Check In With Your Posture-Benefits Of Chair Yoga!

You might be wondering what the benefits of chair yoga are in relation to and assistive devices. Many people use an assistive device to walk. It may be for a number of reasons. Maybe you are recovering from a recent surgery or joint replacement, have a history of falls, unsteady gait caused by any number of medical conditions, a strength impairment, or a pain related condition. You might use a cane, a walker, or even crutches. You might only use a walker when you go out in the community. You may use a 4 wheeled walker with a seat when you go shopping or perform distance walking tasks.

Whatever the reason, you are using it to help you walk and stand in a safer, more efficient, or less painful way. Hopefully you were instructed in the proper use of your device when you started using it and it is adjusted to the proper height. Improper fit can cause issues with your posture and add unneeded stress to your joints and spine.

If you have concerns about it, check with your doctor. Or, if you are currently under their care, a physical or occupational therapist.

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We may be using a device to help support our legs, but that can cause increased pressure on the hands/wrists, elbows, shoulder, neck, and spine. That can all really add up over time! Our posture can also be affected and that can lead to back pain. We can then start that vicious cycle of increased pain causing decreased mobility which then causes increased pain- definitely not something we want.

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If you are looking for a yoga video, take a look here: Chair Yoga and Assistive Devices. Or keep reading for some tips on how yoga can help with our posture.

How Can We Use Yoga to Improve Our Posture When Walking?

First, we should always make sure our devices fit properly, we are using them correctly, and they are in proper condition. Secondly, we may need to look at the reason why we started using it to begin with. Muscles can weaken, joints can become more unstable, and variables that affect our balance can be exacerbated. It could be possible that you may benefit from an entirely different device.

I mentioned it before, but I’ll say it again because I think that it is important – always check in with your doctor. If you are having issues with walking, mobility, or pain, a referral to a physical or occupational therapist can help address those areas before they cause bigger problems. You may be interested in this resource:

Tip Sheet: Choosing the Right Cane or Walker | HealthInAging.org

We also need to pay attention to our posture and give some attention to the muscles that may be working overtime. The muscles between our shoulder blades can become weak and overstretched and our chest in the front of the body can become tight. This can lead to pain in the upper back, as well as issues with our breathing.

When our posture becomes round in the upper back, our shoulder mobility and our breathing might not be optimal.  We might have pain in our shoulders and wrists from putting too much pressure through our hands. If we are flexed forward, we might feel the low back tightening.  Tightness may also be present in the front of our thigh, or the hip flexor.

You might be wondering how yoga can help us here?

We can use our yoga tools of awareness and mindfulness- as well as a focus on the breath. The breath always comes first in everything that we do. We can tune in to what we are doing, be present, and take out time.

The next time you are walking with your device, take a moment to check in with the different areas in your body:

Are you gripping too tightly with your hands?

Are you pushing the walker down instead of forward (think pushing a shopping cart)?

Do you feel tension in your neck? Are you looking down at the floor instead of ahead? 

We can use the yoga tool of awareness to find where we may be working too hard. Check in with your posture and your breath. Are you breathing shallow or deep?

Take note- Your body will look to take the easiest path and it takes less work to flex forward.

The muscles on the back of our body can be weaker. This is because we spend more time doing repetitive motions that involve flexing and bringing things closer to our body than we do pushing them away (Think sitting in a slouched position, eating, or retrieving items from closets, drawers, cabinets etc.).

But we can help out those muscles by stretching and strengthening them, as well as tuning into our posture. 

All the same rules of the Seated Mountain Pose apply in standing:

• Ground down evenly through both feet, widen your stance as needed
• Elongate the spine and bring awareness to the lower abdominal muscles
• Shoulders in line with the hips and down away from the ears
• Chest is broad
• Lengthen from the base of the spine to the crown of the head

The next time you stand up, take a moment to check in with your standing posture before you start moving. You may find that there are some simple corrections you can make that allow you to feel better. Just remember that it takes time to correct postural habits. Over time, we can reap the benefits of chair yoga.

Want More Resources On The Benefits Of Chair Yoga?

If you are new to chair yoga, you may be interested in Is Chair Yoga Right For You?

I invite you to give this quick yoga sequence that addresses some of those areas a try: Yoga Sequence for Assistive Device Users

If you are able, walking is one of the best exercises you can do. However, there are many different exercise options and alternatives. Seated walking exercise routines can be very beneficial and fun as well. Take a look at the link below for a seated walking workout that I found from Silver Sneakers. I like this video because the instructor gives very clear cues and gives off lots of good energy to keep you motivated. It may be a bit fast paced, but remember you do not have to keep up with her. You will still get all the benefits. Always do what is right for you:

Check out the Resources page for free printable pages of chair yoga poses for beginners.

You may be interested in Breathing For Better Mobility

Try out this seated Bird Dog variation to help strengthen the lower body and the spine.

Take a look at the 7 Day Chair Yoga Challenge or the One Week Chair Yoga Challenge if you are interested in adding some movement to your day.

If you are a caregiver, you may be interested in Self Care For Caregivers.

Visit The Peaceful Chair Etsy Shop for health and wellness related printables.

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Namaste!

Disclaimer: The Peaceful Chair and thepeacefulchair.com strongly recommends that you consult with your physician before starting this or any exercise program.The information provided on this website is for informational purposes only and is not to be used in place of medical advice or information from your healthcare provider. Neither The Peaceful Chair, the peacefulchair.com, nor any of its contributors shall be held liable for any improper or incorrect use of the information described and/or contained herein and assumes no responsibility for anyone’s use of the information contained in any links, videos, or any content on this website.