Abstract

Chair yoga is a revolutionary concept designed to make the numerous benefits of classical yoga available to a wider range of physical abilities. This step-by-step program can be practiced by virtually anyone, anywhere, in any chair, to stimulate physical and mental well-being.

This fully illustrated guide contains ninety easy-to-master exercises that have been specially developed for those with a limited range of movement. Clear instructions guide the reader through each routine, all of which can be carried out safely without any previous knowledge or yoga expertise. The exercises can also be adapted by yoga teachers who want to incorporate chair yoga into their classes.

This book will be popular with anyone wanting to experience the health benefits of an easy, versatile form of yoga, particularly older people, individuals rehabilitating after injury or illness and those with physical disabilities, as well as the professionals who support them.

Edeltraud Rohnfeld qualified as a yoga teacher at the Berlin Yoga Institute Asha Rekai in 1991. She taught private yoga classes in Berlin for 15 years and trained yoga teachers and healthcare professionals. She later specialised in chair yoga, learning from its founder Erika Hammerstroem. She moved to Ireland in 2008 where she runs seminars on chair and classic yoga. Her website can be viewed at www.yoga-clare.com.
Chair Yoga: seated exercises for health and wellbeing provides some 90 easy exercises that have been specially developed to include those with limited mobility, helping this stand out from the crowd of exercise guides that assume full functioning. Clear directions offer keys to routines that don't require prior knowledge of yoga or exercise, with movements accompanied by explanations of their benefits. Yoga teachers who want to bend chair yoga into their classes as well as those who want an at-home problem accommodating limited mobility will find this a top pick from a qualified yoga teacher.
The Midwest Book Review
While massage and yoga may seem a little bit too "alternative" to some readers, these two books make a very good case for their use in care homes. They both put forward simple and unthreatening exercises that can be led by staff at any level. I would recommend starting any such program (massage or yoga) by getting staff to learn and appreciate the techniques by practicing on each other - a good way to begin a team meeting.
Caring Times
Chair Yoga is a welcome addition to our yoga library... it will be a boon to our aging population who are often worried about starting yoga in case they are too stiff to keep up with the rest of the class. This is the book that I have been waiting for. I will now be able to help so many more people who require a more gentle approach to yoga. I am going to recommend it to all my pupils with mobility problems.
Barbara Currie, yoga expert and creator of numerous yoga dvds and books
A perfect guide to yoga for people with limited mobility. The clearly explained, gentle chair exercises promote strength and flexibility, and open the benefits of yoga to all. Chair Yoga keeps muscles strong, joints flexible, minds alert, and improves balance...Beautifully written and accessible, this is a gem of a book.
Annette Wellings, Pilates instructor and author of Curves, Twists and Bends: A Practical Guide to Pilates for Scoliosis