Midlife Musings: Debra Johnstone
Welcome to Week 3 of our chair yoga series!
This week, we’ll focus on stretches and flexibility exercises that target both the upper and lower body. Chair yoga is an excellent way to improve mobility, increase flexibility, and enhance overall well-being, all while sitting comfortably in a chair. Whether you’re new to yoga or an experienced practitioner, these movements can be easily incorporated into your daily routine.
Sitting Breath Awareness:
As always we begin with the essential practice of breath awareness. The importance of beginning yoga with this practice can not be talked about enough. It is through the practice of breath that our parasympathetic nervous system is triggered. This makes the postures much more available to our body. And of course, relieves stress.
“The importance of beginning yoga with this practice can not be talked about enough.”
Upper Body Stretch: Relieving Tension and Improving Posture:
Our upper body holds a lot of tension, especially if we spend long hours sitting or working at a desk. By incorporating simple chair yoga movements, you can relieve tightness in the shoulders, neck, and upper back, while also improving posture.
1. Seated Upward Salutes:
This is a wonderful way to encourage mobility in the shoulders releasing tension.
2. Seated Spinal Rolls:
This beautiful yoga movement helps mobilise the spine and stretches the chest, back, and neck.
3. Seated Side Bends and Palm Trees:
These stretches helps lengthen the sides of the body and opens the chest, improving flexibility and range of motion. At the same time increasing mobility in the shoulders.
4. Seated Spinal Twists:
These lovely fluid movements and asanas improve mobility in the spine and assist in releasing tension from the upper body.
Lower Body Stretch: Increasing Flexibility and Mobility:
The lower body can often become tight and stiff from sitting for long periods. Chair yoga offers gentle stretches to target the hips, thighs, hamstrings, and calves. Regular practice can improve flexibility, circulation, and mobility in the lower body.
1. Seated Hip Rotations:
These fluid and gentle movements improve and maintain mobility and flexibility in the hips.
2. Seated Cradle Forward Bends:
A seated cradle forward bend helps stretch and open the hip, relieving tension in the hips and lower back.
3. Seated Cross Twist:
Another variation of a spinal twist, encourages openness in the spine and an adduction (inwards) movement for the hips.
“Chair yoga is a gentle yet effective way to improve flexibility, stretch tight muscles, and relieve tension in both the upper and lower body.”
4. Seated Butterfly:
This is a gentle variation of butterfly in traditional yoga, another simple and effective way to encourage openness in the hips. It is also a wonderful way to complete practice.
Listen To Your Own Body:
Chair yoga is a gentle yet effective way to improve flexibility, stretch tight muscles, and relieve tension in both the upper and lower body. The movements outlined in Week 3 of our series are perfect for improving your range of motion and enhancing overall body awareness. Incorporating these stretches into your daily routine will help promote better posture, reduce discomfort, and increase flexibility.
Remember to move slowly and listen to your body. Yoga is never meant to be painful, so if pain or discomfort is felt, that particular posture may not be the best for you. Or you may need more guidance. Flexibility also comes with consistent practice, so be patient with yourself and enjoy the process! Stay tuned for Week Four, where we’ll explore more seated stretches to further enhance your flexibility and mobility.
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About the Author:
Deb Johnstone is a Transformational Mindset Coach and a Midlife Transition Mentor. Experiencing midlife transition herself, she wanted work with more meaning and started her coaching practice in 2012.
After the death of her father in 2019 and processing her grief, Deb experienced a deep loss of self where her identity felt challenged. It was through this that she felt the calling to work with women in this phase of life.
It is now her mission to support women to transition midlife and beyond feeling confident, empowered and free to be your true self and live the life you want and deserve.
You can connect with Deb on Facebook through The Empowered MidLife Woman where she posts insights daily, or connect with her through her website.
