Why is Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga Unsurpassed since 1982?

What is Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga?

Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga™ (LVCY) is based on the 5000-year-old yoga postures (called asanas) and breathing techniques plus other Eastern and Western movements her students find beneficial. She has modified these poses for the chair making the health and fitness benefits accessible to everyone. Chair yoga certification and chair yoga classes online bring these benefits to you.

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Why Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga?
Levels of Flexibility!

In addition to adapting the poses to a chair yielding more accessible yoga, she has modified them to consider the fact that everyone has a different level of flexibility (or range of motion). Therefore, LVCY is presented in multiple Levels of Flexibility® so you can learn how to adapt them to your personal needs. She has even accounted for varying degrees of flexibility in your upper and lower body as well as your right and left sides. This innovative fitness approach makes her chair yoga programs suitable for all ages and all fitness levels. It is especially helpful for disabled fitness including wheelchair users.

Your level of flexibility may vary from day-to-day; so, vary your posture levels to ones that are comfortable for you while practicing LVCY. Remember, that no matter the level of flexibility you achieve on any given day, you are receiving all the health benefits of yoga.

Why Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga?
Five Variations

Single Chair Yoga

You all know how to sit on a chair, but do you sit in good postural alignment? Incorporating the Mountain pose brings you into good postural alignment on the chair. You then use the chair as a tool to assist you in all your yoga asanas and whenever you are just sitting.

Every chair you sit on (from the dining room to the office or airplane) becomes an opportunity to sit in alignment and practice yoga— to open, extend, lengthen, curl, twist, breathe, and meditate. Whether it is Hatha, Kripalu, Vinyasa, Iyengar, Restorative, or whatever version of yoga you choose to practice, you can do so (practice) on your chair.

This includes you in a wheelchair. It is no longer a limitation to your good health and well-being. You put yourself into the yoga asanas of your choice (to your level of flexibility) to work with each and every one of your challenges.

Double Chair Yoga

In double chair yoga, you add a second chair (with arms if possible) to enhance the support for the asanas (postures) such as the forward bend, the cobblers pose, or the pigeon. You sit on the first chair using the second chair (sometimes with the back toward you and sometimes with the back away from you) to enhance your pose. This makes more asanas achievable to those with even greatly restricted flexibility.

You can use the arms of the second chair (with its back facing away from you) to fold and stretch forward easily and effortlessly. With the second chair in this position, you can rest your arms and forehead on the seat to lengthen the back and to achieve the child’s pose (if needed, with the aid of pillows on the seat of the second chair) to perform this restorative pose.

You can turn the second chair with its back facing you to put your legs either over or under its arms to gently open the hips. You can put the second chair diagonally to either side and place one leg on it to achieve a modified head-to-knee pose. You can even add a third chair and place them diagonally to each side placing one leg on each chair to create a wonderful inner thigh stretch. The “options” are up to you—be creative.

Pair Chair Yoga

In pair chair yoga, you and a partner perform asanas (such as the tree, peaceful warrior, and assisted forward and back bends) by physically interacting with each other. Many of you doing chair yoga are in situations where you have limited tactile contact with others. You now can work with another performing asanas while in physical contact.

Additionally, you and your partner can massage each other’s backs, necks, and feet depending on the pair chair yoga pose. This is fun and allows the partners to communicate with one another and to assist each other with their partner yoga poses. This additional physical and mental stimulation adds to the benefits you derive from LVCY.

Weighted Chair Yoga

By using 1- or 2-pound weights in each hand, you get the benefit of additional muscle and bone mass building beyond what you derive from doing chair yoga without weights! Some weight-bearing exercise is needed to maintain muscle and bone mass (just ask any astronaut

who has been weightless for more than a few days).

For example, while executing the peaceful warrior with your arms straight up over your head, you can hold the weights in your hands for added stretch and strength or put the weights together and bend your arms back at the elbows to create a good triceps builder while building bone mass!

Wheelchair Chair Yoga

You will learn how to work with wheelchair users. Visit our Wheelchair Yoga page.

Why Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga?
Pranyama

In addition to the postures and movements, these LVCY classes are a more complete form of exercise than most because they incorporate proper breathing. This gives practitioners fitness even if disabled.

You learn beneficial yogic breathing techniques that are a key aspect of reaching optimum health. These deep breathing techniques more fully oxygenate your body and massage your organs. This improves your energy and mental clarity while reducing pain and anxiety.

Following the breathing techniques, not only during your chair yoga, but throughout your daily life, significantly enhances your health and well-being.