An Interview with Kirsten Blokland, PhD, Certified Yoga Teacher (YTT 500)
- What is the difference between chair yoga and more traditional mat yoga?
Very little. In essence, chair yoga is identical to traditional mat yoga, when we consider that the essence of yoga is about deepening our connection with ourselves. It’s about the inner experience of the poses, the breath, and an attitude of self-compassion — not the outer shape of the poses. In the classes I teach, the principal (and perhaps only) difference is that in a chair yoga class, the participant has the option to do the entire practice sitting in a chair, or to stand for the portion of the class that would traditionally be done standing in a mat-based class, then sit in the chair for the portion of the class that would traditionally be done seated on the floor.
Some of my students who have an advanced yoga practice and who regularly take my traditional, mat-based classes also take my chair yoga classes. These students tell me that each time they practice yoga from a chair, they are reminded of how challenging a chair class can be, and how complete the practice feels. “This is real yoga!” they will often exclaim at the end of a class.
- Who can benefit from chair yoga?
Anyone and everyone who is able to sit in a chair can benefit from chair yoga. As with all types of movement-based/active yoga, chair yoga improves strength, mobility, flexibility, coordination, concentration, clarity of mind, self-awareness, self-compassion, and lung capacity; and it helps with calming the nervous system, lowering blood pressure, reducing stress hormones, and increasing feel-good hormones and neurotransmitters.
In addition to chair yoga being of benefit to anyone who is able to sit in a chair, this approach to yoga is a great choice for people who have difficulty getting up and down from the floor, or those who would like to reclaim this skill but aren’t quite there yet, or for folks who are practicing yoga from very small spaces and don’t have room to roll out a yoga mat.
- How did chair yoga come to be? Is this a new practice?
No, and yes. In the ancient yoga manual, the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, the term “asana” (Sanskrit for “yoga pose”) is defined strictly as a seated meditation posture. Although Patañjali was referring to sitting on the floor rather than on a chair, nonetheless there is the key idea that yoga can be practiced while sitting. Whether the yoga takes the expression of meditation or a variety of postures and movements, it’s all part of yoga. Therefore, one might argue that meditation is the original “chair yoga”!
In more recent history, some modern schools of yoga (such as Iyengar Yoga) use various props, including a chair, to provide additional support to the practitioner while practicing a wide variety of poses. In this context, the chair can make the yoga practice more accessible, which is a point of overlap with classes we call “chair yoga”. And even more recently (i.e., in the 1970s and ‘80s), Alice Christensen and Lakshmi Voelker-Binder began developing yoga programs using a chair as a key component of the practice, in an effort to make yoga available to a wider spectrum of practitioners.
- Are chair (or modified) yoga poses any less beneficial than traditional asana poses?
In my view, chair/modified poses are in many ways just as beneficial as traditional asana poses – particularly when we consider that the benefits exist not just in the physical domain, but also in the psychological and spiritual domains.
In the physical domain, there are a few exceptions that come to mind. The first exception pertains to the hips: Yoga done from a chair means that the person’s hips are in a flexed position most of the time (i.e., the thigh is at a right angle relative to the spine, because the person is sitting), and so the hips don’t have the opportunity to open into a neutral position (like when we’re standing), or an extended position (i.e., where the thigh moves behind the side-line of the body). It’s very healthy for the hips to spend time in positions other than flexion, so if the person is able to stand for a portion of the class, I encourage them to make this choice. However, there are a couple of poses I teach my students in my chair classes that do bring the hip into extension, so it is possible to briefly incorporate this benefit into a chair class.
The second exception pertains to balance: Yoga done from a chair gives a milder degree of benefit to the person’s sense of balance, compared to traditional (standing) asana poses. During a chair yoga class, we are able to nurture balance by doing poses that require the torso to tilt and bend in various directions (e.g., Utkatasana / Chair Pose, Cat Pose, Boat Pose, Camel Pose, Extended Side Angle Pose, Half Lord of the Fishes Pose) – and each time the body changes its orientation in space, the balance system is engaged and challenged. The balance benefit is still there in a chair class, but it is less pronounced.
The third exception has to do with the degree to which strength is increased in the arms and legs. Because the person is sitting for more of the class, if not all of the class, a chair yoga class strengthens the legs to a more modest extent. Likewise, because the person is not down on the floor supporting their weight on their hands or forearms in poses like Downward Dog, Plank, arm-balance poses, etc., there isn’t quite the same degree of strength built in the arms and shoulders. However, strength in the torso is nurtured really well in a chair-based class – I would argue just as well, compared to in a mat-based class.
- Yoga places great emphasis on linking movement with breath. Why is this so important?
