You Call This Yoga

Chair Yoga Improves Self Esteem

2010-05-06T07:32:00.000-07:00

A recent attendee of a chair yoga class cited how her improved posture and breathing helped her in a training program. By speaking in a more upright position (instead of slouching) and in a slow paced, (driven by her breathing) confident and capable manner, the student received unsolicited praise and resulting improved self esteem. The practice of chair yoga helps you to develop greater awareness of the position of your feet and hips, which then support your upper body. From there, you can build better posture by drawing your shoulders back and down. This will allow your head to be positioned over and not in front of your shoulders. This affects your ability to stand upright, appear more engaged to your audience, take in fuller breaths to calm one self and develop energy, and then address the situation in front of you. Learn more by contacting me with questions and attending classes. My book on creating your own chair yoga practice is due to be published soon.

Chair Yoga Reduces Muscle Tension When Traveling

2010-04-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed that even with additional lumbar support in your car seat that your body still can tend to slump? And where do you rest your left foot while the right one is doing most of the work? What about your elbows, do they rest against evenly against your ribs or where ever you can find someplace to put them?
These are questions and issues that may clarify why travel can be so fatiguing. By applying principles of Chair Yoga, you will first look at and assess the angle of your seat whether you are in transit, waiting to travel, at work or at home. If you develop a level, stable chair then you continue with your foot awareness. Can you comfortably keep the non working foot, or both feet if resting, flat on the floor and knees pointed forward? This may reduce lower back tension as you can then position your hips up and forward to sit in a more upright position. When you bring the hips up and forward, you can then relax your shoulders down and back. Your head can have a more level base to lift up and view ahead without creating pressure in the neck.
To help further relax the neck and back muscles, place a small pillow or folded jacket behind your back as a support and reference point. Play with gently drawing your shoulder blades down towards the middle of your pillow as you draw your hips up. You can alternate between drawing them straight up and down or across. Remember to breathe and keep focused on the road!
Develop more strength and balance with my DVDs, classes and soon to be released book,
Chair Yoga for Body Alignment. Contact me with directly any questions/order requests (as my new web site is being developed) at howie@youcallthisyoga.org

Chair Yoga Improves Muscle Strength for Parkinson's Sufferers

2010-03-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

The chair yoga classes at senior residences draw several students who suffer from Parkinson's Disease. They have limited ability to fully control their muscles, resulting in poor posture and problems with balance while walking.
After attending chair yoga classes for several months, one student with chronic Parkinson's Disease has been able to maintain a flat footed, stable seated position and gain the strength and focus to sit upright for increased periods of time during our class. She sometimes "bursts" out of class with her walker.
When you establish an evenly distributed placement of your feet with the ground, your hips can properly support your spine. Your "foot awareness" starts with "four points of contact", the pads below the big toe and your pinkie toe, and the inner and outer edges of your heels. This sets the stage to properly sit, walk and play. Improve your muscle strength and balance by coming to a chair yoga class or visit the web site, www.youcallthisyoga.com to order chair yoga videos and begin to sit, walk or play better.

Chair Yoga Improves Blood Circulation in the Feet

2010-03-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

Last week, a new student to chair yoga cited challenges from her arthritis, high blood pressure and diabetes as limits to her mobility and desire to exercise. The student also complained of poor posture. Fortunately, our chair yoga class is designed to gently develop a rhythm and balance to breathing and movement.
We applied our 90 degree rule to develop right angles at our main joints. The ankles, knees, hips, elbows and chin were positioned to nearly this position. With the feet flat on the floor and spine extended upward, we explored full even breathing and gentle weight bearing movements. By the end of class, our new student was able to sit in a more upright position and breathe with less constraint. The gentle pumping of her feet caused the purple magenta color of her feet to change to patches of pink, flesh colored skin. Her family was amazed.
You can benefit from improved breathing, posture and circulation anywhere by visiting my web site, www.youcallthisyoga.com to learn more tips, see class schedules and acquire Chair Yoga with Howie Shareff DVDS

Chair Yoga for Headache Relief

2010-03-08T08:51:00.000-08:00

This result occurred last week for a young woman who participated in her first chair yoga class at the Helen Wright Center for Women. She had suffered for two days; over the counter medication was ineffective. Our chair yoga class focused on alignment of the body from the feet to the crown of the head. The coordination of sitting upright with the feet flat on the floor and breathing rhythmically for several minutes helped the group to develop better posture. From this Sitting Mountain Pose, we refined our balance of breathing and movement by drawing the shoulders down and back, the shoulder blades closer together and the head back over the spine. Proper posture helped her and other class members reduce muscle tension. The student with the headache experienced relief of her prolonged pain by the end of class.

