Sheila's Chair Yoga for Seniors

12/24/2023

Kinder

I’ve decided to be happy
I’ve decided to be glad
I’ve decided to be grateful
For all I ever had
I’ve decided to let go
Of all this pain tonight
I’ve decided to let go
Of all these demons inside
I know
I am blessed
I know
All I ever wanted was this
I know
I don’t need more
I’ve got what I came for
I’ve decided to be open
To that little voice inside
Telling me I’m beautiful
It’s okay to be alive
I’ve decided to be kinder
To myself when I feel sad
I’ve decided to be grateful
For all I ever had
I know I am blessed
I know
All I ever wanted was this
I know
I don’t need more
I’ve got
What I came for

Copper Wimmin
https://youtu.be/nlh83v_B1qg

I hope you listen to this beautiful acapella song. It talks to me about Santosha, one of tools in yoga philosophy for cultivating happiness and self-confidence. Santosha means complete contentment or acceptance. The song says “I’ve decided”, implying that we have a choice about learning to be content with the way we are. Through practising Santosha we develop a better relationship with ourselves, and are free to be the person we are meant to be, a whole, beautiful, being.

Chair yoga begins again January 4, 2024 and every Thursday at 11:00 to 12:00 at Bend Over Backward Yoga Studio in Nanaimo. Contact Sheila to enquire or register.

All the best in 2024, everyone!

Provided to YouTube by CDBabyKinder · Copper WimminThe Right To Be Here℗ 2004 Copper WimminReleased on: 2004-01-01Auto-generated by YouTube.

11/07/2023

Yoga philosophy teaches about the five yamas, the tools of self-awareness and observation. The second yama is called satya, meaning truthfulness. Satya guides us to think, speak, and act with integrity. It is about seeing and communicating things as they actually are, not as we wish them to be. Our thoughts, beliefs, and past experiences shape whatever we see, and none of us experience an event in the same way. What is truth to us one day may be different the next day. Practicing satya asks us to be open to truth in the present moment.

Satya follows ahimsa, or non-violence. Ahimsa must be considered first, so we are mindful that what we say is beneficial in a compassionate and gentle way. We can choose whether it is better to remain silent than to speak a harsh or cruel truth. Before speaking, we can ask: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it useful? Is it kind?

Chair yoga classes continue at Bend Over Backwards Yoga Studio in Nanaimo every Thursday from 11:00 to 12:00. Contact Sheila for information and to register, at smcrampton@gmail.com. There is a chair waiting for you!

09/10/2023

The practice of yoga has so much to offer us. I am reading a book by Amy Weintraub called ‘Yoga for Depression’. She says: “…we practice Yoga as preventative and positive medicine. Just as the immune system is strengthened against the common cold and other viruses with daily practice, the emotional body is strengthened as well. The highs, the lows, the extremes of all the emotions are brought into balance by the physical practice, and the mind is soothed by the philosophy. In every stage of Yoga, you will find relief from obsessive negative thinking. When you are first learning a pose, and moving into it, you cannot possibly obsess about what you should have said in the meeting this morning. To learn the pose, your mind must focus on the details of alignment. Later, when you’re in the pose and you allow your mind to become absorbed in the sensations in your body, you are very far from your everyday troubles.”

Can you allow yourself the luxury of an hour away from your troubles? We are so busy being busy, but learning to rest and nourish our bodies, minds and spirits can help us achieve our obligations and responsibilities and bring a fresh perspective.

You are always welcome to join my chair yoga classes at Bend Over Backwards Yoga Studio in Nanaimo.
Thursdays, 11:00 to 12:00. Contact Sheila for information and to register, at 250-668-7725, or smcrampton@gmail.com.

06/04/2023

Yoga for Your Low Back

This 2-hour workshop will focus on the sacrum and low back. We will explore releasing, lengthening, strengthening and restoring through a combination of Iyengar based yoga and the Somatics of Thomas Hanna. Work will be in the chair, standing, and lying on the floor.

Sheila Crampton has studied a variety of yoga styles and has a 200 hour yoga teacher training certification. For the past 9 years she has been a student of Iyengar yoga.
Location: Bend Over Backwards Yoga Studio, #106 – 335 Wesley Street, Nanaimo
Date: Sunday, June 11, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Cost: $30.00, payable to Sheila directly or e-transfer
What to bring: Yoga mat, blanket, yoga belt
Contact: Sheila at smcrampton@gmail.com

04/24/2023

“Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.“
- Thich Naht Hanh

Yoga gives us the gift of getting to know ourselves on a deep level. We become aware of how our feet touch the earth. We know how it feels to lift the crown of our head to the heavens. We learn to soften into effort to create ease. Little by little we build mobility, balance, strength and flexibility, which empowers us. We get a taste of possibility. We become transformed.

