Yoga in Practice: Simplicity, Patience, Compassion -- Chair Yoga (2024)

Seventy-seven percent of Americans report physical symptoms related to stress and anxiety. Today we will ease into a practice that opens our ribcage so we can breathe more deeply. We’ll finish with a guided relaxation called yoga nidra, or yogic sleep.

One of the most common physical issues people deal with today is lower back pain caused by too much sitting. In today’s class we will work on strengthening the back for better posture. When you enjoy good posture a natural self-assurance arises.

During the recent upheavals of life I have found it comforting to engage in the nourishing activities of daily life. Tending to the roots has created an inner resiliency that helps me face future uncertainties. Let’s grow some roots today.

What if yoga as a practice of living fully is inviting us to engage the messiness of our life and not to run from it? Are we able to want the life we are currently living right now? Consider this idea as we move though our practice together.

Small changes that we commit to each day shift our mind, our vision, our health. One of my favorite mantras is, “I like myself when I try.” When you are on your mat you have ample opportunity to try the possible and to make the easy elegant.

Savoring intensifies the positive emotions that come with doing things you love. To relish today’s practice to its utmost, stay as present in the moment as possible and feel the gratitude that arises by appreciating this life you have been given.

Our emotional circuit breakers are overloaded. Ask yourself: What is mine to do and not to do today? What is mine to say and not to say today? What is mine to care about and not to care about today? Remembering someone will always care.

You are human through the relationships and connections that you make. This is the African concept of Ubuntu, whereby a person is a person through other people. We are made for interdependence. I need you in order to be me. Our class today will remember this deeper truth by moving from the periphery into the core using twists and backbends.

We all get into habits, good and bad ones, like a dog that runs back and forth alongside a fence creating a groove. In Sanskrit, these patterns are called samaskaras, and they become more entrenched the longer we continue them. To cultivate better habits we have to bring awareness to what is no longer serving us and then decide to make a change. Slowing down and being aware is a place to begin.

How many of us have felt tightness in our neck and shoulders because we spend too much time looking down at devices or slumped over at a desk? In time, that forward action of our head and shoulders can lead to all sorts of discomfort and even injury if we do not address it. Good alignment is good therapy for injury.

We all have unique gifts and talents as expressed through our lifelong accomplishments. These gifts are meant to bring joy, satisfaction, and meaning into our lives and the lives of those around us. It’s not about what you do in life but how you do it. It’s about how much passion, love, and care you put into what you do that truly matters. Consider this as we begin a gentle yoga practice today.

Some days we feel stuck or bored, as if we are simply muddling through life. A word to describe this feeling is languishing. To shift out of our daily ruts we need motivation. A good way to start is to reflect on what matters to you most, provides you with a sense of well-being and grounds your energy, then go do that. This episode shows us how to challenge ourselves while practicing chair yoga.

According to Voltaire, “The perfect is the enemy of the good.” Often we do not strive for the good life or the good body or experience but the perfect one, ruining our chances of satisfaction. The practice of yoga can open a path of self-care and awareness, help us learn to appreciate the good in ourselves and let go of striving for perfection. In this episode we embrace who we are right now.