Live Whole Health #267: Be gentle, please!

Be gentle to yourself! Kudos to those who run marathons, powerlift, or complete a high-intensity tennis match. These strenuous exercises can be good for burning calories, creating strength and improving endurance. But moving the body in gentle ways is also good for you, and you don’t even have to get out of your chair!

A chair yoga session will bring you full body movement and flexibility, along with a favorable practice of breathing and mindfulness. Yoga involves physical activity as well as breathing exercises and meditation to help increase body awareness. Being physically active is an important step you can take to improve your health.

Listen to your body

Some activities increase stamina, while others improve strength, mobility, balance or flexibility. An important consideration for any movement practice is how we listen to our body. Bringing awareness to your physical body before, during and after movement activities can help prevent adverse events or injury.

Yoga can help improve flexibility, strength and balance. Research shows it may also help with numerous conditions, including:

• Decrease pain in osteoarthritis.
• Improve balance.
• Control blood sugar in type-2 diabetes.
• Reduce risk factors for heart disease.
• Decrease fatigue.
• Decrease menopausal hot flashes.
• Lose weight.

Join yoga instructor (and Health and Wellness Program Manager) Mandie Johnson from Central Arkansas VAMC for this brief 9-minute chair yoga practice.

Take charge of your life and health

Yoga is one way to reduce stress, improve sleep and increase self-awareness. For more Whole Health resources on how to live happier and healthier, check out the Circle of Health.

Looking for more ways to move your body? Learn more about being physically active from VA’s Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Healthy Living Tips.