The new 8 week session at Bend Over Backwards Yoga Studio in Nanaimo starts this week.
Level 1, sitting and standing with chair support. Thursdays 11:00 am to 12:00 pm, April 27 to June 15.
Level 2, sitting, standing and on the mat, with chair support. Wednesdays 10:00 to 11:00 am, April 26 to June 14.
Contact Sheila to register at smcrampton@gmail.com

02/25/2023

On February 6, there was an interesting interview on CBC Vancouver’s On the Coast with Dr. Iris Gorfinkel, a family doctor. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-46-on-the-coast/clip/15964714-gorfinkel-osteoarthritis-rise-canadians-age Dr. Gorfinkel shared results of two recent studies about the effect of exercise on osteoarthritis. As people get older, cartilage gets thinner between bones and the amount of joint fluid goes down, so we have less of a cushion for the impact of daily activity. That causes osteoarthritis. The damage is not just due to wear and tear, but because the body becomes less able to repair it. It’s worse in women, for those who carry extra weight, or who have overused or injured their joints, or if there is a family history of osteoarthritis.

Dr. Gorfinkel explained that when a muscle gets too weak it can’t absorb force the way strong, flexible ones can. Strong muscles act as shock absorbers, preventing the force from going directly to the joint and further damaging it. The good news from the study showed that exercising 30 minutes 3 times a week lowered a person’s pain scores nearly as much as a person who exercised triple that amount! Dr. Gorfinkel said it’s time to start thinking about arthritis less as a joint problem and more as a muscular one.

We welcome you to join us at chair yoga to keep your muscles flexible and strong! Our new 8 week session at Bend Over Backwards Yoga Studio is as follows:
Level 2: Wednesdays, March 1 to April 19, 10:00 to 11:00 – sitting, standing and on the floor
Level 1: Thursdays, March 2 to April 20, 11:00 to 12:00 –sitting in the chair and for balance when standing.
Cost is $80 for the session or $10 a class. Please register at smcrampton@gmail.com or call Sheila at 250-668-7725. Covid masks are mandatory in our studio.

12/30/2022

“Goals are dreams with deadlines.” Diana Scharf Hunt

Are you the kind of person who makes New Year’s resolutions? Are you successful at achieving your goals? At this time of year, the question for me has always been, what goal can I set that will bring me the greatest happiness? Good health is a foundation for my happiness, so it is a priority. I am ever grateful for having found yoga, as it is a gentle way of increasing my strength, mobility, flexibility and stability. It teaches me to work from the inside out, and teaches me humility, acceptance, generosity and determination. It teaches me that I have enough and that I am enough. Yoga is a gift, in that it makes me a better person in body, mind and spirit.

A new 8 week session of chair yoga begins at Nanaimo’s Bend Over Backwards Yoga Studio in January. It would be lovely to see you in class. Register for the full session or come and try one class.
Level 1 – Thursdays, 11:00 to 12:00 starting January 5
Level 2 – Wednesdays, 10:00 to 11:00 starting January 4
Cost is $10/class and $80 for the 8 week session.
Contact Sheila to register and for information about what to bring and what Covid precautions are still in effect. No drop-ins please.

As the light returns and we say goodbye to another challenging year, I wish you health, happiness, ease, and yoga!

Sheila – smcrampton@gmail.com or 250-668-7725

10/24/2022

Mention rain for the Nanaimo region and smiles come to everyone’s face. What a relief to know the trees will start to rejuvenate after a long drought! Have you given your body, mind and spirit rejuvenation lately? Perhaps chair yoga classes would be worth a try. Our new 7 week session starts November 2 to December 14 for Level 2 (includes work on the floor) and November 3 to December 15 for Level 1 (in the chair and standing). You are welcome to try a class to see if it suits you, or sign up in advance for the whole session. A friend of mine has started saying “Why not?!” about starting a new activity. I hope you will also consider saying yes to putting yourself first. Register directly with Sheila for classes at Bend Over Backwards Yoga Studio. smcrampton@gmail.com or 250-668-7725

07/02/2022

“Yoga is for everyone. You need not be an expert or at the peak of physical fitness to practice the asanas described...Yoga helps to integrate the mental and the physical plane, bringing about a sense of inner and outer balance, or what I term alignment. True alignment means that the inner mind reaches every cell and fiber of the body.”
― BKS IYENGAR

Chair yoga classes continue this summer at Bend Over Backwards Yoga Studio in Nanaimo. You are welcome to join us!

Level 1 (using the chair as support for seated and standing work)
Thursdays, July 14 to August 4, 11:15 to 12:15 pm

Level 2 (using the chair as support for seated, standing and floor work)
Wednesdays, July 13 to August 3, 10:00 to 11:00 am

Register with Sheila at 250-668-7725 or smcrampton@gmail.com

05/14/2022

We have been talking about back care in class lately. A healthy back depends on how we align feet, knees, hips and head, and depends on mobility and strength in many parts of the body. Chair yoga is a safe and supported way to improve back function. As the saying goes, “the body is as young as the spine is flexible”. Consider joining us for the new 8 week chair yoga session at Bend Over Backwards Yoga Studio in Nanaimo, or try one class and see if it is a good fit for you.

