Recently I found a great chair stretching exercise for seniors, especially those with osteoarthritis. Which I have. The YouTube title for the session was 20 Minute Chair Yoga for Arthritic Joints. There is not one reference to mindfulness, etc. Simply gentle stretches held for several breaths. However, if I tell my Christian friends I'm doing chair yoga, some will think I'm sinning. It's all in the name.
So, do I simply say I'm doing chair stretching exercises for my joints? That's what I'm doing. I'm not trying to connect anything except my butt to the chair. LOL! I'm not practicing yoga, I'm exercising with some simple yoga movements. I think the video was titled as it was because there were two women, the arthritis doctor and a yoga instructor.
I actually had to research the negative connotation about Christianity and Yoga to figure out what the issue was. I live a pretty sheltered life. I have no desire to turn my stretches into a religious experience of any kind. I just want to stretch because it feels good and is healthy for my muscles and body. It is also good for improving posture and balance as well as being no impact.
I used to walk a lot in my younger years. Walking now actually hurts my ankles and my hips. I used to do exercises with home videos. I loved Richard Simmons videos because of the music. That was fun. But I'm nearing 80 now, so I have to be gentle on the aging body.
If I slip and tell you I'm doing chair yoga, please don't think I'm turning against my faith in God. That's not happening. I'm just a senior woman trying to stay agile as long as possible.
I also found a chair aerobic exercise for seniors. It's easy, fun, and it does raise my heart rate. That's what I need according to my cardiologist. And since there is no impact, it's gentle on the joints, too.
Combining the stretches and the aerobics on different days, I should make my general practitioner happy, too. I'll find out in February. Who knows, maybe I'll even shed a few pounds!
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