Kundalini Yoga for Elders
Kundalini Yoga in Chairs is a program developed by Shiva Singh Khalsa in Chicago, IL. He worked with the elderly and infirm for 10 years and introduced Kundalini Yoga in Chairs o a variety of seniors and those with limited mobility.
He found that the majority of Chair Yoga systems also included postures and movements as one of his students described as "She showed us things we couldn't do." Kundalini Yoga being as sophisticated and subtle is a good fit for Chair Yoga since so much of what we can practice does not require dramatic flexibility or strength.
He found that respecting folks who have limited mobility and comprehension is the key to teaching KY in Chairs.
One of the greatest understanding is that the chair is not a prop but the floor!
Weiss Hospital Senior Center Class - 2016 - Sat Sevak Kaur Level 1 Teacher leads her Seniors through a beautiful series of movements, chanting and meditation.
Kundalini Yoga for Elders is for those who want to get their bodies back and for those that want to keep the healthy body they already have. It covers chair yoga, and yoga for Arthritis.
Chair Yoga at The People Sanctuary
B.J. is a Certified Level I Instructor through the Kundalini Research Institute (KRI) based in Espanola, New Mexico. In 1998, B.J. also received her spiritual name - Guru Jagat Kaur - from Yogi Bhajan. This name means "teacher of the world" or "the universal teacher."
In addition to her KRI teaching certifications, B.J. holds a Master's Degree in Therapeutic Recreation and a Certificate in Gerontology from Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. B.J. has designed a special class for persons with limited mobility, where we "never sit on the floor, because the students told me they may not be able to get back up again!"
One of the reasons B.J. loves Kundalini Yoga is that it is a practical style of yoga designed to give noticeable results in a short period of time. She states, "The average person can do this yoga.
Chair Yoga for Strength, Flexibility and Relaxation This 59-minute DVD takes you through 18 different yoga exercises, including a meditation, all done sitting in a chair. You'll be surprised how much better you can feel when you start breathing more deeply and moving all the different parts of your body. Regular yoga practice can also help with improved focus and stress relief, so why not get started today? Please note that this DVD is Closed Captioned for the hearing impaired.
Here's what B.J.'s students are saying about Chair Yoga:
"After a lifetime of bad eating habits, coupled with little or no exercise, I found myself barely able to get down on the floor – never mind getting up. After watching a friend benefit from B.J.'s yoga class, I thought I'd give it a try. It changed my life. Yoga really is for everyone." - Brenda, age 69
"The most important thing is the breathing. I've been an asthmatic since I was an infant. B. J.'s emphasis on deep breathing has done wonders." - Nancy, age 83
"For a number of years, I have had to have neck and shoulder massages. Since I have been doing B. J.'s 'sit down' yoga, my stiffness has gone away. I am very comfortable and relaxed." – Elsie, age 94
Prevention Against Alzheimer and Parkinson
Sat Nam!
Here comes a detail I do use in the warm ups of my "chair-groups" with the focus on prevention against Alzheimer and Parkinson:
I let them do horizontal eights with the lumbar region in the vein of sufi circles, bringing the spine far to left and right.
I let them close their eyes and imaging the center of this movement as a wandering star circling perfect eights. I let them circle these eights as symmetric as possible with full concentration.
To end this movement, I give them one minute to let the eights become smaller and smaller, still inhaling front, exhaling back.
I let the eights become so small, that the movement is no more visible, still keeping the rhythm of the breath.
This is a very good way to enhance body coordination and balance. It centers in a verymeditative way. Try!
Herz-Licht willem
Source: Kundalini Yoga Yahoo Group Message #14808, 11-1-2011
Please also see on this site how Kirtan Kriya helps prevent Alzheimers and is simple tapping on the fingers, (youtubes) : Alzheimers and Kundalini Yoga
Easy Yoga for Arthritis with Peggy Cappy
Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the US, affecting some 37 million people. In this video Peggy shows how yoga can relieve stiffness, reduce pain and fatigue, and improve muscle and bone strength.
Introduction from Peggy Cappy
Gentle Warm-Ups
Hand, Wrist and Arm Warm-Ups
Standing Poses
Sun Salutations
Seated Poses
Reclining Poses
Deep Relaxation Techniques/Meditation
Peggy is the creator of the PBS Yoga for the Rest of Us video series and the founder of Gentle Stretch Yoga for seniors and everyone who wants to practice yoga.
For more than thirty years, Peggy Cappy has been teaching yoga, meditation, and guided relaxation, helping others create greater comfort and ease in body, mind and spirit. Her studies have taken her to India, the source of yoga, to study with yoga and meditation masters.
Peggy has been teaching a special group of elders for a long time. The average age of the group is over 80 and her oldest student is more than 100.
SunLight Chair Yoga
Stacie has been creating new chair yoga programs for senior homes, hospitals and corporations in the bay area-CA, NM and Miami.
She teaches modified yoga postures in chairs, and in mixed level classes (standing and sitting), private chair yoga sessions, breathing, chanting and meditation in chairs for seniors, chronically ill, pre/post surgery, in wheelchairs, to those with disabilities or limited mobility, prenatal modifications, recovery from injuries, at your desk (corporate yoga) and more.
She was featured recently on CBS Ch. 4 News Health Watch as "breathing new life into South Florida seniors" for her chair yoga classes.
She is also teaching others how to teach to Elders. Learn to teach: and the business & marketing of Chair Yoga to start your own classes at senior or community centers, hospitals, assisted living homes, Alzheimer's Homes, support groups, expos, health clubs, corporations and more. Yoga is for everyone!!!
For: Current yoga teachers of all lineages, nurses, caregivers, physical therapists, or for those wanting to learn chair yoga modifications for their own practice or to share with others are welcome to attend.
Includes: a 120+ pg teaching manual, Chair Yoga and Gentle Yoga in Bed for Healing DVD, Certificate of Completion and Cont. Ed credits for those Registered w/ Yoga Alliance.
About: Stacie (Jaipreet/Saraswati) Certified Sivananda Yoga Instructor since 1995, Gentle Integral Yoga Certified, Kundalini Yoga Certified (KRI) and a Kundalini Yoga and Prenatal Khalsa way Certified Instructor.
Sunlight Chair Yoga for more info and to Purchase.
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