Level 1 – May 19 to July 7, Thursdays, 11:15 to 12:15. Yoga sitting in a chair with some standing work using the chair as a support.

Level 2 – May 18 to July 6, Wednesdays, 10:00 to 11:00. Sitting and standing yoga with some very gentle work on your mat on the floor.

Register at smcrampton@gmail.com or call Sheila: 250-668-7725.

03/16/2022

Happy spring to you, at last! Listening to the returning migratory birds and watching the flowers bursting open everywhere lightens the spirit. There is so much to worry about in the world, but I hope the warmth of this season brings comfort.

We are starting a new 8 week session of chair yoga at Bend Over Backwards Yoga Studio in Nanaimo. Price will remain $10 for each class. I ask that you commit to the whole session in order to see the results of your efforts. We are not accepting drop-ins, but if you know you can’t come to every class, give me a call and we can work out a way for you to still participate. If it is a hardship to pay $80 all at once, we can plan around that too. Fees can be paid ahead by e-transfer, or if you don’t do online banking, a cheque or cash is acceptable. We want you to feel welcome no matter what!

With the easing of COVID restrictions, there is hope that we might begin to gather with a renewed sense of safety. At Bend Over Backwards Yoga Studio, our protocols will remain the same for now. With a consensus among our students for caution, we will continue to require proof of double vaccination, hand sanitizing on entry and masks during class. We all look forward to the time when we can relax our guard.

If you are new to chair yoga, please call me and we can discuss the best class for your needs.

Please register ahead for the following schedule, by emailing or phoning Sheila:

Level 1 – Thursdays, March 24 to May 12, 11:15 to 12:15. Bring a yoga belt, or a long scarf or bathrobe belt, and a yoga mat.

Level 2 (by permission) – Wednesdays, March 23 to May 11, 10:00 to 11:00. Bring a yoga belt, a blanket and a yoga mat.

Hope to see you in class!
Sheila smcrampton@gmail.com 250-668-7725

02/18/2022

12/23/2021

As many of you know, the BC Provincial Health Officer has ordered group fitness centres closed until January 18. The new session for classes at Bend Over Backwards Yoga Studio will begin January 19, barring any further restrictions. Once it is confirmed, I will post again to welcome you back. Stay healthy and positive everyone, and may you have a joyous new year!

12/13/2021

As 2021 draws to a close, I wish all of you a wonderful season in whatever way you celebrate. May you have moments to reflect and practice yoga as well as time with family. May you have plenty to eat and a warm, safe roof over your head. To all my students, deep gratitude for your hard work and dedication to practice over the last year.

Registration is now open for the first 2022 eight week session at Bend Over Backwards Yoga Studio in Nanaimo. Classes are filling up fast, so contact me with questions or to register. All classes are $10, or $80 for the session. No drop-ins please, although you may join any time if there is room. This is chair yoga for every body, whether seniors, office workers, or those of any age needing balance support or health recovery.

Level 1 – Thursdays 11:15 am to 12:15 pm. Sitting on a chair and standing using the chair for support.
Level 2 – Wednesdays 10:00 to 11:00 am. Includes chair yoga and gentle floor poses.

Covid protocols include hand sanitizing and wearing a mask at all times when in the studio.

12/13/2021

10/22/2021

If you are in need of a good cat stretch, join us for chair yoga! Classes are ongoing until December 17 on Wednesdays from 9:30 to 10:30 and Thursdays from 11:15 to 12:15. Please register ahead by calling Sheila at 250-668-7725. We always have fun and it's a good antidote for these rainy fall days. Hope you will join us!

08/31/2021

Hello everyone! Time to register for the new 4 week chair yoga session at Bend Over Backwards Yoga Studio. First class will be September 6 and the last class will be October 3. Classes are Wednesdays from 9:30 to 10:30 and Thursdays from 11:15 to 12:15. No drop-ins are allowed at this time. Cost is $40/session.

Participation at the studio requires an attestation that you have had two vaccinations, and masks and hand sanitizing are mandatory. This will keep us as safe as possible. We have not had a single case of Covid tracked to our studio, and we intend to keep it that way. Please bring your own yoga belt or long scarf.

Please contact Sheila directly at 250-668-7725 or smcrampton@gmail.com. I look forward to welcoming you to class!

07/02/2021

This July there is no cooler place to be than at the studio for chair yoga! Classes are continuing on Wednesday and Thursday mornings and there is space for you. Although mask restrictions have been lifted for some places, our policy is to wear masks until all are vaccinated. We appreciate your respect for the safety of everyone!