Table of Contents
Foreword xiii
Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 3
Where to Go from Here 3
Part 1 Yoga for Life 5
Chapter 1 Checking Out Chair Yoga 7
Harnessing the Power of Simple Movements 8
When a Yoga Mat Just Doesn't Work 9
Seniors need Yoga, too 9
Deskbound employees 9
Leaving on a jet plane 9
Yoga for expecting moms 10
Practicing yoga when you have limited mobility 10
Enjoying the Benefits of Yoga 10
Moving feels good 11
Working the joints 11
Stretching and strengthening the muscles 11
Building some bone 12
Relieving stress and anxiety 12
Giving Chair Yoga a Try 12
Cross/crawl patterning 12
Seated rejuvenation sequence 15
Chapter 2 Getting Ready for Chair Yoga 19
Deciding on the Guidance That Works for You 19
Attending real-time classes 20
Following videos on your own time 20
Pursuing a practice with books 20
Making Preparations 21
Talking to your health care provider 21
Scoping out your space 21
Knowing what to wear 22
Finding a Chair for Your Derriere 22
Snagging a sturdy seat 22
Preventing your feet from dangling 23
Setting Aside Time to Sit and Get Fit 25
Taking a Test Run in Your Chair 25
Chapter 3 Inhale, Exhale: Controlling Your Breath 29
Understanding Why Breathing Is Important in Yoga 30
Connecting good breathing and good posture 30
Sending a message to relax 31
Extending your exhale 31
Breathing with postures: A moving meditation 32
Focusing on the Body Parts Used in Breathing 32
Dealing with Breathing Problems 34
Turning to Your Breathing to Manage Stress and Pain 34
Focus breathing 35
Belly breathing 36
Alternate nostril breathing 37
Chapter 4 Adding Meditation to Chair Yoga 41
Eyeing Meditation as a Core Component in Yoga 42
Claiming the power of your mind 42
Considering common types of meditation 42
Meditating with the chakras 43
Seeking Enlightenment Right from Your Chair 45
Seeing How Meditation Slows Dementia 45
Decreasing Stress and Increasing Your Sense of Well-Being with Meditation 46
Spending a Few Moments Meditating 47
Breath awareness meditation 47
Meditation using visualization (Example 1) 48
Meditation using visualization (Example 2) 48
Part 2 Chair Yoga for the Body 51
Chapter 5 Relieving That Pain in Your Neck 53
Banishing the Stress That Builds Up in Your Neck 53
Feeling the effects of mental and emotional stress 54
Talking about text neck 54
Doing Chair Yoga for the Neck 55
Chin swings 56
Neck range-of-motion stretch: Forward tilt 59
Neck range-of-motion stretch: Rotations 60
Neck range-of-motion stretch: Lateral head tilts 61
Mirror on the hand 62
Chapter 6 Stretching and Straightening the Shoulders 65
Looking at Where Tension Likes to Live 66
Resisting the Tendency to Round 66
Counteracting the Western lifestyle 66
Improving your posture by channeling mom: "Sit up straight!" 67
Avoiding sitting too much 67
Surveying Chair Yoga for Your Shoulders 68
Shoulder shrugs: Part 1 68
Shoulder shrugs: Part 2 68
Shoulder shrugs: Part 3 68
Wing and prayer 70
Chapter 7 Bringing Your Back to the Forefront 75
Supporting Your Spine with Yoga 76
Remembering to work your upper back 76
Touching on your lower back 77
Breaking Down Chair Yoga for the Back 77
Alternating arm raises in a chair 78
Seated cat/cow 79
Seated side bends 81
Seated camel 83
Chapter 8 Paying Attention to Your Abdominals 85
Supporting Your Back from the Front: Creating a Strong Core 86
Avoiding back pain 86
Helping your posture 86
Contributing to better balance 87
Adding Chair Yoga for the Abdominals and Core 88
Sitting with a good posture 88
Bent knee lifts 89
Seated boat pose 90
Seated twists 91
Extended side angle 93
Chapter 9 The Hips Don't Lie 95
Taking Care of Your Hips 95
Knowing what it means to open your hips 96
Preventing injuries by strengthening your hips 96
Getting a Handle on Chair Yoga for Hips 98
Hip circles 98
Seated pigeon 99
Seated march 102
Chapter 10 Setting a Leg Up 103
Checking out Your Legs 104
Knowing Knees Need TLC, Too 104
Staying aligned 104
Encouraging free movement 105
Leg muscles support the knees 105
Chair Yoga for Legs and Knees 106
Seated warrior one pose 106