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2010-02-01T17:49:00.000-08:00

Friday, 1/29 provided two classes at the North Regional Library. The mat class drew seven students, five of which were new or limited in exposure to yoga. Four of the newbies were co-workers from the same office. After a brief orientation of yoga as a path to greater awareness, the group rested on their backs. We explored body awareness by focusing on areas that contacted the floor. Breath awareness began with focusing on one’s natural breath and then shifting to a deeper pelvic/diaphragm driven centering breath. A rhythmic pattern of nasal inhalation, pausing, then exhaling by mouth allowed us to expand the lungs in all three planes. We then developed mini-breaths to the belly, heart and chest areas to deepen the inhale, leading to an even deeper diaphragm breath that drew the belly to the spine. The reclining poses were similar to those in yesterday’s class at the Alexander YMCA. To complete the breath awareness, diaphragm driven core (Hara) breaths were employed with a Warrior and Victory Pose flow. This helped to build better balance as we shifted from side to side for each pose. The new students were juiced.

How juiced? Enough for all five to double dip and stay for chair yoga. Being office workers, we explored the 90 degree rule and foot awareness to develop proper posture. Foot position was emphasized as a foundation for the hips to support the spine. Drawing the shoulder blades down and in helped relax the neck and shoulders. The yoga for fliers regimen was presented: pelvic tips, hip sway, drawing opposite shoulders and hips together, and neck extensions. The “airport sets” of trunk twists (with spinal extension to decompress the discs), hip opening (using single legs for support) and foot flexing (for the calves and hamstrings) were then reviewed. We put it together in the Golf Swing Stretch to combine the rhythm of the hip sway and trunk twist with maintenance of the foot awareness (staying upright) and keeping the elbows drawn in. All this while focusing on the knee (the ball) and breathing. Who said golf/ yoga was easy?

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2010-02-01T05:22:00.001-08:00

Thursday, 1/28’s gentle mat class at the Alexander YMCA drew 12 students with a broad set of yoga experiences. Two students had noticeable back issues and were positioned close to me for supervision. We built bolsters with a block and blankets for a supported rest back to help the hips, shoulders and neck to roll back and “open” more. Foot awareness was developed with emphasis on the feet each having four points of contact with the floor, placed under the knees. We explored loosening of the sacrum, S-I joints, hips, and waist in 3 dimensions, using the feet as a base and the upper body for further support. After a completing a Bridge Pose sequence (mini-lower back lift, half-lift up to the shoulder blades, full-lift up to the shoulders) to engage the core muscles. We turned over for Cat/Cow stretches to counter pose the reclining poses and moved to the Downward Dog series (half-to warm up, 1/4 to extend the side muscles, full to stretch the hamstring and activate the shoulder muscles) to lengthen the mid back and side muscles. The group arose to Mountain Pose and built further breath awareness by practicing deep centering (Hara) breaths. We engaged the legs for strength and balance with short lunges, Half Moon, and trunk bends. Combining the Hara breaths with left and right Warrior 1, Victory Pose, and vertical arm extensions created a nice rhythmic flow and heated the body up rapidly. We wound down the fun with legs up against the wall to calm the nervous system and drain fluid build up in the legs.

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2010-01-31T10:51:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, 1/27’s class at Moving Mantra Yoga Studio was a refreshing return to teacher training. Cyndi Bulka started this session’s classes with a bend towards core strengthening. Today a guest teacher taught a vigorous warm up segment for the abdominal muscles. This was interesting and will be further explored when she starts her own classes. The balance pose segment of today’s class was of most interest as this was immediately applicable (and easiest to remember) for my other mat classes. Cyndi warmed us up with strong, centering (Hara) breaths, Half Moon, & Forward and Back Bend Poses. We moved into Warrior Lunges, side stepping Victory Poses, and vertical arm extensions, alternating from side to side for strength and balance.

The chair yoga class at The Cypress of Raleigh was sparsely attended due to a scheduling conflict. The fortunate student received a focused lesson on foot (4 points of contact per foot) and breath awareness. We explored the Sitting Mountain Pose as a “re-booting” of one’s posture. Adding (and obeying) the 90 degree rules for the feet, shins, thighs, back, elbows and chins allowed us to shift our focus to improved breathing. We consciously flared our nostrils while inhaling, drawing our shoulders down and in. She was able to expand her chest and dramatically increase her air intake. This lead to fuller mobility with the stretch as she was able to sustain a long exhale through her mouth. We played with three of the four Swimming Medley Series poses. Maintaining focus on drawing the shoulder blades inward allowed for a controlled, fuller range of motion of the shoulders. This was very fulfilling for both of us to enjoy her improved posture and strength.

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2010-01-29T07:23:00.000-08:00

Monday, 1/24’s classes occurred back in Raleigh on firm land. A chair yoga class at Whole Foods drew 5 of the 16 registered. One lesson is to confirm students registered for free classes. Of the group, three worked together at the State Employees Credit Union (SECU). They each had different body forms, which helped to develop an explanation as to the need for evaluating chair height and seat angle before sitting. We reviewed the 90 degree rule for feet, shins, thighs, back, elbows and chin. This alone changed their posture to the better. The group explored foot awareness for stabilizing this good posture, as well as breath awareness exercises (centering breaths drawn down to the belly and diaphragm). Several students were amazed by the shallow depth of their usual breath and the challenge to take fuller breaths. We then loosened the lower back and hips and built core strength by grounding the feet down and engaging the buns while moving the lower body in all three planes. Their enhanced awareness of the elbow position facilitated expansion the chest and bringing the the shoulders down and inward. Job stress appeared to melt away, for now.

