By using chairs, we can create variations of classical asanas that can be accessible to all students regardless of their physical conditions.

The goal for this implementation is use a chair(s) as a prop for Surya Namaskaram, side bend, pigeon janushirasana, and twist poses during a 90 min hatha class.

The client is a male yoga student who has difficulty sitting on the floor (therefore, classical seated forward bending and twist poses are not accessible to him). The student also has difficulty practicing classical Surya Namaskaram because he has limited mobility of the lower limbs (stepping foot forward and back are challenging). Otherwise, he is in good health.

The client has very tight lower back, leg and hip muscles. Therefore, sun salutation and seated asanas have been challenging and are not readily accessible for him. By using chair(s) as a prop, these poses become accessible to my client and he can relax and receives full benefits of the poses. I planed for sun salutation while sitting on a chair as well as standing up in front of the chair. For seated forward bend and pigeon poses, I planed to use two chairs facing each other (taught by Hamsa during Adaptive TT class and Adaptive yoga TT manual). The student would sit on one chair with one foot on the floor and another leg resting on the second chair. He also could hold on to the back of the second chair as he folded forward. I would also offer other seated asanas, including side bend and seated twist (which has not been easy for him to practice while sitting on the floor).

I used Raja yoga to support my teaching goal. In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book 2 sutra 46 'Asana is steady, comfortable posture'. By adapting the poses, the student can hold steady, comfortable poses and therefore, connect to his physical and energetic bodies. Also, I practiced Ahimsa (book 2, sutra 35) by ensuring that the student was safe during the practice.

I guided the students through two rounds of seated sun salutation followed by two additional rounds of standing sun salutation with chair assist. With his hands holding on to the side of the chair, transition of from downward dog to lunge was easier than having hands on the floor. I also guided students through seated side bend, pigeon, forward bend and twist. The student was able to hold steady poses and did not have any discomfort while he was in the poses. The student reported back that he was able to relax into the pose.

I suggested the student that he could incorporate chair yoga into his home practice which he has done so.

Yes, I did apply my intended plan when I met with the student. I feel that goal was achieved because the student was able to hold the pose with more ease than what he did in the past.

I did not have to adapt anything in my plan. Although the plan focused on the need of one student, it was implemented in a group class. Other students who were taking the class told me that they also enjoyed the poses even though they do not have the limited mobility as my client of focus. Therefore, the lesson learned here is that adaptive chair yoga is accessible and beneficial to anyone regardless of their physical condition.

I think that the plan went very well, although I did not offer many options to a more 'body-able' students. except an option to lower the hip toward the chair (into upward dog) while in plank pose during standing sun salutation and the position of the hands on the back of the second chair (on the top or on the side) during seated forward bend and pigeon. This is because this was the first time that I introduced new modifications to the class and I wanted to keep things simple and not to confuse the students. I probably will continue with this approach until the students are familiar with the modifications. Once students are familiar with the options, I may include floor asanas into the mix (students can choose to hold poses while sitting on the floor or on a chair).