US elderly go for chair yoga

A more gentle form of yoga is catching on in US. The yoga mat is replaced by the chair. Sometimes two.

A more gentle form of yoga is catching on in some US retirement communities.

The yoga mat is replaced by the chair. Sometimes two.

Instructor Lakshmi Voelker-Binder says her students can duplicate any yoga pose typically done on the floor, but it's easier on those less limber muscles.

During a recent one-hour session, she taught her comfortably supported participants to stretch by holding modified versions of traditional yoga poses. The normally upright forward bend, for example, entailed sitting in one chair and positioning both legs on a facing chair, the hands reaching for the second chair's arms.

An estimated 13.4 million Americans practice yoga or other mind-body exercises such as tai chi, according to a 2003 survey by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. Of those, an estimated 1.6 million were 55 or older.

Those numbers are expected to rise, said spokesman Mike May, as senior citizens join health clubs and senior centrds offer more exercise programmes.

The elderly say chair yoga increases their strength, flexibility and concentration. "It helps me want to go further and do more," said Edie Wallace, 79. "Walk that extra half-hour."

"The chair is there for safety," she said. "As a result, people are willing to try things because they know they're not going to be hurt."