The chair yoga class at The Cypress drew two regular students. We reviewed poses and stretches that can be done on the airplane and in the airport to reduce fatigue from traveling. After 90 degree positioning and use of pillows to support our backs, we explored expansion of the lungs with centered diaphragm breathing. Focus on pelvic alignment under the spine, hip sways with single leg support, and drawing of the shoulders down and inward allowed us to move in all three planes without being too obvious in our “fidgeting”. Are we there yet?

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2010-01-26T12:17:00.000-08:00

Saturday, 1/26, showed signs that the chair yoga revolution was progressing. As the tour group from University of North Carolina, Harvard, Smith College and UCLA waited at the Sydney Airport for their departing flights , several practiced seated and standing yoga independent of their teacher. Yes! When I joined the group flying to Los Angeles, about 10 people received “at chair” reviews of the 90 degree rules on the airplane. We utilized pillows to support the mid back and neck (even business class has concave seats). Foot awareness was practiced by forward and back pelvic tips, and then lateral hip swings with single leg anchoring. Using the mid back pillow as a fulcrum, we focused on drawing the shoulder blades down and inward to lengthen the upper body and allow the head to move back to a position over the spine. Air safety regulations prevented me from instructing the whole cabin, as my teacher Lakshmi Voelker has done before

PS: after 30 hours of flight time, I believe the foot awareness and observance of the 90 degree rules helped me to stay very comfortable while seated. The lower pillow provided a gentle awareness for me to wrap my shoulders back, down, and around. By alternating sides in dropping one shoulder toward a raised opposite hip, upper body tension was further reduced. This took time to do effectively. The neck felt good after making a slow sweeping “smile” shaped arc from side to side. While in the airport, seated side twist, hip opening and hamstring stretches helped me to stay aligned.

2010-01-26T12:13:00.000-08:00

Friday, 1/25, provided the opportunity for mat and chair yoga classes on the cruise ship Coral Princess in the Great Barrier Reef. Due to rough seas, the boat rocked even more than yesterday, resulting in a need for Dramamine. The mat class in the lounge drew one daring student. We developed foot awareness by placing our feet flat on the floor under our bent knees and breath awareness through centering breaths. The rocking of the boat enhanced the need for stability on the floor and calming breaths to relax the belly. We also enjoyed the massage effect on our backs, for now. We moved through raising and lower the tail bone, loosening of the S-I joints by internal and external rotation of the knees (windshield washer movements) and Bridge Pose variations.The Bridge Pose series consisted of the mini (raising the pelvis about two inches off of the floor), half (raising the lower back up to the base of the ribs) and full (raising the middle back up to the base of the shoulders) variations. We rolled over to Table Pose to begin the Downward Dog Series. This consisted of the Half Dog to help extend the spine and Quarter Dog to extend the muscles on the sides of the arms and chest. We shifted to Cobra Series, starting with Baby Cobra to just raise our torsos up on our belly (minimal arm engagement) and the to Half Cobra to start engaging the arms and shoulders. The use of the abdominal muscles and drawing of the shoulder blades inward reduced pressure on the shoulder joints as we raised our body upward. Modified Plank was then employed to challenge our core muscles. We arose with a full Downward Dog. Our standing balance poses were Mountain and Warrior variations, maximizing our 4 points of foot contact on the floor as the boat continued to rock.

The chair yoga class immediately after the mat class on the Coral Princess drew three students. To compliment the recent snorkeling, the Swimming Medley Series was on the program. We reviewed foot and breath awareness, and the 90 degree rules for the feet, shins, hips, spine, elbows and chin. Then we warmed up with raising and tipping our pelvis, while drawing the shoulders down and in to lengthen the upper body. The funny (?) part occurred when the teacher had to take a sea sickness break for a few minutes. Dramamine had its limits on effectiveness. We resumed with the Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly and Freestyle variations. The Breaststroke and Butterfly had arm and leg components that further challenged our balance while seated (and as the boat rocked). This didn’t make up for not snorkeling, but no one suffered from any jelly fish stings either.

A brief individual lesson followed with a dentist, who had a passion for golf. We explored the Seated and Standing Golf Stretch, beginning with the “off ” (left) side to balance his usual swing (right handed). A major challenge to golfers is to develop coordination of the hips and arms as they swing the club. We broke down the swing into the pendulum movement of the hips (and individual leg support) and the elbows drawn inward to keep the arms from becoming the “tail wagging the dog”. We noticed how he become more synchronized in his swing. To be continued (on land)…..

