yoga is for everybody

It’s 1:30 on a Tuesday afternoon, and Sage Residents and Community Care Services clients are filing into the Owen Room of the Jackson/Teton County Rec Center for adaptive yoga. Chairs are set up in 2 rows and everyone finds a seat. Walkers are parked and coats are hung on the backs of chairs, as Liza, the yoga teacher, welcomes each person by name. 

Instructor, Liza, leads students through a seated twist

Class begins with everyone seated, their hands on their hearts, feeling their chests rise and fall. Still seated in their chairs, everyone begins to articulate their ankles and wrists. They slowly twist in one direction and the other. Those who are able stand behind their chairs and find modified variations of Downward Facing Dog, Forward Fold, Tree Pose, and more. The class is equal parts challenging and restorative, asking the bodies in the room to move in a different way than they are used to. The stiff, sore, elderly bodies begin to soften and release. CES Clients practice their body awareness, figuring out how to manipulate their bodies the way Liza instructs them. There is plenty of laughter, and appreciative ‘ahhs’. One resident remarks “I am waking up muscles that have been sleeping”.

Yoga students laugh at a joke together… the classes are about movement, but they are also about community.

Yoga is an incredible practice for anyBODY, not just for the strength, mobility, and flexibility it provides, but also for the body and breath awareness. It asks students to get specific about their movements, to move in ways that feel strange or foreign, and to utilize muscles that may be forgotten about. It is a highly adaptable practice that can be modified to tailor the needs of each individual. Walking into a public yoga studio and attending an open level class may not be possible for everyone, so we are grateful for our partnership with the Rec Center, and with Liza, who offers these incredible classes in a way that is accessible to all.