The Regenerative Power of Yoga: Chair Yoga for Seniors

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There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature - the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.
- Rachel Carson

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I think if yoga were a season, it would be spring.  Both the arrival of spring and practicing yoga are regenerative.  As more and more research emerges, there is good evidence that yoga and meditation have some anti-aging benefits, such as lowered inflammation, increased gray matter in the brain, and protection for our chromosomes.

Just like spring, this regeneration is not just physical.  Yoga (and the arrival of spring) brings profound emotional - even spiritual - regeneration.  How do we feel after a yoga class?  Lighter, less encumbered by stress, and as if we are seeing everything with new eyes.

But one of the things that makes me saddest when talking to some yoga beginners is that they think it’s too late for yoga to have these positive effects on them.  That could not be further from the truth.  I’ve taught yoga to people of all ages, from 7 weeks old to 77 years old.  

My own yoga teacher is in her 70s (don’t tell her I told you that) but moves better than many people in their 20s.  In my own experience, my body feels stronger, more flexible, more balanced, and in less pain now, pregnant and in my mid-30s than it did “at my peak” as a teenager with back pain and arthritis.

Want more inspiration?  How about Indra Devi, Greta Garbo’s yoga teacher, who died at the ripe age of 102?  Or Tao Porchon-Lynch, one of the founders of Yoga Teachers Alliance and one-time Guiness Book of World Records holder for oldest yoga teacher?  Or check out this article about a 90 year old man who started practicing yoga during the pandemic.

The point is, it doesn’t matter what age you are or the condition of your body, regular yoga practice (done correctly) has the potential to change the way you feel.  To take away the intimidation factor, I advise wary would-be students to start off in a gentle yoga class or chair yoga class and build their practice from there.  Yoga does not have to be strenuous to be effective and it should never be painful.

In honor of our goal of serving students of all ages and abilities, we are hosting two free chair yoga classes this week.  Join us online or at the studio for a gentle yoga class, all practiced from a chair.  You have two days to pick from - or attend both! - April 4th and April 8th from 10:15 - 11:15 AM.

Couldn't make it?  Want to take the classes again?  Access the On-Demand Chair Yoga recordings for free.