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2010-01-26T12:11:00.000-08:00

Thursday, 1/21 provided a unique setting for a mat yoga class, on the Coral Princess cruise ship as we motored further into the Great Barrier Reef. While most of our tour group went ashore, two students practiced breath awareness with centering and 3 part diaphragm breaths. We focused moving small areas of the lower back and hips with pelvic lifts and drops, S-I joint opening and closing, and then hip opening while reclining. Bridge Pose was developed in steps, from mini (raised pelvis) to half (raised lower back up to the ribs) to full (supported across the shoulders). The boat significantly pitched side to side, generating a massage effect on our backs. We moved to Table as a starting point for the Downward Dog Series ( the joyful 1/4 for a side stretch, the 1/2 for a back stretch, and full for a back and leg stretch). Modified Plank tested core strength and Mini-Cobra further engaged the abdominal muscles. We arose to Mountain Pose as our preliminary balance pose, as the ship’s movement was a challenge to negotiate. From there, we developed lunge movements into our own Sea Warrior Pose. We rested with our legs up against the wall to regain our “Sea Legs” and relax our nervous system.

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2010-01-26T12:05:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, 1/20’s class occurred on the beach of the Family Island in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia! Eight members of a tour group from University of North Carolina, Harvard, Smith and UCLA Alumni Associations experienced their first chair yoga class. We used picnic benches (which were excellent for this class) to develop foot awareness in the sand. The four points of contact were a bit more elusive than on solid ground. We reviewed the 90 degree rule of the feet, shins, thighs, back, elbows and chin. Breath awareness was developed with centering breaths drawn deep into the diaphragm and belly with the inhalation and exhalation slowly through the mouth. The fresh air that filled our lungs was welcome after snorkeling. We continued into the Body Alignment Series with a rhythmic pelvic movement similar to Cat/Cow Stretch. We focused on the positioning of the elbows against the ribs to keep the shoulders in line with the spine. From there, we practiced more effective walking form by drawing the elbows back to balance a longer stride with the legs (versus shuffling the feet). Leg Squeezes (In and Out) were employed to counter stabilized arm rotations . This produced a whole body isometric exercise, while utilizing centering breaths. We finished with upward neck extensions to lengthen the upper body while maintaining our feet grounded into the sand and lower body support with the core muscles. Now back to the ocean!

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2010-01-18T04:55:00.000-08:00

Saturday, 1/16’s chair yoga class occurred in Christchuch, New Zealand with one student attending (as the tour with the University of North Carolina General Alumni Association had a very busy day already scheduled). She returned from yesterday’s class seeking more athletic applications of yoga. This 80 year old is an active hiker and tennis player.We replicated the lesson and focused on the elbows as a balance to the opposite leg movement. This also helps to lengthen one’s stride and generate more speed and power. We continued with isometric stretches (Leg Squeeze with arm resistance). We explored progressive widening of the extended arms to expand our shoulder’s range of motion to achieve a consistant tennis ball toss. The breath and foot awareness exercises helped to create a rhythm for the movements. The Golf Swing Stretch was to help the weight transfer from one leg to the other (while hiiting the ball) and the focus on the knee for most of the stretch was to help keep a keen focus on the ball. We finished feeling ready for the Australian Open (that is about to begin tomorrow). Right-O!

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2010-01-18T04:48:00.000-08:00

Friday, 1/15’s class broke new ground by taking chair yoga international, to Te Anau, New Zealand. Here as part of the University of North Carolina General Alumni Association, I hope to share the love. Today’s class drew three participants new to yoga but all were tennis players. We began with a review of ideal seated positioning (the 90 degree rule of feet, shins, thighs, back and chin). Then we developed foot awarerness by focusing on 4 points of contact with the ground and breath awareness by exploring centering breaths (drawing air through thenose deep into the diaphragm and lungs, then slowly exhaling through the mouth). This pattern would help any athlete maintain their game with better oxygen intake. We warmed up our lower backs and hips, moved to trunk twists wuith a focus on keeping elbows and shoulders down and inward. We continued to the Golf Swing Stretch as both sports require core strength andtransfer of weight from one foot to the other. while focusing on a ball. Everyone “aced” the lesson!

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2010-01-09T19:42:00.000-08:00

Thursday, 1/7 provided a triple treat of receiving a lesson and teaching two classes. I attended a favorite morning class at Moving Mantra Yoga Studio. Although the usual teacher was absent, my intent is to learn from others. I came away with perspectives of opening the S-I joints and gradually building balance poses via a prolonged Mountain Pose. Now to integrate today’s highlights….

Next was a chair yoga class at Whole Foods of Raleigh. Nine students attended, a record for this location. We reviewed chair height and angle of the seat as a critical first awareness. Two tall men had lower back pain and slumped while seated. By placing a second stacking chair on a first one, these men created a chair of proper height to alleviate their tendency to slump. They cited comfort in their spine and a preference to sit higher up. They could use a three inch thick pillow for a cushion. The class focused on spinal alignment. We began with foot awareness (feet flat, hip width apart), moving up the body to the hips ( pendulum swing and single leg supported movement), waist (trunk twist), and shoulders (elbow retraction and chest expansion). The finale was the Seated Golf Swing utilizing all of these segments. Fore!

