Modified sun salutations using a wall for a client who is uncomfortable getting up and down off the floor, but does not require a chair as a prop.

I will meet with the client at her home for three 15-minute sessions of sun salutations using a wall beginning on 5/28/2021. I will teach the client a simple sequence she can do on her own. Sessions will conclude with five minutes for savasana with the client reclining on her bed.

Client is a 56-year-old obese female diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and fibromyalgia. Client has attended hatha yoga classes at a yoga studio in the past but is now mostly sedentary.

I met the client at her home for three 15-minute sessions of sun salutations using a wall. I taught the client a simple sequence she can do on her own every day, or when she feels well enough. Sessions concluded with five minutes for savasana with the client reclining on her bed.
". . . yoga has minimal adverse effects and general health benefits, and it can be considered as an adjunct to traditional pharmacotherapy and environmental risk modification in patients with asthma."

Source: Effects of Yoga in Patients with Asthma.
Saguil A.
Am Fam Physician. 2017 Aug 1;96(3):159-160.

Hatha Yoga - specifically, the asanas in conjunction with remedial pranayama

The client was prepared for our sessions, and generally excited to be learning yoga she could do on her own. On the first session, I taught her the wall version of sun salutations. She commented she liked the fact that she could bear weight on her wrists/hands without the work being as intense as it is on the floor for Plank and Downward Facing Dog. On the second session, when the client was more familiar with the sequence, I was able to incorporate synchronization with breath. The client remarked that this seemed useful to her for managing asthma. The third session was mainly review with a few extra minutes for relaxation in savasana.

Client will continue this 20-minute practice on her own every day, or when she feels well enough. Client expressed interest in joining my online 60-minute Gentle Yoga with deep stretching and guided meditation once she has built up the regularity of her home practice with these shorter sessions I taught her.

Yes, I applied the intended plan which seemed very appropriate for this client. Client stated the sun salutations challenged her "just enough" and gave her something "realistic" she could do on her own without any special equipment and without needing to leave home.

No, I did not need to adapt anything in the plan because everything seemed to suit the client's needs at this time. I felt pleased and impressed with the client because she actually wanted to do the wall sun salutations rather than staying seated in a chair. She could have chosen something more sedentary, but she recognized her need to be up and moving around on her feet and hands. She stated she knows she needs to do what she can to maintain her mobility, strength, and flexibility.

Yes, if faced with the same situation in the future, I believe I would handle it in the same - or a similar - way. I think sun salutations are a wonderful way for clients to maintain mobility, and I love the fact that sun salutations can be modified in so many ways to meet the needs of every client. This module - Adaptive TT - was all about opening the mind and learning a variety of ways to modify the Integral Yoga Basic class sequence to fit the needs of each individual client. I feel confident that I could choose a variation of sun salutations in the future to meet clients' needs.