The Hub July 2015 | Page 12

The Yoga House studio operates entirely by donation. There are no set fees for any of their classes, and one of them caught my eye: Lying Down Yoga. Isn’t that just sleeping? I’m a big fan of lying down. The class is a combination of meditation practice and chakra cleaning. It teaches mindful breathing, and how to deal with distractions, along with cleansing chakras, which allows energy to move through your body without hindrance. This kind of meditation improves sleep, self-esteem and your ability to deal with stressful situations. Allison Donaldson practices yoga at her gym, Goodlife Fitness, and started going to classes once a week over a year ago. “My mom suggested I go at first, and I was really skeptical because I wasn’t into anything spiritual,” said Donaldson. “I ended up loving it!” While yoga does have spiritual roots, you can choose to focus solely on its physical elements. A gym is a great location to find a more physically-based yoga class. Donaldson’s anxiety in starting yoga was centered more on being a beginner. “I was worried I wouldn’t be able to do some of the poses, but they helped me adjust and learn everything,” said Donaldson. “Yoga challenges my body differently every week, but I’ve also learned how to just be in the moment.” Though their schedules vary, Donaldson and her mom still try to catch classes together whenever possible. As someone with a variety of health issues, including knee problems, I never thought yoga was something I could participate in. For some reason, playing second base on the intramural softball team just seems more realistic. But I’ve learned that any yoga pose can be modified to be done sitting in a chair, using just the upper body. Breathing work does not have to be adapted, but can benefit chronic illnesses which often have stress-related triggers. Chair Yoga is an established series, created by Lakshmi Christine Coral, RMT Therapeutic & Relaxational Massages Treating: Low back pains, sprains/strains, tension headaches, stress, muscle pain + more Direct billing available to Green Shield, Blue Cross & Great West Life 420 Kildare Unit 101 519.560.7633 [email protected] The term yoga comes from the root word of yuj, which in Sanskrit means to unite. Voelker. Participants range from the elderly, to those with multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy. Chair Yoga can also conveniently be practiced from your desk chair - something I tried at work - and no one even noticed. A few weeks ago I downloaded a Step Counter app and have struggled to hit 3000 steps a day with my office job. Chair Yoga helped me feel like I was being physically active. Along with the standard breathing techniques, chair yoga for the office includes ankle and wrist rolls and spinal movements. I’ve already noticed a reduction in my carpal tunnel from doing these movements. For me, the benefit to practicing chair yoga is also that no one is watching my hysterical attempts to perfect some of the poses I’ve found online. Even the standard Downward Facing Dog pose is something I can only hold for about three seconds before I topple over. The beginner level Easy Plow Pose looks like an upside down twisted pretzel and I could not figure out how to even attempt to get into the position. My WiiFit has had a great time yelling at me for having terrible balance. Yoga can be beneficial for children too. Starting to practice yoga at a young age can improve focus and attention, as well as instill a healthy mind-body balance. As children grow and develop, yoga can allow them to understand and manage their emotions, as well as encourage them to connect with their thoughts through breathing exercises. Yoga for children is often more active and dance-based. East Side Yoga in Windsor and Kingsville offers both family and children’s classes, starting as young as age 3. www.BreathePilatesAndFitness.com