The evening mat class at Alexander YMCA contained over 10 students, some specifically returning to this class! We began with a inclined rest back to unwind, then relaxed the hips and lower back with a gentle reverse cat/cow, S-I joint massage, and hip opening exercises. We warmed up the shoulders with Bridge Pose variations. The Cobra, Plank and Downward Dog poses toned up the upper body. We finished with strength and balance poses of Tree, Warrior and Pose of an Archer. The reward of Legs up the Wall for 5 minutes relaxed the energized nervous system.

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2010-01-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, 1/7 began with a return to the yoga teacher apprentice program at Moving Mantra Yoga Studio. Attendance in today’s gentle beginner class as well as alternate classes builds the foundation of my teacher training. The didactic review of the lessons with Cyndi Bulka and my co-apprentices adds the science and other practices of yoga to my training. Today I came away with awareness to bring range of motion wrist exercises into my programs and to practice being able to teach seated stretches with my limited mobility.

The afternoon chair yoga class at The Cypress of Raleigh had three students. One was new to the class. She shared details of her many surgeries and current burning desire to be able to walk with confidence and power. It’s great to gain a motivated student. Today’ s highlight was the continued neck strengthening of the Parkinson’s patient. Her sustained positioning of a level chin over her spine exceeded all prior efforts. I have seen that drawing the shoulder blades down and inward has helped all participants begin to experience better posture.

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2010-01-09T19:32:00.000-08:00

Monday, 1/4’s classes were a lot more intimate (smaller) than Sunday’s classes. The first two were held at the North Regional Library, first a mat class and then a chair yoga class. The four students in the mat class experienced the process of making bolsters out of blocks, mats and blankets. This supported rest back opened the chest muscles and relaxed the neck. We practiced breath awareness with centering and diaphragm breaths and then moved through stretches to open the space between lower vertebrae, the S-I joints, and the hip joints. We finished the lower back stretches with a Bridge Pose series, and then moved to Table position for a Cobra and Downward Dog series. Each series had a full, half and quarter or mini position. The mini Cobra was most interesting as we literally rose up on our bellies and drew our shoulder blades back and inward to raise our chest and heads. The quarter dog really stretched the our chest and arm muscles. After a series of progressive lunges, we eased out with Tree Pose.

The chair yoga class drew four students. We built on a foot awareness to develop Sitting Mountain Pose. This relaxed up right position is our stable base for stretches. The ergonomic yoga pose that contains a lot of 90 degree angles between the floor, feet, legs, hips and head. We replicated walking (while seated) by drawing the elbows back and shifting weight from one foot to the other, with steady diaphragm breathing. The alternate grounding of each foot helped to build leg strength. We finished with a Golf Swing stretch, utilizing the pendulum movement of the hips and coordination of the arms swinging. We were par for the course.

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2010-01-09T19:24:00.000-08:00

Sunday, 1/3/10, began the teching year with a big WOW. The gentle mat class at the Alexander YMCA drew over 20 students, most of them new to my class. The room was packed. My plan was to utilize blankets and blocks to create an incline for a supported rest back to begin the class. This position helps relax the shoulders and opens the chest. Later, the blankets add cushion for an inverted rest back at the end of class. We used every prop, mat, blanket and even shower towels (for the late arrivals). It was a bit humorous to wing it on the fly. We practiced a breath awareness series of centering, hissing, segmented and full diaphragm breaths. Then, core movements and stretches to loosen the tail bone, S-I joints and hips. We moved to a downward dog series and eventually a range of lunges to warm up for balance poses (Tree and Pose of an Archer). The finale of an inversion (legs up the wall) helped to calm the nervous system, a classic restorative pose. For me, this was my largest mat ever and at first a bit eye opening. I eased into the flow after realizing that I could not meet most of the class. There were choppy moments due to rustiness and making sure that I did not run late. I stayed on my mat for all but two stretches.

The chair yoga class drew 8 students, a nice group. we went through Sitting Mountain as our base pose. From there we built single leg strength and opened the hip joints. The new foot awareness (four points of contact) and proper chair ergonomics (90 degree rule) was insightful for the group. We finished with a bit of shoulder rolling, drawing the shoulders in and keeping the elbows back to build better walking and sitting mechanics.

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2010-01-09T19:23:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, 12/30’s class at The Cypress of Raleigh drew two students. The fun challenge is the broad difference in mobility between students. Fortunately, one of the students with Parkinson’s Disease readily accepts all challenges. We initially focused on breath and foot awareness, making sure all four corners of the foot engaged the floor while developing a deep breathing pattern. This helps the student with P.D. to expand under-functioning lung muscles and create more leg strength for stability when walking. We then focused on three zones of breath direction, driving air to the diaphram, heart, and upper chest regions in a series of small inhalations. The blending of these zones with one continuous inhalation really enhanced both students lung capacity. After loosening up the hips joints, we moved to the shoulders to focus on drawing the shoulder blades down and inward. The goal was to relax the postural muscles of the shoulder and bring the head back over the spine. This focused movement allowed the ladies to regain some of their lost height and improve their posture. We finished with shoulder rolls from our swimming medley series, allowing the students and myself to merrily float out of class.

