Chair yoga allows you to work out easily

In the impression of many people, yoga represents distortion of movements and strong flexibility of the body, which can only be done by young people. But now, elderly Americans can also easily practice yoga-but this kind of yoga needs to be assisted by chairs.

The Joseline Elderly Activity Center in California is the birthplace of chair yoga. Founder Lakshmi wrote on the ABC website that chair yoga classes are usually one hour long, and all movements are assisted by leaning against the chair. For example, the classic movement in traditional yoga is to stand your legs upright, then bend over and touch the ground with your hands. Chair yoga requires placing two chairs face to face. The old man sits on one chair, puts his legs flat on the other, and then uses his hands to reach the back of the chair instead of his feet.

"This reduces the extent of body bending and does not allow the old head to rush down, because it can easily cause cerebral hemorrhage. In addition to handstands, basically we have all the movements of traditional yoga."

Lakshmi's students all reported that practicing chair yoga made them realize that they had flaws in their balance ability. Through exercise, their muscle strength and resilience have been enhanced, and "the whole body is full of vitality"! "Many old people are getting more and more energetic as they practice, and keep asking me if I can try more difficult moves."

Lakshmi invented chair yoga in 1980. At the time, a student in the traditional yoga class where she was teaching developed from rheumatoid arthritis, which was so serious that she couldn't dress and open the door by herself, let alone perform difficult yoga movements. After learning about her dilemma, Lakshmi tried to have the students sit in a chair and practice yoga, and adjusted various movements. "With a chair as a backer, students become more courageous and can relax and try various movements. So I think chair yoga is particularly suitable for the elderly to exercise ligaments and muscles."

Currently, approximately 1.6 million middle-aged and elderly people over the age of 55 practice yoga in the United States. Lakshmi believes that chair yoga will be recognized by middle-aged and elderly people. (Internship Editor: Wu Jinyu)