Linking movement with breath is one of the ways we can practice the “union” that is central to yoga (yoga means to yoke, or unite). On a physical level, when we breathe while moving, not only do we enhance the amount of oxygen available to fuel our cells, but we also can change the quality of movement by using the breath to assist with the effort, and to assist with the release at the end of the effort. On a psychological level, the act of synchronizing movement with breath can impart a feeling of coherence and integration – something that is so needed in our society, where many people report feeling fragmented and unsettled because of the hectic pace of our lives, being on our computer devices much of the time, or other reasons.
Not only does yoga emphasize linking movement with breath, but it also emphasizes breath-work as a practice in its own right – pranayama, as it’s called in yoga. When practicing pranayama, the person is encouraged to place their entire focus on their breath, often using one of many specific breath techniques. Each breath technique has its own purpose and effect, with the effects experienced on multiple levels (physical, physiological, psychological, neurological).
- You mention on your website that you came to yoga largely to aid a medical condition. What made you consider yoga as a solution over other treatment options?
I chose yoga in addition to (as opposed to “over”) other treatment options, to help restore and maintain my health. As a person with a science background, I wish I had had the opportunity to introduce one variable at a time (yoga as one variable, and medication as the other), so I could more clearly observe the effects associated with each. But at the time, I began yoga in earnest very close to the time that I started taking a medication that is essential for my disease to improve and remain quiescent. So I will never really know the relative extent to which yoga and drug therapy each contribute to my health. However, I can say two things for certain about this: One, even during the very first yoga class I did following my diagnosis (and at that time I mostly did restorative yoga, until I felt well enough to add other types of yoga to my practice), I felt the healing beginning. And two, over the years, on occasions when I have not practiced yoga as much as I usually do, I don’t feel as well, and the symptoms that are associated with my disease are more pronounced. This pattern has occurred pretty much every time I’ve inadvertently tested the waters, so it tells me that yoga is a key factor in maintaining my health. I feel so strongly about this that it is the principal reason why I decided to become a yoga teacher. I wanted to share the gifts of yoga so that others could benefit the way I had (and still do).
- Multiple studies have found that inactive adults over the age of 60 are at increased risk of falling, functional disability and mental health problems. Would you consider yoga a tool to combat these concerns? Why?
That’s a big question, and a very important one. My short answer is yes: Yoga is a tool (one of many) to improve balance, functional movements in everyday life, and various aspects of mental health. There is an exciting line of research emerging on the link between the telomeres in our chromosomes and aging. Telomeres are the protective caps at the tips of our chromosomes, and these caps shorten as we age, which in turn leads to many age-related conditions. There are things we can do to preserve and even restore the length of our telomeres and prevent some of the age-related phenomena that humans often experience, and yoga has been one of the activities implicated in this regard. This area of research is not really my area of expertise, but I do find it fascinating and I do follow the research.
In general, yoga is broadly thought to reduce the risk of falling because of its focus on proprioception (awareness of where the body is positioned in relation to gravity), and probably because of the focus on self-awareness in general. Also, the additional strength and coordination that people gain by practicing yoga are factors that can mitigate the risk of falling.
As for functional disability, yoga is a wonderful way to sustain and reclaim functional movement (i.e., movement that is helpful for everyday routines and self-care). For example, a well-rounded yoga class (whether chair- or mat-based) will bring the spine, hips, and shoulders into each direction of movement that these areas can move in, which is important for ease of functioning in everyday life. Think of it: You’re outside and you want to look up at the moon, so you need to be able to do a backbend with your spine. You want to tie your shoe-laces, so you need to be able to do a forward bend with your spine and bring your leg and torso closer to one another. You want to reach up to your upper cupboard in your kitchen, so you need to be able to move your shoulder into full flexion and your spine into side flexion. You’re in the front seat of a car and you want to grab something from the back seat, so you need to be able to move your spine in rotation and abduct your arm away from the side of the body. And so on. Traditional yoga poses involve all of these movements of the major joints, which is why yoga so effectively supports functional movement.
Finally, in terms of mental health, we know from many well-conducted studies that mindful movement, mindful breathing, meditation, self-compassion, and gratitude are factors that are associated with improved mental health. Yoga is such a great tool because it involves all of the above. After training intensively in many sports, dance, Pilates, and other movement practices, I have found yoga to be the most complete, well-rounded activity one can do to support one’s overall health.
- I understand you have a background in psychology. There are many studies on how yoga reduces stress, anxiety, depression and other debilitating psychological conditions. Can you speak to how yoga aids in managing these conditions?
Another big question! Anytime we ask “how” something happens, we’re talking about mechanisms of change, which is a very complex topic to study and to talk about. Research is emerging that highlights the role of hormones and neurotransmitters as mechanisms that appear to be involved in the process by which yoga leads to improved mood and reduced anxiety. Another mechanism pertains to the meditation part of yoga: research shows that meditation leads to reduced activity in the area of the brain dedicated to emotional reactivity, which in turn results in a milder response during stressful situations. Also, studies indicate that pranayama, the part of yoga that focuses on specific breathing techniques, slows down the heart rate and stimulates a portion of the parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn has a calming, stress-lowering effect.
