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Washington Post
10 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- Washington Post
AP lifestyles reporter explains the origins, benefits of chair yoga and its surge in popularity
WASHINGTON — Chair yoga modifies traditional yoga poses to suit older adults and those with physical limitations. But as AP Lifestyles Writer Leanne Italie explains, that doesn't mean it's any less of a workout. As older adults embrace active lifestyles, chair yoga has surged in popularity. In this episode of 'The Story Behind the AP Story,' Italie explains the origins of chair yoga, its benefits and how it works.
The Independent
11 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
AP lifestyles reporter explains the origins, benefits of chair yoga and its surge in popularity
Chair yoga modifies traditional yoga poses to suit older adults and those with physical limitations. But as AP Lifestyles Writer Leanne Italie explains, that doesn't mean it's any less of a workout. As older adults embrace active lifestyles, chair yoga has surged in popularity. In this episode of 'The Story Behind the AP Story,' Italie explains the origins of chair yoga, its benefits and how it works. Haya Panjwani, host: Hi, I'm Haya Panjwani, and I'm the host of 'The Story Behind the AP Story.' Today we're joined by Leanne Italie, a lifestyles reporter for The Associated Press. Hi, Leanne. How are you doing? Leanne Italie, AP lifestyles reporter: I'm great. How are you? PANJWANI: I'm great. Thank you for asking. Today we're going to talk about chair yoga. What is it? ITALIE: Yeah, sure, so chair yoga has a really sort of interesting and important history. Traditional yoga done on the floor on mats is over 5,000 years old, but chair yoga is a relatively new offshoot. In 1982, a yoga instructor named Lakshmi Voelker noticed that a student of hers in a traditional yoga class who was in her 30s and suffered from arthritis was having trouble getting down on the floor. So, Voelker decided to adapt some poses for use in a chair. And she has since sort of become the guru of chair yoga, and she has written, since co-written a book about it. Chair yoga has really gone a long way in boosting the accessibility of yoga itself to many age groups, including older people and people who have physical limitations. PANJWANI: Are there any communities that benefit from chair yoga in particular? ITALIE: Absolutely. I mean, chair yoga is great for anybody who wants a gentle workout, but it's not easy, and there are many, many benefits. So, obviously, it has a lot to offer older people, particularly older women who are prone to osteoporosis, and it's a gentle and safe way to improve your flexibility, your strength and your balance. It helps minimize the risk of falls and fractures. There's not a body part that it really doesn't help. It helps the spine, the hips, the legs, all engaged. It also helps your core, helps you strengthen your core and your back, and it can help manage stiffness and pain associated with a lot of conditions, including arthritis and osteoporosis. It's not difficult to adapt traditional yoga poses for a chair, which I found kind of surprising, because, you know, yoga looks so daunting sometimes, and there are so many — there's a spiritual aspect to yoga that a lot of people don't realize, you know, in the West. You know, in addition to all the physical benefits, you know, there are relaxation benefits there's, you know, stress management benefits, like from the breathing and the mindfulness aspect of yoga. So, all of that can be adapted to a chair as well. PANJWANI: How is chair yoga linked to better well-being or fall prevention? ITALIE: Yeah, I mean, while there's a lot of research on regular traditional yoga, there is some research that breaks out chair yoga in particular. One study from 2012 found that 15 minutes of chair yoga significantly improves physical and psychological markers for stress. And then another study in the April 2023 journal Healthcare indicates that chair yoga went a long way to counter knee osteoarthritis in women 65 and older. There are other benefits, too, like for instance, office workers who spend a lot of time hunched over screens can just do chair yoga right there in their chair at their desks, and that can really improve posture. PANJWANI: Your story talks about the divide between men and women who do yoga. Why is that? ITALIE: I find this really, really interesting, and in the story that we did on chair yoga, we asked some longtime yoga participants, practitioners, what they thought -- some women in their 70s and their 80s who've been doing yoga for 40, 50 years, why are there not more men in your classes? And they said, well, there's no one definitive answer here, and there's no way to avoid a massive generalization on who men are as a group. But, you know, so you do get different answers depending on who you ask. But, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do show that women are more than twice as likely as men to practice yoga. You know, ancient yoga over the many thousands of years was exclusively reserved for men. And then it became popular in Western culture in the 1960s and '70s as part of sort of the hippie counterculture movement and the New Age movement. And marketing started to skew to women in the '80s and '90s. And that sort of was an outgrowth of the growing fitness industry in the West and the rise of workouts like on VHS tapes and DVDs that people could do at home. PANJWANI: Thank you for listening to 'The Story Behind the AP Story.' To listen to previous episodes, visit
