CHAIR YOGA: IT’S NOT ABOUT THE CHAIR!!
By Amy Yapp & Jen Mast • Revolution Community Yoga + Fitness
© Sept. 5th, 2024
The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’, meaning ‘to join’ or ‘to unite’. When we practice yoga, we are inviting harmony between our mind, body and spirit. The very nature of yoga is inclusivity and peace. This is true whether we are practicing yoga in a studio, in our living room, out in nature, with a chair or with any other prop.
If we could rename Chair Yoga, we might call it (drumroll, please!!) …. Yoga.
Or maybe, “Yoga With a Chair” (although “Yoga With a Chair” doesn’t quite roll off the tongue).
The Yama, Ahimsa, a foundational limb in yoga, is translated to “non violence” or more literally the “absence of injury”. This ancient ethical principle is the bedrock from which practice of yoga is built upon. An Ahimsa-based practice teaches us to pause, reflect, deepen our awareness and learn to truly listen to our bodies. For many, Chair Yoga is a wonderful way to practice this fundamental principle.
For some, practicing yoga with a chair offers a new way to care for a body that is in need of support, confidence and stability. For others, having a chair handy is simply another tool in the toolbox meant to support a practice that intentionally explores movement and breath.
People are drawn to Chair Yoga for all sorts of reasons. Some want to learn how to feel better sitting at a desk, others are recovering from surgeries or injuries or perhaps dealing with persistent pain. Many people find Chair Yoga in their later years and simply want to move and breathe well as they age.
Whatever the reason, Chair Yoga is…well, Yoga.
Building a yoga practice with a chair can offer insight into what is already working and help calm what isn’t. One Chair Yoga student shared, “This practice reminds me that it’s never too late!”
Whether Chair Yoga becomes your only practice or one that you visit for a while and then move on, we invite you to give it a try.
By Amy Yapp & Jen Mast © Sept. 5th, 2024
Jen Mast & Amy Yapp are yoga instructors and teacher trainers at Revolution Community Yoga + Fitness in Acton, Massachusetts.
Learn more about Jen Mast on FaceBook:
https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.m.mast.3
Learn more about Amy at https://www.amyyappyoga.com
