the main targeted muscles.
Chair Yoga Poses For Seniors With Video:
Final Words
While conventional yoga poses and exercises can be challenging for senior citizens, chair yoga poses and exercises come to their rescue. These poses are easy to make and are effective for the elderly. The chair yoga poses mentioned above can be effective in targeting certain muscles and bones. These poses also function as bone-strengthening exercises.
Thus, these are highly lucrative for old age people who wish to maintain their bodies and keep their bodies functional. The above-mentioned yoga poses can be done by anyone given that there is no serious medical condition. Contact your physician if you feel any sort of problem practicing these chair yoga poses.
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