chair yoga for healthy living

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These classes is specifically designed for the aging population, people new to yoga, and those with injuries and chronic pain. Experienced yoga practitioners of all ages will also benefit and enjoy these classes.

These classes will stretch and strengthen the entire body. Movement will be done both sitting in a chair and standing. Balance exercises are also an important part of each class. They are meant to be both relaxing and energizing, with an emphasis on mindfulness and embodied awareness which reduces stress, prevents disease and induces a joyful state of being with a PRIMARY FOCUS ON HAVING FUN!

The classes on Zoom at 6 pm on Fridays and at other community centers will be focused on general Hatha Yoga practices. The classes at Unity Center of Peace in Chapel Hill every second and fourth Tuesday at 3 pm will incorporate aspects of Kundalini yoga such as mantras and related music as well as a sound healing meditation with affirmations.

Kundalini yoga uses breathing exercises and energetic postures to align and balance the chakras that affect the cardiovascular, endocrine, respiratory, and nervous systems of the body. It also incorporates special mantras which have deep spiritual significance as well as profound physical health effects on both the body and mind.

A special Kundalini mantra meditation called the Kirtan Kriya will be taught at the end of the class. This meditation has been recommended by the Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation and research from the University of California at Los Angeles and other universities have shown that this simple meditation can change areas of the brain that control memory and mood.

RELATED ARTICLES: 

1. This article describes areas of the brain impacted by this meditation according to brain scans. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/prime-your-gray-cells/201606/yoga-and-kirtan-kriya-meditation-bolster-brain-functioning

2. This article explains  how research conducted on this meditation shows increased telomere activity linked to decreased cellular aging. https://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/11/nobel-prize-winner-shows-that-meditation-significantly-slows-aging/

3. This article presents more research on yoga and telomeres further illustrating how yoga practices increase cellular longevity. https://www.cureus.com/articles/321459-yoga-and-telomeres-a-path-to-cellular-longevity#!/

There will be a focus on posture improvement and correcting forward head posture, also known as Hyperkyphosis, which is a serious and frequently overlooked medical condition that gets worse with age. Research has shown that:

1. People with Hyperkyphosis had an almost 44% greater risk of mortality over a four year period. (Journal of American Geriatric Society, 2004)

2. People with Hyperkyphosis were twice as likely to die of pulmonary disease. (Journal of Orthorpaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 2010)

3. Older women with Hyperkyphosis had a 70% greater risk of future fractures. (Journal of Orthorpaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 2010)

4. Hyperkyphotic posture shows an increased rate of physiological aging. (Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 2016)