Adaptive Yoga

Yoga has gained significant popularity, with  classes held in small towns and big cities throughout the U.S. What may not be  as widely known is the practice of adaptive yoga; yoga that is gentler, less  rigorous in its poses, and modified by utilizing a chair or assistance from another person. A year  ago, I interviewed Matthew  Sanford of Mind-Body Solutions Center. Sanford is a pioneer in teaching yoga to persons with disabilities and believes that yoga can be  adapted to many levels of limitation. In Matthew's own life, yoga was a means to  establishing a mind-body connection. 

If you've never tried yoga, find an instructor who has  experience with restorative/adaptive yoga methods. Start with one  or two restorative poses that you can count on a few times a week for stress  relief, and then build on that. Here is one example of a restorative pose, taught by Rodney Yee. 

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