McGee - Chair Yoga: Sit, Stretch, and Strengthen Your Way to a Happier, Healthier You

To my amazing family and to my father,

who never tires of helping his daughter

Contents

T hough yoga has been practiced for centuries, there is a need for yoga innovation and modification in our modern age. Much like renovating a classic home, Kristin has reinvented yogic methods to satisfy the needs of a technology-based, seated culture desperate for reacquiring a sense of grounding, movement, and happiness. Her combination of spirit and knowledge has been in the industry from fitness to wellness for many years and my admiration for her perseverance in a field now cluttered with numerous methods of practice is still bountiful. Whether in live classes or on her many DVDs, I always leave her classes feeling uplifted, centered, and more in my body than when I walked in. Much like Kristin, Im fortunate to have a career that doesnt leave me chair-bound every day, though writing blogs, books, articles, and manuals keeps me at my desk for many hours most days. I know how important it is to have simple, easy techniques to do while at my desk.

Rather than encouraging people to get out of their office to set forth a mindful practice of yoga, Kristin has found simple ways in Chair Yoga to bring this beneficial stretching, exercise, and meditative practice to the workspace. Ive said in blogs and my own book that sitting is what I consider a desk sentence as we are slowly decreasing our vitality from the accumulation of a sitting posture for far too many hours a day. The simplicity of breathing techniques Kristin has set into her book and the many focused exercises and movements she shares may look too easy and thus may be perceived as ineffective. However, knowing these techniques and how shes applied them in Chair Yoga can quickly restore balance, focus, and allow a person to regain a sense of well-being in just a few minutes a day. What a great way to prepare for a meeting or interview, or just manage the stress of office life!

Despite the encouragement to have people just get up out of their chairs and move every hour, most people barely get up to go to the bathroom more than once in an afternoon workday. Kristin has thoughtfully compiled movements to keep your face, mind, and body free of tightness that would otherwise cause a workday to feel even more labored.

As technology absorbs our attention both at work and while staring at our phones as we walk down the street, eat lunch, or wait at a stoplight, our need for simple techniques like Kristins to unwind from our sedentary postures and forward head placement will make this book an added benefit to any lifestyle. Dont let sitting be your desk sentence. Its time to sit up and practice some Chair Yoga. You will be better for it. Kristins mindful and loving ways of enticing people to try something new are captivating. I know as you start to read this book you will soon learn why so many of us in the industry regard her as a key educator in the wellness and fitness community.

I m so happy that youve chosen to move your body throughout your seated day! Chair yoga is the perfect solution for all of us who find ourselves in a chair for extended periods of time. Physical inactivity increases health risks, which is why its so important to do what you can to add movement throughout your day in order to improve your health. Chair yoga is a practice made up of simple exercises you can do daily that will help strengthen and stretch your body while focusing your mind and helping you tap in to your breath.

Are you living a sedentary life? Do you get out of bed in the morning only to sit down and eat breakfast, sit in a car or on a bus or subway seat on your way to work, sit at a desk all day long, sit on your commute home, sit down for dinner, and then proceed to sit on the couch to watch TV or browse the Internet before you get back into bed?

Does this sound like you? This may be an exaggeration and we all have different jobs. Im thankful that mine requires me to be on my feet most of the day! But all too many people live sedentary lives, dining, driving, flying, typing, reading, just to name a few activities. Its impossible to escape chairs completely, and we all need to rest our feet at some point in the day. But the balance has tipped. Our early ancestors spent a majority of their time standing and working. As humans, we are designed to move. With our modern-day luxuries and the invention of the television and computers, it is much too easy to spend our days parked on our rear ends.

Sitting Is the New Smoking

The problem with being stuck in a seat all day is finally drawing some attention. Recent studies have shown that sitting in one position for hours can cause major health problems. According to the World Health Organization, physical inactivity is actually the fourth-leading risk factor for death in people around the world.

When we sit all day, we are at risk for developing diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, postural problems, muscular imbalances, and the list goes on. While we are sitting, our organs arent required to function at their full capacity; even our lungs dont fully inflate. Plus we lose energy, we develop sciatica, we compress our discs, we lose our abdominal strength, and we age more rapidly. Its rare that someone can sit all day long with perfect posture and awareness.

Many people such as the elderly, those with physical limitations, or individuals who travel for work are forced by circumstances beyond their control to be constantly seated for long periods. Thankfully, there is a solution that can help everyone who finds himself or herself stuck in a seat to feel better, move better, be more productive, and have more energy, awareness, and joy!

What Can We Do About It?

Yoga is the linking of the mind and the body through the breath. Awareness of the breath is key to living a longer, healthier, and fuller life. Yogis use movement, meditation, and breathing exercises to stretch and strengthen their bodies, focus their minds, and improve their well-being. The benefits of yoga are so profound that really everyone should be practicing it in some form.

The very best thing about chair yoga is it can be done anywhere and at any time! You dont need a mat, you dont have to stand, and you dont need to wear yoga pantsthough you can if you want to. Chair yoga is accessible to everyone.

Chair Yoga Can Be Done Anywhere!

Chair yoga is the perfect solution for office workers, commuters, artists, business owners, tired moms, college students, kids, the elderly, the overweight, and couch potatoes and chair spuds everywhere. Chair yoga is the most accessible form of yoga because it can be done in a seat and is easy enough for all levels. Its great for anyone who is deskbound, has limited range of motion, or finds certain traditional yoga postures challenging. Chair yoga can help you become more mindful at work, before you eat a meal, on your travels, or while waiting in a doctors office. It can be done anywhere and in any type of chair.

While on an airplane

Waiting at the doctors office

While at the office

Chair Yoga