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2010-01-09T19:22:00.001-08:00

Tuesday, 12/22 at The Heritage of Raleigh drew three regular chair yoga students. They were keen on improving their stride when walking. We built on this theme through our warm up and early stretches, then to drawing opposing hip and shoulders toward the middle of the back (just like physical therapy again). We played with slow, drawn out rotations of the hips and shoulders, as if we were a character in a cartoon. The ladies strutted out of class citing: “that’s all folks”.

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2010-01-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

Lessons of the student teacher

December 29, 2009 by youcallthisyoga

Monday, 12/21’s journey began witha physical therapy appointment. This has a doubling of the benefit as I employ what I learn into what I teach to my students, especially the seniors. Today’ focus was on loosening the rotator cuff via drawing the shoulder blade down and in. Creating a clear awareness of and frequently revisiting this back-body center shall now be part of the daily mental and physical mantra. Now for the class.

The class of three for chair yoga at The Cypress began with breath awareness as a warm up. We then built leg awareness with movements to level the pelvis (seated cat/cow) and single leg supported movement (hip sway). This lead to alternately drawing the opposite hip and shoulder inward, allowing for a fuller stride and relaxing of the neck and shoulder muscles. We finished by lifting the arms with different spacing between them. We sought to rotate the arms over and behind us. For this group, that was in image only.

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2010-01-09T19:18:00.000-08:00

Lessons of the student teacher

December 21, 2009 by youcallthisyoga

Sunday, 12/20, at the Alexander YMCA was a double dip opportunity, with back to back mat and chair yoga classes. The first class held 11 students who were pretty familiar with yoga. Four had previously been in my class. We began by constructing home made bolsters with two blocks and three blankets. The supported rest back led to Breath Awareness exercises with a series of centered, hissing, three part, and then diaphragm breaths. Sunday Buffet. We made our way to our backs to loosen the base of the spine and S-I joint with focus on the positioning and tipping of the pelvis. We explored hip opening with arm movement in the opposing direction to lengthen the stretch. We countered with a downward dog series, highlighted by 1/4 dog. you have to feel it to believe it. The standing series focused on Tree Pose for balance. We finished with Legs up the Wall for a nice relaxation of the nervous system.

Four students attended the chair yoga class. Two were new to the experience. We straightened up our posture from Sitting Mountain position, utilizing Foot Awareness (the soles have four points of contact with the floor) assessment of chair height, and how we align our lower body(in search of a neutral pelvis). Everyone built up single leg strength and ultimately learned how to have an even golf swing (while seated).

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2009-12-21T08:52:00.000-08:00

Thursday, 12/17 was a fun flow, with a class taught by Julie Snyder at Moving Mantra in the morning, a chance to practice in the afternoon and then a 5 student class at the Alexander YMCA.
The class with Julie provided me with a new format of teaching, based on body development. The progressions that a child makes in first reclining to rolling to crawling to pulling up to walking were themes behind the movements. Also woven in was progression from lower body/upper body dynamics to left/right, to front/back. This gently engaged all 3 planes, and more. I liked the Baby Cobra to lift up, not by the arms but, by the belly filling up with arm and the shoulder blades drawing back and down. This tiny lift requires a lot of focus and use of the pelvis.
The class at the YMCA contained four returning students and one new one. We worked up the spine to ultimately rolling across (massaging) the shoulders from Bridge Pose to mimic the gentle swinging of a hammock. One student felt anxious about falling due to a weak upper body. For her, the alternative base pose would be Half Bridge. Foot awareness is a big part of gaining stability in this movement. Another repeat student with fibromyalgia managed the class very well, and cited an improved level of comfort after class. That was satisfying.

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2009-12-16T20:06:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, 12/16's class took place at our apparent new room, the library, at The Cypress of Raleigh. The quiet is welcome. The group of three regulars worked through their issues with management to the point of laughter (mostly at themselves). We returned to our foot awareness program and building of strength in each leg. We expanded our Backstroke routine with a strong rotation of the hips and shoulders back and inward. This was a counter pose to the forward and inward shoulder rolls done in Freestyle. We took the jumping rope routine further with some cross-over waist bends and extended arm, shoulder rolls (the imaginary rope). You just have to be there. Maybe soon.....

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2009-12-16T10:01:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, 12/15's class of four at The Heritage of Raleigh went swimmingly. We built on our foot awareness theme by practicing vertical extension of the spine, breathing and the Sitting Mountain pose. By adding shoulder rolls we began doing the Back Stroke. We counter-flowed with a slight twist and bend into Freestyle/Dog Paddle to further activate the core muscles. One student stated that "he'd leave" if we did the Butterfly. Fortunately, the class was about over as I showed the group the arm, leg and then combined components of this stroke (their family favorite). Everyone felt energized yet also relaxed enough to want to seek a nap.

