What Is Chair Yoga? Making Yoga More Accessible in Emsworth

As lots of you know, I’m a huge advocate for making yoga as accessible and inclusive as possible.

But what about those who can’t comfortably access a more traditional mat-based yoga class? Getting up and down from the floor, bearing weight through the hands and knees, balancing, or moving quickly between postures can all create barriers to practice.

Well, in comes the chair!

I really believe chair yoga is a powerful practice. It opens the door to yoga for people who may have thought a traditional class simply wasn’t for them.

So, what actually happens in a chair yoga class?

Just like mat-based yoga, chair yoga is a wonderfully varied practice.

Some of our practice can be done completely seated. We adapt familiar yoga postures so that they can be explored from the chair, moving through side bends, twists, gentle forward folds and other movements while working with the breath.But the chair can also become a really useful yoga prop.

We might hold onto the chair for support as we explore standing postures such as Warrior II or Tree Pose. It can give us a little extra stability while still allowing us to work with balance, strength and mobility.

We can also use the chair for resistance, support and feedback as we move.

And don’t necessarily think that chair yoga means “easy yoga”! While we can reduce pressure on the joints and remove some of the challenges of getting on and off the floor or balancing without support, we are still very much engaging in an asana practice.

Who is chair yoga for?

Chair yoga can be particularly helpful for older adults, people with limited mobility, those who find getting up and down from the floor difficult, or complete beginners who would like a gentler introduction to yoga. But you don’t need to fit into any particular category to come along. One of the things I love about yoga is that the practice can meet us where we are. Chair yoga is simply another way of making that possible.

Yoga is about more than the postures

For me, there’s another important part of chair yoga: community.

My hope for our Tuesday morning class in Emsworth is that it becomes more than somewhere you come for 45 minutes of movement. I’d love it to become a friendly little weekly ritual, a chance to move, breathe, connect with other people and, as our community grows, perhaps stay for a cup of tea and a chat afterwards.

Join me for Chair Yoga in Emsworth

My weekly Chair Yoga class takes place every Tuesday from 10:00–10:45am at Emsworth Methodist Church.The class is friendly, accessible and welcoming, and you don’t need any previous yoga experience to join us.

Interested in giving it a go? Drop me a message at yogawithmiztli@gmail.com or book your place while you’re here on my website.