Larry Payne

Most people think of yoga as something you do exclusively on a mat. But using chairs as props has been part of yoga for many years. You can experience so much of what yoga has to offer right from your chair without any other equipment.Benefits of a chair yoga practiceChair yoga lets you reap yoga’s most significant benefits: Better flexibility More overall strength Greater sense of balance Improved cardiovascular health Reduced stress and pain Better sleep Increased willpower Even though yoga originated as an Eastern discipline, doctors and scientists in both the East and the West acknowledge the physical and mental health effects that adding yoga as one of your regular self-care routines can bring.

If you have only 15 minutes to practice Yoga, this routine is for you. I have given this sequence a lot of consideration, often times using postures to both compensate for a pose that occurred before and/or prepare your body for a posture that’s coming up.It may take you additional time to complete the sequence as you read the instructions next to each pose.

Anyone who thinks that Yoga is just about poses, about being especially mobile or flexible, is really ignoring what some people would argue is the most important part of the practice. Yoga is a philosophy of life — and, as such, offers a lot of important insights on ways to find more joy in life and reduce suffering.

Although you may be very capable of benefiting from other Yoga routines, this article has a 15-minute seated sequence for those hindered by excessive weight or those stuck behind a desk all day. I call it Desk Yoga or Executive Yoga. This specific routine is designed to get you moving without doing any excessive folding (which may be uncomfortable for some people).

The good news is that, with practice and determination, the brain and body discover how to find balance. And that fact doesn’t change as we get older. What does change with age is your resiliency. And what that means to you during physical activity is pretty straightforward: You are more prone to injury. Injuries may be more serious and probably will have a greater impact.

There’s a dangerous way of looking at Yoga that says every posture must conform to a traditional view of the pose. If Yoga is going to serve you, it must fit you.The challenge, of course, is that everyone is different—bodies are different and need different things. Without a doubt, the best way to shape your Yoga practice is to listen to what your body needs.

Sometimes referred to as Yoga Nidra, Yoga sleep describes a state in which the body completely relaxes, while the mind remains at least somewhat focused. The practice is as old as Yoga itself and is sometimes viewed as a form of meditation.It is actually quite different, however. During meditation, your mind stays on a conscious level.