It’s an effective alternative for people who cannot perform the usual yoga positions, say researchers at Florida Atlantic University who tested the effects of chair yoga on a group of 131 people with osteoarthritis. Those who participated in the eight-week class reported greater flexibility, less pain and improved quality of life overall than those who instead took part in a health education programme.
Chair yoga was developed by Kristine Lee for people with mobility and flexibility problems; people can perform the positions while seated or while standing and holding a chair for support.
(Source: Journal of the American geriatrics Society, 2016; doi: 10.1111/jgs.14717)