Associated Press
11 hours ago
- Health
- Associated Press
AP lifestyles reporter explains the origins, benefits of chair yoga and its surge in popularity
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chair yoga modifies traditional yoga poses to suit older adults and those with physical limitations. But as AP Lifestyles Writer Leanne Italie explains, that doesn't mean it's any less of a workout. As older adults embrace active lifestyles, chair yoga has surged in popularity. In this episode of 'The Story Behind the AP Story,' Italie explains the origins of chair yoga, its benefits and how it works. Haya Panjwani, host: Hi, I'm Haya Panjwani, and I'm the host of 'The Story Behind the AP Story.' Today we're joined by Leanne Italie, a lifestyles reporter for The Associated Press. Hi, Leanne. How are you doing? Leanne Italie, AP lifestyles reporter: I'm great. How are you? PANJWANI: I'm great. Thank you for asking. Today we're going to talk about chair yoga. What is it? ITALIE: Yeah, sure, so chair yoga has a really sort of interesting and important history. Traditional yoga done on the floor on mats is over 5,000 years old, but chair yoga is a relatively new offshoot. In 1982, a yoga instructor named Lakshmi Voelker noticed that a student of hers in a traditional yoga class who was in her 30s and suffered from arthritis was having trouble getting down on the floor. So, Voelker decided to adapt some poses for use in a chair. And she has since sort of become the guru of chair yoga, and she has written, since co-written a book about it. Chair yoga has really gone a long way in boosting the accessibility of yoga itself to many age groups, including older people and people who have physical limitations. PANJWANI: Are there any communities that benefit from chair yoga in particular? ITALIE: Absolutely. I mean, chair yoga is great for anybody who wants a gentle workout, but it's not easy, and there are many, many benefits. So, obviously, it has a lot to offer older people, particularly older women who are prone to osteoporosis, and it's a gentle and safe way to improve your flexibility, your strength and your balance. It helps minimize the risk of falls and fractures. There's not a body part that it really doesn't help. It helps the spine, the hips, the legs, all engaged. It also helps your core, helps you strengthen your core and your back, and it can help manage stiffness and pain associated with a lot of conditions, including arthritis and osteoporosis. It's not difficult to adapt traditional yoga poses for a chair, which I found kind of surprising, because, you know, yoga looks so daunting sometimes, and there are so many — there's a spiritual aspect to yoga that a lot of people don't realize, you know, in the West. You know, in addition to all the physical benefits, you know, there are relaxation benefits there's, you know, stress management benefits, like from the breathing and the mindfulness aspect of yoga. So, all of that can be adapted to a chair as well. PANJWANI: How is chair yoga linked to better well-being or fall prevention? ITALIE: Yeah, I mean, while there's a lot of research on regular traditional yoga, there is some research that breaks out chair yoga in particular. One study from 2012 found that 15 minutes of chair yoga significantly improves physical and psychological markers for stress. And then another study in the April 2023 journal Healthcare indicates that chair yoga went a long way to counter knee osteoarthritis in women 65 and older. There are other benefits, too, like for instance, office workers who spend a lot of time hunched over screens can just do chair yoga right there in their chair at their desks, and that can really improve posture. PANJWANI: Your story talks about the divide between men and women who do yoga. Why is that? ITALIE: I find this really, really interesting, and in the story that we did on chair yoga, we asked some longtime yoga participants, practitioners, what they thought -- some women in their 70s and their 80s who've been doing yoga for 40, 50 years, why are there not more men in your classes? And they said, well, there's no one definitive answer here, and there's no way to avoid a massive generalization on who men are as a group. But, you know, so you do get different answers depending on who you ask. But, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do show that women are more than twice as likely as men to practice yoga. You know, ancient yoga over the many thousands of years was exclusively reserved for men. And then it became popular in Western culture in the 1960s and '70s as part of sort of the hippie counterculture movement and the New Age movement. And marketing started to skew to women in the '80s and '90s. And that sort of was an outgrowth of the growing fitness industry in the West and the rise of workouts like on VHS tapes and DVDs that people could do at home. PANJWANI: Thank you for listening to 'The Story Behind the AP Story.' To listen to previous episodes, visit
