Innovative Activity #4

Activity: Chair Yoga

Target Participant Group: adults, elderly

Therapeutic Potential of Activity: posture, breathing techniques, meditation, relaxation, fitness, flexibility, strength, motivation, self-confidence, boost happiness, self-esteem, social interaction with others in group

Other Groups to benefit: corrections, individuals with mood disorders, elderly, individuals with SCI, individuals in a cardiac rehabilitation program

Groups not Appropriate: younger children, individuals with severe upper body impairments

Activity Description: Chair yoga is very easy to do and can be used for many populations. There are many different poses and stretches used in chair yoga. Some of the basic and main ones include:

Forward bend
Spinal Twist
Side Stretch
Knee Squeeze
Lef Lifts
Sun Pose



This activity is great for a group of individuals. Chair yoga is great for the body, mind, and spirit. :)

Activity Resources: straight-backed chairs, sufficent space, exercise bands may be used

Best Leadership Style: Leadership is key for this activity. The facilitator must be familiar with the different poses and have experience leading the activity. The participants will be looking to the instructor for what pose to do next and how to do the pose/stretch.  It might work best to have the chairs in a circle and the leader in the middle of the circle so all participants can see. If the group is big, another facilitator may be beneficial in order to walk around and help participants with the poses/stretches.

Activity Source: My close friend is in the cardiac rehabilitation graduate program at UWL. She leads chair yoga for older adults in the cardiac rehab program. She recently added chair yoga to the program because she is a certified yoga instructor. The turnout for the program was only a few individuals throughout the first few weeks. The group size has more than tripled and it is now a favorite activity of many of the participants.

Activity Resources: There are many resources for chair yoga that can be found online. There are also many yoga magazines that contain additional information. Youtube is also a great resource for videos!

http://www.livingwordsofwisdom.com/chair-yoga.html
http://www.yogacheryl.com/chairyoga.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOL4SqhGCqU


NAMASTE!