Yoga Teacher Training Forum

Namaste,

Approximately 80-90% of diseases are caused by stress. Yoga teaches us to cultivate the skill of relaxation. When our bodies move more peacefully, our mind relaxes. During this state our body heals and repairs. Copse pose gives our bodies a time to just be, and listen to our body. In chair yoga this is comfortable seated with our arms crossed on a chair back in front of us. Heart disease and stroke can be helped with yoga. Studies show one hour of daily yoga for 3 months can decrease blood pressure as well as blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides.

As our baby boomers age, they want to keep their health. Research shows that exercise may prevent against dementia. Balance poses such as eagle teaching a long spine and good sitting posture build muscle strength and confidence. Eagle pose opens the shoulders and deepens the breath, resulting in good posture. Warrior on the chair builds strength. The presence of vertigo and dizziness increases with age. This medical issue involves nausea and a balance disorder. Due to difficulties exercising, walking or standing, chair yoga offers the support of sitting and feet grounded on the mat. Yoga offers improved circulation and immunity, which is beneficial to everyone, especially the aging.

Children in wheelchairs can experience breathing and moving games while their confidence builds. Children can find chair yoga fun and challenging. Exercise is vital for people with disabilities as it increases their self-esteem. Students with scoliosis can safely and gently enter and exit a pose with ease, with their buttocks and back supported on the chair.

Four weeks of daily yoga significantly reduced the frequency and severity of people with chronic pain. Chair yoga may be the only possible yoga for people with chronic back pain. Chronic pain suffers may be treated with ACT - acceptance and commitment therapy. This mindfulness therapy teaches people to better control their thoughts, feelings etc. by simply noticing, accepting and embracing them. Yoga means to join, like a yoke, to connect mind body and spirit. In each pose we accept where we are today. Yoga and ACT compliment each other beautifully.

Chronic pain affects sleep. By teaching students how to relax through breathing practices such as alternate nostril breathing, to balance both sides of the brain, students may be able to sleep better, or breath themselves back to sleep. Insomnia also affects many people. Restorative yoga is helpful and chair yoga can help relax and restore people so they may sleep better. A mudra to stimulate the pineal gland, which restores wake sleep patterns, may be helpful. Shambavi Mudra consists of an inward gaze while chanting Om. In today's society a lot of people do not know how to relax their body. By practicing breathing techniques 15 minutes two times per day you may suffer less from insomnia. Chair yoga and breath work go beautifully together, the chair supports good posture, keeping the back long and shoulders back for an open chest to breath with awareness.

Tolyo