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
AP lifestyles reporter explains the origins, benefits of chair yoga and its surge in popularity
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chair yoga modifies traditional yoga poses to suit older adults and those with physical limitations. But as AP Lifestyles Writer Leanne Italie explains, that doesn't mean it's any less of a workout. As older adults embrace active lifestyles, chair yoga has surged in popularity. In this episode of 'The Story Behind the AP Story,' Italie explains the origins of chair yoga, its benefits and how it works. Haya Panjwani, host: Hi, I'm Haya Panjwani, and I'm the host of 'The Story Behind the AP Story.' Today we're joined by Leanne Italie, a lifestyles reporter for The Associated Press. Hi, Leanne. How are you doing? Leanne Italie, AP lifestyles reporter: I'm great. How are you? PANJWANI: I'm great. Thank you for asking. Today we're going to talk about chair yoga. What is it? ITALIE: Yeah, sure, so chair yoga has a really sort of interesting and important history. Traditional yoga done on the floor on mats is over 5,000 years old, but chair yoga is a relatively new offshoot. In 1982, a yoga instructor named Lakshmi Voelker noticed that a student of hers in a traditional yoga class who was in her 30s and suffered from arthritis was having trouble getting down on the floor. So, Voelker decided to adapt some poses for use in a chair. And she has since sort of become the guru of chair yoga, and she has written, since co-written a book about it. Chair yoga has really gone a long way in boosting the accessibility of yoga itself to many age groups, including older people and people who have physical limitations. PANJWANI: Are there any communities that benefit from chair yoga in particular? ITALIE: Absolutely. I mean, chair yoga is great for anybody who wants a gentle workout, but it's not easy, and there are many, many benefits. So, obviously, it has a lot to offer older people, particularly older women who are prone to osteoporosis, and it's a gentle and safe way to improve your flexibility, your strength and your balance. It helps minimize the risk of falls and fractures. There's not a body part that it really doesn't help. It helps the spine, the hips, the legs, all engaged. It also helps your core, helps you strengthen your core and your back, and it can help manage stiffness and pain associated with a lot of conditions, including arthritis and osteoporosis. It's not difficult to adapt traditional yoga poses for a chair, which I found kind of surprising, because, you know, yoga looks so daunting sometimes, and there are so many — there's a spiritual aspect to yoga that a lot of people don't realize, you know, in the West. You know, in addition to all the physical benefits, you know, there are relaxation benefits there's, you know, stress management benefits, like from the breathing and the mindfulness aspect of yoga. So, all of that can be adapted to a chair as well. PANJWANI: How is chair yoga linked to better well-being or fall prevention? ITALIE: Yeah, I mean, while there's a lot of research on regular traditional yoga, there is some research that breaks out chair yoga in particular. One study from 2012 found that 15 minutes of chair yoga significantly improves physical and psychological markers for stress. And then another study in the April 2023 journal Healthcare indicates that chair yoga went a long way to counter knee osteoarthritis in women 65 and older. There are other benefits, too, like for instance, office workers who spend a lot of time hunched over screens can just do chair yoga right there in their chair at their desks, and that can really improve posture. PANJWANI: Your story talks about the divide between men and women who do yoga. Why is that? ITALIE: I find this really, really interesting, and in the story that we did on chair yoga, we asked some longtime yoga participants, practitioners, what they thought -- some women in their 70s and their 80s who've been doing yoga for 40, 50 years, why are there not more men in your classes? And they said, well, there's no one definitive answer here, and there's no way to avoid a massive generalization on who men are as a group. But, you know, so you do get different answers depending on who you ask. But, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do show that women are more than twice as likely as men to practice yoga. You know, ancient yoga over the many thousands of years was exclusively reserved for men. And then it became popular in Western culture in the 1960s and '70s as part of sort of the hippie counterculture movement and the New Age movement. And marketing started to skew to women in the '80s and '90s. And that sort of was an outgrowth of the growing fitness industry in the West and the rise of workouts like on VHS tapes and DVDs that people could do at home. PANJWANI: Thank you for listening to 'The Story Behind the AP Story.' To listen to previous episodes, visit
Associated Press
21-05-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
Emotional well-being. Fall prevention. Chair yoga has a lot to offer people of all ages
