10-Minute Chair Yoga for Seniors

This is a short chair yoga practice designed with seniors and folks with reduced mobility in mind, but it is also great for anyone wanting an accessible seated mobility practice. You can do this practice seated on a sturdy chair, a couch, or even seated on your bed. Come as you are.

Transcript

Hi, I'm Laia and today I want to share with you a chair yoga class for seniors or for anyone that wants to take a few moments to move their body while seated in a chair. So it's great for folks with reduced mobility, Recovering from injuries, Or perhaps just the energy today is for you to sit and practice while seated. The important thing in this practice is that you simply allow yourself to breathe and the movement to be secondary. So instead of pushing yourself to the edge, Just notice what feels good. And do no more or no less than what you want. Let's begin. Find a comfortable seated position on your chair, Taking a moment to make sure that you're nice and stable. So if the chair has wheels, Take a moment to lock them. And then lengthen your spine, Relax your shoulders, Soften your gaze or close your eyes. Just take a moment to breathe in through the nose. And breathe out through the nose or the mouth. Letting yourself arrive, Inhale through the nose, Expanding the breath into the belly, The ribcage, The chest. Out through the nose or the mouth. Again, Inhale, Letting the breath expand. Exhale, Release. You can keep your eyes closed or start to blink them open. And on your inhalation, Lift your chin up any amount. Open Judith Brode. Exhale, Lower the chin down toward the chest, Opening through the back of the neck. Inhale, Lift your chin up. Exhale, Lower the chin down. Bring your neck back to neutral, Inhale. Exhale, Look over your right shoulder. Inhale through center. Exhale, Look over the left shoulder. Inhale through center. Exhale look over the right Inhale through center. And exhale, Look over to the left. Bring your neck back to neutral, Breathe in. And breathe out, Maybe sighing it out. Inhale, Start to lift your shoulders up toward your ears, Any amount. Next, I roll them back and down. Inhale, Lift your shoulders a little bit forward and then up. And then roll them back and down. One more, Inhale, Roll your shoulders forward and up. Exhale, Roll them back and down. Now we'll switch directions. So as you inhale, Take your shoulder blades toward one another, Lift the shoulders up. Exhale, Roll them forward and down. Two more times at your own pace. Again, Allowing the breath to guide the movement. One more breath. And relax the shoulders. Take a deep breath in here, Lengthening through the spine. And on the exhalation, Bring the left ear to the left shoulder. Stay there or take your left hand over the opposite ear, Adding a little bit of weight. The intention is not to pull at all, But just simply to create sensation. For some of us, This may be the sensation that we're seeking, So stay there. Or maybe you play with lowering the chin or lifting it up until you find what you're looking for and then let yourself stay there and breathe. Or maybe you stay with movement, Very gentle movement. You could choose to extend the opposite arm out or down. One more breath wherever you are. And then slowly release your hand, Bring your neck back to neutral, Breathe in. And as you breathe out, Take the opposite ear toward the shoulder. Notice how it feels first. Perhaps this is enough. Maybe taking the hand over the opposite ear feels good. Perhaps movement or finding where it is that the sensation serves you today. I think the breath is more important than any movement. Maybe the left arm hangs loose to the side or you stretch it a bit out. One more breath. And eventually release both arms, Bring your leg back to neutral. Inhale here. And exhale. Now on your next inhalation, Start to reach your arms out and up. And on the exhalation, Bring your palms together in front of the heart. Take the elbows wide, Press the fingertips together, Relax the shoulders. And notice the sensation here, Breathe in. Breathe out One more inhale. And exhale. Now keep the shoulders relaxed and flip to the backs of the hands so the wrists come toward one another and gently release the shoulders and the elbows down. Stretching the wrist in the opposite direction. One more breath. Release the wrists, Inhale, Take your arms out and up. Exhale, Bring your hands together in front of the heart. Lift your chest up, Breathe in. And as you breathe out, Take a twist toward the right. Maybe your left hand releases to the right leg and your left hand or your right hand rather can grab the back of the chair to help you twist. For some folks, It may feel nice to cross the right leg over. And I didn't breathe. One more breath. And then on your next inhalation, Return to center and cross the legs if you crossed them. Breathe in here. And as you breathe out, Twist to the other side. Again, Perhaps you use the back of your chair for support, For stability. Feel free to cross. Your leg over. One more breath, Inhale. And exhale. Return to center here. Uncross the leg if you crossed it, And then begin to extend your heels forward. For some of us, That may mean moving a little bit more to the edge of the chair. And maybe you extend your legs a little bit forward here. Inhale to lift your chest. And on the exhalation, Simply walk your hands down the legs. Maybe the elbows rest on the thighs, And that's where you relax your head down. Maybe you keep folding forward. There's no place to go that's better than another. Perhaps after a couple of breaths you fold a little bit more, Perhaps you don't. No right or wrong way, Just simply do what feels good to you. It may even feel nice to let yourself gently sway a little side to side. One more breath. And then slowly bringing the hands to the legs, Walk your hands up as you walk yourself back up. Take a moment to find a comfortable seat again. And for a moment, Roll your wrists and maybe roll your ankles as well. Two times one way. And a few times the other. Breathing in. And breathing out. Keeping your feet flat to the ground, Hands to your thighs or to your lap. Maybe bring one hand to the belly and one hand to the heart as you soften your gaze or close your eyes. And just give yourself a moment to notice how you feel after this chair yoga practice, After a few moments of gentle movement. Intentional breath. And True Presence. And how they play. And exhale completely. And take a moment to repeat within or out loud, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Once you feel complete, Release the hands, Open your eyes, And continue with your day. I hope that you've enjoyed this practice, This chair yoga practice for seniors or for anyone that wants to gently move while using a chair. Until we meet again, Take care.