Book Review - Chair Yoga: Seated Exercises for Health and Wellbeing

Details

Category: Book Reviews

Published on Thursday, 08 December 2011 15:05

Hits: 6660

Chair Yoga: Seated Exercises for Health and Wellbeing by Edeltraud Rohnfeld

This fully illustrated book is ideal for anyone who wishes to reap all the health benefits of yoga without having to sit for hours on a mat in the lotus position or stand on their head with their legs angled in strange positions. Anyone can do this type of yoga, whatever their level of ability. All you need is a chair, some space and a willingness to work through the exercises.

Edeltraud starts by explaining the origin of yoga many years ago in India and how it reached the West due to British colonisation. Chair Yoga was first developed in the 1980s to help those not so physically able, to benefit from increased joint flexibility, improved circulation and to find that place of inner peace and composure.

Edeltraud takes you through the importance of breathing practice explaining the different parts of the lungs and how to incorporate them in special breathing techniques. She then goes on to describe and illustrate exercises for different areas of the body, starting from the feet and toes and working all the way up to the head.

The illustrations make the exercises easy to understand and follow, and there are even exercise guidelines to help you plan a Chair Yoga session. These programmes start with 15-minute sessions and work up to 60-minute sessions, with a variety of different programmes for each time limit.

Edeltraud also includes a chapter on diet, as the sages who developed yoga devised various dietary strategies to help promote health and longevity. She talks about preference for organic foods, why sugar is harmful and why garlic is healthy.

If you are interested in yoga then this is a great place to start as you can do it at your own pace in your own time with the guidance of a qualified and experienced teacher.

By Kathy Longley

Chair Yoga: Seated Exercises for Health and Wellbeing by Edeltraud Rohnfeld can be purchased from FMA UK priced at £12.99.