NEW YORK (AP) — Marian Rivman is pushing 80. Harriet Luria is a proud 83. In this trio, Carol Leister is the baby at 62. Together, they have decades of experience with yoga. Only now, it involves a chair. Chair yoga adapts traditional yoga poses for older people and others with physical challenges, but the three devotees said after a recent class that doesn't mean it's not a quality workout. As older adults have become more active, chair yoga has grown in popularity. 'You're stretching your whole body,' Rivman offered. 'What you can do in the chair is a little bit more forgiving on the knees and on the hips. So as you age, it allows you to get into positions that you were doing before without hurting yourself.' Sitting down to exercise, or standing while holding onto a chair to perform some poses, may not sound like a workout, but Rivman, Luria, Leister and practitioners everywhere see a world of benefits. 'I took it up because I have osteoporosis and the chair yoga is much easier,' Luria said. 'You don't have to worry as much about falling and breaking anything. It's not as difficult as I thought it would be, but it's not easy. And you really do use your muscles. It's an excellent workout.' Yoga with a chair isn't just for older peopleChair yoga is clearly marketed to older women, who made up the class where the three yoga friends got together at the Marlene Meyerson JCC on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. But the practice also has a lot to offer others, said their instructor, Whitney Chapman. Desk workers can squeeze in 15 minutes of chair yoga, for instance. Many companies offer it as a way to cut down on stress and improve overall health. And people recovering from surgery or injuries may not be ready to get down on a yoga mat, but they can stretch in a chair. 'I've known these ladies probably 18 to 20 years. And the very first time in a yoga class that I brought in the chair, all of my students said I don't want geriatric yoga. I'm not an old person,' Chapman said. 'And then they saw that having a chair is just as good as a yoga strap, a yoga block. It's another prop that's going to help you do what you want to do. So it's not necessarily because you're older, but that it can be helpful. And it doesn't mean you're geriatric just because you're sitting in a chair.' The benefits are many, Chapman said: improved flexibility, strength, balance. And there's the overall emotional well-being that yoga practitioners in general report. It's particularly useful for people with mobility issues or chronic ailments like arthritis or back pain. Chapman also teaches yoga to cancer and Parkinson's disease patients. In addition to restorative and other benefits, the practice of chair yoga can help improve posture for people of all ages and abilities, and help older people prevent falls. A physical practice that can last a lifetime Leister recently retired. 'I've been looking for all different kinds of exercises to do and this is one of them,' she said. 'This is the one that I could see doing for the rest of my life, where some that are a little more strenuous I may not be able to do in the future.' Traditional yoga originated more than 5,000 years ago in India. Many of the poses used today are also that old. It can be as much spiritual as physical, and that also goes for its chair descendant. The precise movements are tied to deliberate, cleansing breathwork. Rivman has been doing yoga for about 50 years. 'Once you start and you get what it does for your body, you don't want to give it up. And if there's a way that you can keep doing it and keep doing it safely, that's a choice you're going to make,' she said. Yoga by the numbers, including chair yoga The practice of yoga, including chair yoga, has been on the rise in the U.S. over the last 20 years. In 2022, the percentage of adults age 18 and older who practiced yoga in the past 12 months was 16.9%, with percentages highest among women ages 18–44, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Women are more than twice as likely as men to practice yoga, the data showed. The percentage of adults who practiced yoga to treat or manage pain decreased with increasing family income. The CDC, didn't break out chair yoga for analysis but recommends that adults 65 and older focus on activities that improve balance and strength. That, the health agency said, can be achieved through various exercises, including chair yoga. Why don't more men do yoga? Chapman and her students have thoughts on why more men don't practice yoga. Traditionally, Chapman said, the practice was reserved for men, but as yoga became more westernized, women took over. 'Women tend to be more group-oriented. I would love to see more men in class. I do have a few. I don't know if they're intimidated, but you know, it's a great way to meet women if everybody's single,' Chapman said with a chuckle. Luria theorizes that fewer men are drawn to yoga because it's not a competitive sport. 'You're really working at your own level,' she said. 'Take out the competition and it's not their thing.' These chair yoga practitioners have lots of advice. Rivman summed it up best: 'Get into a chair and do some yoga. You don't have to stand on your head, but you have to move. You're never too old to start.'