Seated warrior two pose 108
Seated one-leg forward bend 108
Chapter 11 Arming Yourself 111
Keeping Your Arms in Shape for Lifting, Reaching, and Hugging 111
Beautiful biceps 112
Functional forearms 112
Exceptional elbows 113
Examining Chair Yoga for Arms and Elbows 114
Elbow flex 114
Forearm rotation 115
Newspaper 117
Chapter 12 Ankles and Feet: Bearing All the Weight 123
Understanding Why Foot and Ankle Health Are So Important 123
Part of the kinetic chain gang 124
Bones in the balance 124
Moving in the Right Direction with Chair Yoga for Ankles and Feet 125
Flexing and extending your feet 125
Circling your ankles 127
Flexing and extending your toes 128
Seated mountain pose 130
Chapter 13 Don't Forget the Fingers, Hands, and Wrists 133
Preventing or Relieving Stiff Fingers and Hands and Painful Wrists 133
Addressing arthritis attacks 134
Meditating on the median nerve 135
Choosing Chair Yoga for Fingers, Hands, and Wrists 135
Flexing and extending your fingers 136
Advanced finger exercise 137
Flexing and extending your wrists 140
Circling your wrists 140
Wrist stretches 142
Chapter 14 Adding a Chair to Popular Standing and Inversion Poses 145
Working on Balance with a Chair by Your Side 146
Flipping Your Perspective: Inversion Poses 146
Helping out your heart 147
Gaining a lot of relaxation by doing a little 147
Surveying Standing and Inversion Poses Using a Chair for Support 147
Half forward fold with a chair 148
Downward facing dog with a chair 148
Warrior one with a chair 149
Warrior two with a chair 150
Standing side kicks with a chair 151
Standing extended side angle with a chair 152
Standing half-moon with a chair 154
Standing warrior three with a chair 155
Standing tree pose with a chair 156
Inversion: Legs on a chair 157
Part 3 Creating Home Routines 159
Chapter 15 Moving Ahead with Chair Yoga 161
Perusing Principles of Practice 161
Just breathing 162
It's not how it looks: Focusing on function over form 162
Embracing the dynamic/static approach 163
Choosing forgiving limbs 163
Keeping It Real: Starting Chair Yoga with the Right Mindset 164
Knowing you gain nothing from pain 164
Doing only what you need 164
Chapter 16 Fifteen-Minute Routines for Home 167
Beginner Routine 168
Advanced Routine 171
Chapter 17 Focusing on a 30-Minute Routine 175
Beginner Routine 176
Advanced Routine 184
Chapter 18 Working in Yoga at Your Desk 193
Sneaking in Chair Yoga for a Physical and Mental Break 193
Clocking in for Chair Yoga at Your Desk 194
Searching for hot spots 194
The violinist stretch 195
Seated twist for work 197
Chest and shoulder stretch 199
Chair thunderbolt variation 201
Forward fold In a chair 203
Chapter 19 Chair Yoga in Transit 207
Benefitting from Yoga Near or Far, on a Plane or in a Car 207
Taking on Chair Yoga in Tight Places 208
Apple picking stretch 208
Seated rowing 209
Knee to elbow 211
Forward bends for tight spaces 212
Chapter 20 Sit Up and Weight: Adding Weights to Your Chair Yoga 215
Weighing the Fundamentals of Adding Weights to Your Chair Yoga 216
I don't own dumbbells: Expanding your view of "weights" 216
Evaluating whether Yogic breathing with weights is right for you 216
Using Weights in Chair Yoga 217
Shoulder shrugs with weights 218
Bicep curls 219
Triceps pulses 221
Rowing with weights 222
Seated lateral raises with weights 224
Seated twists with weights 225
Heel lifts with weights 227
Part 4 The Part of Tens 229
Chapter 21 Ten Things to Remember about Chair Yoga 231
It's Not That Easy 231
Simple Movement Is Powerful 232
Don't Dangle, 232
Know When to Say When 232
Comfort Is Always in Fashion 233
You Don't Need a Lot of Space 233
Keep Breathing 233
Make the Time 233
Don't Let It Hurt 234
You Don't Have to Use the Chair Forever (But You Can) 234
Chapter 22 Ten Things to Do When Creating a Home Chair Yoga Practice 235
Talk to Your Doctor 236
Check Out Some Books and Videos 236
Find the Right Expert 236
Create a Dedicated Space 237
Build Practice Time into Your Schedule 237
Set Expectations 237
Invite a Friend 238
Be Still and Breathe 238
Meditate in Your Chair 238
Keep It Fun 239
Index 241
