In the spring of 2024, Yoga teacher Christa Carter reached out to Caring House with the goal of providing accessible and calming chair yoga sessions to our guests. “Yoga is more than acrobatics and posture,” she says. Drawn to trauma-informed yoga, she became passionate about the ways yoga could serve as a tool for mindfulness, empowerment, and compassion. Through her teaching, she shares these benefits with those navigating challenging times in their lives.

What is Chair Yoga?

“Chair yoga is a form of yoga that allows you to use the chair as your foundation or base and experience movement in the body without wobbling or keeping balance, or getting up and down from the floor.” This accessible approach to yoga offers a full range of motion while seated, giving participants the chance to feel grounded and stable. “You get to experience the movement, mindfulness, breath work, and meditation of yoga in a way that is comfortable and convenient.”

For Christa, the chair is more than a prop—it’s a “tool of empowerment” that enables participants to explore movement without judgment or limitation. “In the world, we may think of needing a prop or tool as a weakness, but in chair yoga, we use the chair as a tool that empowers you.” This approach encourages participants to create and adapt each pose to feel right for them.

The Power of Chair Yoga

Christa’s warmth and kindness allows our guests to feel comfortable trying something new that can often seem intimidating. “Chair yoga meets you where you’re at. The population here is experiencing bodily stress from treatment. This practice offers gentle movement and relaxation, placing emphasis on breathing and movement in tandem. It has been so nice to hear from participants after class that they feel relaxed and at ease.” Christa highlights that chair yoga provides a break from the day-to-day stresses of treatment, helping people feel more at ease and in touch with their bodies. “Many participants share that after class, they feel a renewed sense of relaxation, compassion, and peace.”

Christa refers to our guests’ cancer journey as a “season” of life—a challenging chapter, but not one that defines the whole story. As she puts it, “Chair yoga reminds participants that they are more than their diagnosis,” offering a space to reconnect with their strength, resilience, and identity beyond their illness.

---

Written by Callie Ramsay, Director of Development