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2009-12-16T09:22:00.000-08:00

Monday, 12/14, started with a physical therapy appointment with Flo Moses, an excellent diagnostician and therapist. This resulted from my notice of limited range of motion in my shoulder when raising my arms. The series of stretches utilizing a strap and progressive arm widening and lifting usually loosens the shoulder socket and postural muscles. This was not so easy for me. Flo provided relief, insight and exercises, all which will translate into class lessons.
The chair yoga class at Whole Foods of Raleigh drew two students, one a new yoga teacher seeking to diversify her offerings and practice to seniors, and a young student looking to use yoga to help deal with emotional issues. This second attendee was challenged by her medication effecting how she walked. This became the basis for the class to focus on foot awareness ( four points of contact), posture and breathing. Both students felt a better understanding of proper walking mechanics from toe to head (over the spine).
The class at The Cypress of Raleigh drew three regular students with above average mobility. We took the opportunity to build up to the shoulder raises and eventually bringing the arms over head and behind the back. This evolved to a mock jumping rope routine, utilizing single leg support and hip lift, finishing up in double dutch. The focus on foot awareness was validated by one attendee who commented on feeling the soles of her feet unlike ever before and better stability in her gait. A cute follow up to the prior class at Whole Foods.

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2009-12-10T10:07:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, 12/9, began with a gentle restorative class taught by Cyndi Bulka at Moving Mantra. Our apprentice group attends this class, with one of us taking notes on the lesson. Today became my turn. I was fortunate to also participate in the lesson. I enjoyed the Warrior Series and plan to incorporate it's building of balance and strength into my lesson plans. Our group meeting helped my awareness of how to prevent lower back issues with the Cobra pose by generating a gradual curve in the spine.
The chair yoga class at The Cypress included three regular students, one who has dramatically reduced the curvature in her spine and another who has Parkinson's Disease who is now able to hold her head up for a sustained amount of time. They have also been noticed an increased ability to breathe in a steady, controlled rhythm. It is great to facilitate the resident's health as they also feel more empowered by their successes. We explored lifting the arms up and developing a greater range of motion in the shoulders. This helped with extension of the spine as they pressed their feet down to counter-pose reaching upward. Time for me to go and prepare for tonight's class!

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2009-12-10T09:37:00.000-08:00

Thursday, 12/10, started off nicely with a therapeutic learning session with Julie Snyder at Moving Mantra. Her restorative yoga class allowed me to unwind while listening and learning from her methodical teaching. My neck is chronically tight; Julie's class improved my alignment Afterward, we reviewed variations of Downward Dog and use of the chair as a prop for several of the poses. More delights for future classes.
The evening class at the Alexander YMCA contained a range of skills as one student suffered from severe fibromyalgia. Her breath awareness exercises helped her deal with chronic pain. Another interesting student was a dental hygienist who is recently new to yoga and new to signs of arthritis.
This is a near and dear issue as I had similar signs of arthritis in my neck. Keeping a neutral pelvis while twisted and seated is a major challenge. The class focused on reclining side bends, cat/cow poses and down dog variations. The 1/4 dog really opens up the side muscles. The finish with Warrior variations helped build strength and balance. Especially with the next class outside!

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2009-12-08T21:12:00.000-08:00

Today (12/8) was quite a chair yoga day, with three classes and a mat class too. At The Heritage of Raleigh, four regular students shared chair yoga stories. One cited "awareness of their foot position has helped their healing after a recent knee injury". Another cited teaching Chair Yoga to her children and grandchildren. They became well trained in "squeezing their bunnies" to help strengthen their legs. What a start for a class! We explored 3 part breathing and finished with creating a more upright gait with a walker.
At The Wake County North Regional Library, I offer a gentle mat and then a chair yoga class. This is a growing, with steady attendees, offering that I've taught for several months. Compared to a studio, this is a bare bones classroom. The lack of props and blankets creates a shift in my lesson plan to combine resting poses and breath awareness . A greater percent of today's class for 9 was on the mat. This worked well for a new elder attendee with fibromyalgia, as well as several new to yoga students. Plus, they experienced 1/4 dog, those lucky puppies.
The immediately following chair yoga class contained 7 students, five of which were from the first class. These dual attendees are affectionately referred to as "double dippers". The student with fibromyalgia attended too. Two new to yoga seniors rounded out the group.We moved up the body from foot to crown. Everyone learned to hold a pencil with their shoulder blades and press a piece of paper against the wall with the back of their head. A new student with walking poles inspired a "rhythmic", plant and shift, skiing flow routine.
The Helen Wright Center class contained four new resident/students who learned a relaxing routine, starting with better posture in Sitting Mountain position. They felt significant relief of neck and middle back tension and demonstrated a greater than usual excitement. There was commitment to practice between this class and next week.This class creates a unique bonding situation that does spill over afterwards. Prior students cited "Namaste" as they passed outside in the hallway during class. Very cute.