- What considerations must seniors take when practicing yoga?
For some seniors, balance becomes a challenge. To help with balance while practicing yoga in a standing position, the person can hold onto the upper edge of a chair, a windowsill, or a countertop, using as little or as much assistance as they feel they need from the support.
Other considerations include high blood pressure and glaucoma. Individuals with these conditions (regardless of age) are advised to avoid inversions (upside-down poses), because of the increased pressure these poses place on the blood vessels and on the eyes.
In a chair yoga class, the above-mentioned concerns are not an issue, if the person is seated in their chair while practicing yoga.
Very importantly, I remind seniors to listen to their body, and let their inner wisdom be their guide – something I tell all my students, regardless of age. But this guidance is especially important as we age, because our bodies tend to be less forgiving when we forget to listen to the cues from our joints and soft tissues.
- How might yoga poses look different in a chair or for those with reduced mobility?
When yoga poses are done from a chair, the main anchor point is the hip area, rather than the feet. Although the feet do still root into the floor while seated, most of the body weight is located in the hip region. So in a chair class, we have a 3-point plumb line involving the head, shoulders, and hips, rather than a 4-point plumb line that also includes the feet if the person were standing in a traditional asana class. Another difference is that certain poses that, in a mat class, would be done with the hands on the floor (Cat/Cow, Chaturanga, Upward Dog, etc.), are done with the hands rooting into the thighs in a chair class. The last difference I’ll mention here is that the hip is capable of moving in 6 directions, and when yoga is practiced while sitting in a chair, it is much more challenging to incorporate the extension position of the hip, because sitting is essentially a hip-flexion position. Therefore, you won’t see many poses that involve hip extension in a chair yoga class. In the classes I teach, the only hip extension pose I give my students is a Warrior I pose, with the body sitting side-saddle on the chair, and one leg and hip positioned off the support of the chair so that this leg can move behind the sideline of the body. It’s rather precarious, and therefore needs to be approached with great care so that the chair doesn’t tip. There may be other ways to incorporate hip extension while seated in a chair, but I don’t know of any others, and would love to learn some new tips from other teachers.
In terms of how poses might look different for those with reduced mobility, I’m not sure there’d be any difference for students in a chair-based class compared to students in a mat-based class. A well-trained teacher will offer options and modifications to help make the pose available to students with reduced mobility, regardless of the class being done seated in a chair, or standing/seated on a mat.
- How long does it take to reap the benefits of a regular yoga practice (observe differences in flexibility, mobility etc.)?
The benefits of yoga can be felt during the very first class. However, depending on the degree of self-awareness the person has developed up to that point, the early indications of benefit may or may not be noticed on a conscious level. When I teach (whether in the context of a chair-based or mat-based yoga class), I remind my students that yoga is a journey, and that the journey is the whole point (kind of like the expression “the process is the product”). If we think we’ve reached the “goal,” then this would imply that the journey is over. By shifting our perspective to view the benefits in a non-linear, non-temporal manner, it becomes easier and more satisfying to stay present with whatever the present moment offers, and to notice the subtle changes that are occurring, moment to moment. The more we practice, the more fine-tuned our self-perceptions become, enabling us to feel the changes happening in our flexibility, mobility, and strength, as well as in various non-physical capacities. At the end of a class, students will sometimes comment, “I feel more like myself now,” and to me, this is a sign that change has happened, and that the student is aware of the change on the level of global well-being.
- How do you recommend making yoga a regular part of one’s routine?
Sometimes a little tweak in perspective is all it takes. For example, if we think of yoga as a form of nutrition – for body, mind, and spirit – it can feel so natural to make it part of one’s routine, just like the act of eating food and drinking water each day.
Also, I recommend placing the emphasis on frequency of practice, rather than on how long any given practice session is. For example, practicing a small number of poses or movements for 10 to 20 minutes a day, most days of the week, is more likely to lead to a regular, lifelong yoga practice, compared to practicing for 90 minutes two or three times a month. And because yoga helps us to feel better, the 10 or 20 minutes often leads to a longer and more frequent practice quite naturally. Once a person begins to dabble in yoga, they’ll feel at least some benefits early on (assuming they’re receiving good instruction), and so the motivation to practice will quickly become self-sustaining, because the positive effects are naturally reinforcing of the behaviour that led to the positive effects.
What I find in my own practice is that even on days when I feel pressed for time, I’m more likely to fit in some yoga if I don’t set the bar too high; I tell myself I’ll just do a few yoga warm-up movements, and then one thing leads to the next, and before I know it I’ve done a lovely little practice and I feel so much better, even if the whole thing lasted only 15 minutes. And when I do have more time, the mini-practice morphs into a longer practice, because my body, mind, and spirit are feeling nourished, and I naturally want to do more.
Read the related article: Bend So You Don’t Break
For more information on Kirsten Blokland’s work, visit her website
