If you’ve never heard of chair yoga, it’s pretty much what it sounds like. Practitioners of chair yoga sit in a chair and are able to perform modified yoga poses as part of a routine. Chair yoga has become more popular in recent years and if your elderly family member’s doctor has recommended that she start to exercise, this is just one option that she might want to seriously consider trying.

She Doesn’t Have to Worry about Balance

Traditional yoga disciplines focus on balance as part of the program itself. Chair yoga takes balance concerns out of the equation because your elderly family member is performing the different positions, or asanas, from a chair. This can help her to relax and to simply enjoy the movements. This can be huge in terms of relieving anxiety and helping to improve her flexibility.

She Doesn’t Have to Worry about Strength

Something else that isn’t as much of a concern with chair yoga is muscle strength. If your elderly family member is trying to rebuild her strength, chair yoga allows her to stay seated and still work her muscles quite a bit. Over time, she’s able to rebuild some muscle tone and may even decide that she’s interested in trying other styles of yoga. She may also find that modifying some of the chair yoga poses so that she’s standing at times can be helpful.

She’ll Gain Confidence as She Progresses

The one thing that success always produces is confidence. If your elderly family member sticks with chair yoga, she’s going to gradually get better and better at it. That’s success and it will translate into her feeling better about herself and her physical abilities. That’s huge, and it can affect other areas of her health, too.

It’s Easier on Joints, but Still Offers Weight-bearing Benefits

Chair yoga is so much easier on your senior’s joints, because she’s supported by the chair. But in many poses, she’s got her feet on the floor and is braced against the floor. This provides some weight-bearing benefits that can only help her to strengthen her bones along with her muscles. Eventually, as she becomes stronger and starts standing more often, she may get even more weight-bearing benefits from her yoga practice.

At first, even with chair yoga, your senior may feel more comfortable exercising when there’s someone there with her. Home care providers make fantastic companions and they can ensure that your aging family member is safe while she’s exercising.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Home Care in Seneca, SC, contact Heart of the Carolinas Home Care at 864-991-3116. Providing Home Care Services in Greenville, Simpsonville, Greer, Anderson, Spartanburg, Mauldin, Seneca, Laurens, Charleston, Columbia and the surrounding areas.

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Edward Harrison

Founder at Heart of the Carolinas

Edward Harrison founded the Heart of the Carolinas Homecare in 2007 when he saw there was a need for caregivers that provide non-medical home care services, at a price that most people could afford. It was standard in the industry to require hourly minimums and it was common to be assigned a caregiver, not matched with one based on your individual personal needs. Edward understood that to make a successful relationship between caregiver and client, skills were not enough, personality and compatibility plays as much a role as do skills.

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