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
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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