After working for over 11 years in an office in front of the computer, typing away every day and being in many conference calls which meant sometimes I was not able to leave my seat for more than 5 minutes a day… and having a pressurized job with deadlines and clients on the phone, the tension in my shoulders and lower back was a constant discomfort I had to live with.
Sounds familiar?
I had started practising yoga to deal with the stress as I had heard that the breathing and meditation would help me. I had never been the most flexible person but I wanted to feel better so I attended my first yoga class.
Fast forward 6 years later and a very different person was working in the same office. I had learnt the techniques to control my breath and calm my mind in moments where pressure was building up. I started moving during the day and stretching at my desk to release any tension on the shoulders and lower back.
I enjoyed yoga so much that I trained as a yoga teacher in Bali with the Sacred Fig school from New York and I started applying all the new knowledge to my daily life sitting on the chair. I started reading about chair yoga and how it had been adapted to people with reduced mobility. Either on wheelchairs or senior people or anybody that for different reasons could not get down to do yoga on the mat.
Back in the office I started doing the yoga poses I had learn during my training adapting them to the chair. My colleagues first looked at me weird but with time, they started copying me as they could see they also could do with a stretch and releasing the tension. The word got around and I ended up organizing weekly classes at lunch time.
I experienced that maintaining a regular yoga practice provided me with a lot of physical and mental health benefits. To mention few:
✅ increased flexibility ✅increased muscle strength and tone ✅improved respiration, energy and vitality ✅maintaining a balanced metabolism ✅cardio and circulatory health ✅improved athletic performance ✅protection from injury
Aside from the physical benefits, one of the best benefits I found practising yoga is how it helped me manage stress. Doing my regular yoga practice I have found a mental clarity and calmness. My mind is relaxed and my attention and concentration has definitely sharpen a lot.
For those of you that cannot get on the mat for different reasons, chair yoga can support you to still experience a lot of these benefits by elevating the practice on a chair. My question to you would be, why not chair yoga?
If you want to learn more about chair yoga, contact Sara at sara@flowithme.com and organize a class.
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