When I was a kid, my Dad asked me if I could design a chair for people whose knees bent backward. I’m still working on that one!
What do we do with bodies that ache because we sit, and sit, and sit? In fact, I’ll bet you’re sitting right now!
We’re a society of “chair people.” We sit for meals, sit for classes, sit in the car, sit at a desk, sit in meetings and movies. We sit to talk on the phone and watch TV, sit at computers, on planes, on trains, in waiting rooms. Some of us sit due to accident or illness, weakness, or job requirements. Some of us sit because we just have a lazy life style. Do you ever feel that your life has become a series of transitions from one seated location to another?
I don’t think our bodies were meant to live that way! Most chairs aren’t designed to support our bodies with healthy posture. They cause us to slump, curve our spines into concave shapes, push our heads forward or lean us back onto our tailbones. The worst back problem I ever had came after sitting in a seminar room for three days of lectures.
All that sitting can cause stiffness, backache, weakness, constipation, poor circulation, mental dullness, nervousness, cramps, and degeneration. Depressing thoughts. Whatever the reason and wherever you sit, its possible to counteract the negative affects, even while you’re sitting in your chair.
So, since I began teaching yoga, I’ve been designing a practice for those of us whose knees bend…forward, many hours a day. Its called “Sitting Fit Anytime”…and anyone can do it
Yoga, the 5000 year old gift of body/mind balance, can be adapted to a seated stretching program that can counteract the inevitable results of sitting too much. Benefits can include more body awareness, better posture, relief from aches and pains, as well as increased flexibility and strength, as well as a deep sense of relaxation…Are you sitting right now?
Although a consistent yoga program of standing, balancing, lying poses, and inversions is a more challenging and complete practice, your yoga doesn’t have to be relegated to a class. Small bites of yoga may not have the same intensity as a full yoga class, but the benefits of yoga are readily available to those who nibble on yoga throughout the day. Small stretches while sitting in various daily situations, can contribute greatly to your strength, flexibility, relaxation, increased circulation, stronger respiration, and clarity of mind.
Those who are physically challenged due to age, illness, injury or who just can’t do poses on the floor, don’t need to miss out on the many benefits of yoga. With physician’s approval, anyone can benefit from their own adaptation of the breathing and gentle seated poses.
Seated yoga can build the strength and flexibility, and help the yoga student progress to more and more challenging poses. Breathing, stretching and strengthening can be introduced at a slow pace, gently bringing bodies to new levels of fitness, increasing circulation and bringing in healing “life force” energy.
“Sitting Fit” benefits all of us, regardless of our physical condition. All of our sitting needs to be balanced with moving, breathing and stretching, so try some simple seated yoga poses for a “mini yoga break.” You’ll feel the difference!
If you would like to receive a sample of my Sitting Fit video, just sign up on yogaheart.com and one will be emailed to you right away!
Blessings on your yoga path,
Susan
Share Your Thoughts