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2009-12-07T12:31:00.000-08:00

Fun at yum time today. Today was a journey to a Lunch and Learn at the NC DOT facility in Clayton. This program was set up after meeting two wellness managers at the NC State Employee's Wellness Expo in November, which was essentially an ongoing 6 hour Chair Yoga class. This class of 10 students had practically no yoga experience. We explored Sitting Mountain, centering breath for relaxation and exertion, building up to the Golf Swing/Cradle Rock stretch in the Alignment Series. Here's a quote from one of the manager's in an email:" Everyone really, really enjoyed it.
We'll help spread the word!"

Afterward, I taught at The Cypress. The 3 students did very well in building strength up the body, starting with awareness of their foot pressing down evenly into the ground and elbow positioning over their hips. These two areas were cited as essential for strength and stability by one regular student who walks a big dog daily. Time to go.

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2009-12-07T06:31:00.000-08:00

Sunday's (12/6) classes at the Alexander YMCA were good experiences in spontaneity. Although I finally mastered the music system, I left my class notes at home. Ha!This created a greater focus for me in my ordering of the program. I chose to move about and give some hands on fine tuning of the stretches for at least half of the class (compared to about 90+% on the mat at the last class). It isn't clear how many were new to yoga, but at least one was. Another student was very excited about my teaching the class. She practiced the program in my You Call This Yoga DVD and stated "her daily practice helped her progress through emotional struggles". The opportunity to then share lessons from my mentors at Moving Mantra was already primed. At the end of class, a newly returning to yoga student offered positive feed back on pacing and volume of words. Now about those notes...
The chair yoga class was brief and had 2 students. The goal of a 15 minutes session lead to the teaching of Sitting Mountain pose. Then imagining and moving a position of holding a pencil with the shoulder blades. Then pressing a piece of paper against the the wall with the back of the head. The "simplified" Body Alignment Series. We just added the breathing.

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2009-12-04T16:32:00.000-08:00

Thursday 12/3 was fun and professionally growthful as a result of attending another great yoga class at Moving Mantra Yoga Studio, taught by Julie Snyder. Her emphasis on reclining and seated poses chimed in with my skill set and aspired style of teaching. I enjoyed her breathing series and 1/4, 1/2 and full dogward dog poses and sought to integrate them in my class offerings very soon.
Later at home, I had the luxury to practice my lesson for the evening at the Alexander YMCA. The gentle mat yoga class there is a great supportive environment to practice group lessons. This time, I taught 90% of the class from my mat, quite the opposite of my earlier tendency. The most prevalent positive comment after class was about the breathing and the 1/4 and 1/2 dog poses. Julie was credited.
It is great to be mentored by Cyndi Bulka and Julie. They can help anyone enjoy yoga. :)

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2009-12-03T11:17:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday 12/2, my yoga teacher training spanned from my attendance as a student to my teaching two chair yoga classes. Along with three other teacher apprentices, I attend Cyndi Bulka's weekly class offering at Moving Mantra Yoga Studio. Afterwards, we discuss how to adapt her organized and expressive mode of teaching with her. This is prime learning as I bring Cyndi's pearls of wisdom to The Cypress and share them with my active senior class. The residents have a range of skill sets, with one student dealing with Parkinson's Disease. There is a tendency for Parkinson's patients to shuffle their feet when walking. With chair yoga and the proper positioning of the feet to firmly engage the floor, we have been building leg strength and creating better posture. She has progressed well over several months in her ability to sit up, keep her head level and better engage her peers. This is fun to help facilitate another's health. Another student claims that she glides with power when she walks, not making her usual "thud" sound with her heels. this helps her manage her large dog on it's daily walk. This is her mindfulness transferring over into safety.

Another interesting experience was with a student for the chair yoga class at Whole Foods. She had never done yoga before and was in obvious and long term discomfort. We attempted to position her feet to touch the floor by her moving to the front of the chair. We noticed that a foot rest would be the best solution, but this wasn't available. She sat at almost the edge of the chair just to be barely comfortable to practice breathing. My point is that many people are not sitting properly and worsening their health. Today's focus is to notice how one is seated/standing and adjust to what is tolerable and better aligned. Check out the calendar on my web site for classes.

Lessons of the Student Teacher

2009-12-01T11:32:00.000-08:00

Today is my first blog entry. In the path of sharing Chair Yoga, I taught my usual Tuesday morning class at The Heritage of Raleigh Independent Living to 5 residents. This group has regularly attended class for several months. Today, several students and I noticed significant improvement in their breathing ability, as we have focused on Breath Awareness for the last two sessions. This involved active attention to the rhythm and direction of their inhalation, pause and exhalation. One student with Parkinson's Disease was particularly fluid in her breathing and body movement while supported by the chair, engaging the floor with her whole foot while projecting her head and spine upward. Quite a contrast from her usual shuffle steps with her walker.
This facility is one of the few forward thinking sites that seek to help their residents sit, walk and play better with Chair Yoga. The other that I each at is The Cypress of Raleigh. I welcome introduction to any groups or individuals seeking better strength and stability in how they sit, walk or play.

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2009-11-30T09:24:00.000-08:00

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