Live Whole Health #261: Heart health made simple with chair yoga

Simple choices throughout the day can make a steady impact on our health. Being aware of our diet or adding in a bit of exercise to make healthy lifestyle choices improves our health. In fact, nearly 80% of heart disease and stroke events are preventable.

While many people aim for large lifestyle changes, having a simpler plan for health can make it easier to maintain the changes. For example, studies show yoga benefits heart health. This popular mind-body practice can improve strength, flexibility and balance—even in short but consistent routines. Yoga encourages relaxation that can reduce stress and manage heart rate.

The world of yoga may seem intimidating to start. Daily yoga practice requires little more than taking the time to focus on your breath and the body. Movements and postures can help support good posture and improve your mood through something as simple as lifting and expanding the chest and rib cage. For those who spend their days sitting at a desk, hunched over a computer or typing on a phone, chair yoga can provide the perfect counter to slumped, hunched-over positions during the work day.

Not only do these simple practices support posture, through lifting and expanding the chest and rib cage, but they can help people feel more open, confident and happy.

Yoga doesn’t require a trip to the gym to gain its benefits. Portland VA’s Danielle Olauson, yoga instructor and Whole Health Employee Well-being coordinator, shares a 12-minute heart-centered yoga practice. This routine requires nothing more than a chair. The video begins with an introduction to yoga, including increasing the awareness of breath and uniting breathing with movement. Olauson walks viewers through three common yoga poses that can benefit yoga veterans and newcomers alike.

While “listening to our body’s intuition and respecting our bodies with grace,” this video is the perfect opportunity to experience the simple and impactful benefits of yoga in session that can fit any schedule.

To learn more about yoga and other complementary and integrative health (CIH) services that may be available at VA, visit the Complementary and Integrative Health website. To talk more about your heart health or other conditions, or to find out which CIH services are available locally, connect with your local Whole Health Facility Point of Contact.