After teaching chair yoga for several years Liz Franklin can testify that it appropriate for almost anyone, even if they are feeling the effects of aging or have physical limitations. It is not for hard-bodied 20-somethings that can twist themselves into poses that look impossible the only prerequisite is that you can sit in a chair, including a wheelchair.

What better way to illustrate how chair yoga has benefited those unable to attend a traditional yoga class than to tell it in their own words?

Hi! Im Michael. Im a 40-year old graphic designer in Kansas City. I have multiple sclerosis. I began practicing chair yoga a few months ago. I had tried some yoga videos at home but they were not interactive and had nothing to do with proper breathing techniques.

Chair yoga has made a real difference in my inner life. There is quiet place in all of us. A place we knew before we were told how to think and act and feel and behave. I wanted to know how to get to that quiet place. I had doubts that I could rediscover that peace as the path to my inner peace was so over grown. Chair yoga has helped me rediscover my true self.

I quickly discovered that I cannot breathe properly when I slouch. Now that Im more conscious of my abdomen expanding and contracting with my breath, slouching is no longer an option. I have become much more aware of my posture and how if affects the rhythm of my breath.

In the short time that I have been practicing chair yoga I have received so many physical and emotional benefits that I get upset when I have to miss class. I have incorporated some of the poses into my daily life.

I was living an incomplete life with so much debris between me and my true self. If you dont fully know yourself all of your life, your career, relationships, highs and lows are only partially available to you. Having found the path through chair yoga, I feel much more complete.

If you are considering starting chair yoga dont be afraid of the search and how long it might take. The trip is definitely worth your time! I truly believe that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. I am so glad I was ready when this opportunity arose.