Page 10 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, January 16, 2026 Savvy Senior by Jim Miller Chair Yoga: Safe, Simple, and Beneficial for Older Adults Dear Savvy Senior, I’ve been hearing a lot about chair yoga lately. My New Year’s resolution is to improve my health and get moving again, but I have trouble getting down on the floor. What can you tell me about this type of yoga? Arthritic Abby Dear Abby, If you’re looking for a safe way to get active again but find traditional exercise routines difficult, chair yoga may be the perfect fit. Chair yoga is a gentle form of yoga that’s done either sitting on a chair or using the chair for support while standing. It adapts traditional yoga poses so they’re accessible to people who may have limited mobility, balance issues, or difficulty getting down on the floor. This practice helps improve flexibility, strength, and balance, boosts circulation and mobility, and promotes relaxation while reducing stress. This makes it an effective and safe way to stay active and support overall well-being at any age. A typical chair yoga session begins with simple seated postures, such as gentle twists, stretches for the arms and legs, or movements that open the hips and shoulders. These exercises loosen stiff joints, improve posture, and increase flexibility in areas of the body that often become tight with age. It can also include standing poses like modified lunges or gentle balance work, with the chair always nearby for stability. Breathing exercises are often incorporated throughout the practice, encouraging participants to slow down, deepen their breath, and cultivate a sense of calm. Sessions usually end with a short period of guided relaxation or meditation, leaving participants refreshed and grounded. How to Get Started To get started, you just need a sturdy chair without wheels and preferably without arms, and some comfortable clothes. The goal with chair yoga is to stretch, not cause pain. So go only as far as feels comfortable and don’t push beyond your limits. If possible, consider joining a local chair yoga class. Many local senior centers, YMCAs, and community recreation centers offer chair yoga as part of their wellness or fitness programs. Some yoga studios and gyms may offer gentle yoga or chair yoga too. And if you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, you may be able to access classes for free through SilverSneakers.com. If attending an in-person class isn’t an option, you can also practice chair yoga at home. There are chair yoga apps and many videos you can access on YouTube to guide you through a routine. Chair Exercise Options As an alternative to chair yoga, there are chair exercises you can add to your routine that can help improve strength and balance, reduce joint pain and prevent falls. To execute some of these exercises, you’ll need some resistance equipment like light dumbbells, water bottles, soup cans or resistance bands. • Sit-to-stand: For this exercise, sit at the edge of the chair, feet hip-width apart. Stand up without using your hands, then slowly sit back down. Use hands lightly on the chair or use a walker or cane if needed for support. • Seated marches: Sit tall and alternate lifting one knee at a time toward your chest. • Seated bicep curls: With elbows tucked in, curl weights towards shoulders, then lower with control. • Seated overhead press: Press weights overhead from shoulder height, then slowly lower. • Seated leg extensions: Extend one leg straight out and hold for 2-3 seconds, then lower and repeat. • Heel raises: Lift heels off the floor, pause, and lower back down. For noticeable benefits, these exercises should be performed at least three days a week, doing three sets of 8 to12 repetitions. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. 1. Jan. 16 is Appreciate a Dragon Day; what is a dragonet? 2. How are Peacock, Mustard and Plum similar? 3. On Jan. 17, 1950, the Great Brinks Robbery took place in what city? 4. To what fictional protagonist are Belladonna Took, Bullroarer Took, the Old Took and the Sackville-Bagginses related? 5. What two areas have no time zones? 6. On Jan. 18, 1778, James Cook discovered what islands with a name like a food? 7. Where did George Washington give the first State of the Union Address: D.C., New York or Philadelphia? 8. The largest-ever car-free medieval city is in what country: France, Morocco or Spain? 9. Jan. 19-23 is No Name-Calling Week; what chief justice/president’s wife, Helen, called him Sleeping Beauty because he dozed off at parties? 10. In 1901 skijoring behind what animal debuted at the Nordic Games: dog, horse or reindeer? 11. What is the meaning of SAD, which is an abbreviation for a condition? 12. What fairytale author with a name including a religion name wrote “The Ice Maiden”? 13. On Jan. 20 when was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day first celebrated: 1977, 1981 or 1986? 14. Waning gibbous means what? 15. What 1950s TV series had “Circus Day,” “Let’s Go Day” and “Discovery Day”? 16. Jan. 21 is Mariachi Day; the mariachi song “Cielito Lindo” was performed on what popular TV show by a Cuba-born band leader? 17. In the 1940s a Canadian accidentally discovered how to make what when researching ice on jet engines? 18. What buzzwords have been created from Bush, Obama, Reagan and Trump? 19. What was Elvis’ first single: “That’s All Right,” “Burning Love” or “Jailhouse Rock”? 20. On Jan. 22, 1909, what Asian U.N. official was born who became known by a letter? ANSWERS 1. A small dragon 2. They are parts of names of Clue game characters (Mrs., Colonel and Professor, respectively) 3. Boston 4. Bilbo Baggins of “The Hobbit” 5. North and South Pole 6. Hawaiian Islands (he named them the Sandwich Islands after the 4th Earl of Sandwich) 7. New York 8. Morocco (Fes el-Bali in Fez) 9. William Howard Taft 10. Reindeer (the sport has also featured pulling by other animals, cars, motorcycles and snowmobiles) 11. Seasonal Affective Disorder (depression) 12. Hans Christian Andersen 13. 1986 14. The name of the phase after a full moon 15. “Mickey Mouse Club” 16. “I Love Lucy” (by Desi Arnaz) 17. Artificial snow 18. Bushism, Obamacare, Reaganomics and Trumpian 19. “That’s All Right” 20. Secretary-General U Thant
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