Hand mudras are a key component of every chair yoga class I teach. Aside from their ability to improve dexterity in the joints of the fingers and hands, static mudras can come alive to help seniors concentrate on breath with movement. An adaptable mudra to introduce into a senior chair yoga class is Garuda (Eagle) mudra. 

Garuda mudra activates the circulation and blood flow of our body and helps to balance our energy. During the opening of our chair yoga class, we hold the pose static, close our eyes and begin our centering. The mudra is then put into motion to help clients focus on breath with movement, while simultaneously opening the joints of the fingers and keeping the mind engaged.

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As a communications major, I know the importance of being able to use words to create an engaging yoga practice for my senior yoga students. If you have ever felt like your clients are lost, falling asleep or seem uninterested, consider crafting a new communication strategy in the classroom.

Start with a headline. Great writers and communicators know the importance of a headline. A headline conveys what the story is all about. Have a headline for each of your classes or what is commonly referred to as a theme. Each senior or chair yoga class I teach starts with a theme, something that will grab my students attention. For instance, Uncorking the Joints. Your headline then unfolds to develop the whole story of your class. The intention, mudras, pranayama, postures and the meditation all work to support your theme, just like the body of a story helps support the headline.

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Today, I had the privilege of training over thirty Occupational and Physical Therapists of Life Care of Colorado in, “Chair Yoga for Optimal Health.” The intention behind the curriculum and training was to introduce Life Care therapists to the ancient art of yoga for use with their clients.

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If you are working with senior yoga clients, you will invariably run across clients with disabilities. Disabilities can prohibit your client from performing a certain task by themselves. I work with senior yoga clients who have Lupus, Osteoporosis, MS, Alzheimer’s, Polio, stroke, depression and extreme fatigue. I also have clients who are recovering from an injury or are no longer able to perform a function with a certain part of their body, like flexion of the ankles.These issues should in no way prohibit you from teaching yoga to these clients you just need to be more in touch with their disabilities or abilities.

Focus on the client’s abilities, not their disability. Take your awareness away from the client’s disability.

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