A gentler style of chair yoga allows us to slow down, creating a relationship with your body, breath, and mind, so they can work harmoniously together.
Dear Friends,
Today's interview is with trainer and holistic wellness expert, Michelle Pualani Houston. With expertise in functional fitness, barre, and yoga, she brings knowledge and enthusiasm to her course, Chair Stretches to Overcome Body Stiffness. She'll show how we can actually relieve tension and restore flexibility using simple stretches from a chair. Let's hear about this approach from Michelle!
Course OverviewWith this highly beneficial course, Michelle Pualini will teach a series of short chair yoga sequences designed to gently increase range of motion and stability in the body. With the support of expert techniques, you'll attain greater extensions and gradually strengthen major muscle groups. By the end, you'll overcome tightness and aches from head to toe, and move freely for years to come.Receive a new lesson every day for 1 week (total of 7 lessons).Have lifetime access to the course for reference whenever you want.Select the amount you can afford, and get the same course as everyone.If you are not 100% satisfied, you may request a refund.
How much do you want to pay?$19$35$55 This is the total amount for all 7 lessons Interview With Michelle Pualani
DailyOM: Yoga is popular these days, as we know it has so many benefits for diverse populations. What is your personal experience with yoga and what attracted you to this gentle practice?
Michelle Pualani: Yes, yoga has become increasingly popular today, specifically for our fitness industry. The way I see it is the more we can mobilize our population the better, whatever form that takes for any individual. So, I encourage everyone to dip their toes into many modalities of movement, yoga included! My yoga roots tend to be simpler and gentler in nature. I am very thankful that my personal experience with yoga began about fifteen years ago. I used to get up early for my tiny yoga class in a single-room studio that was mostly stretching, meditation, and all about bringing awareness to the present moment.
Over the years, the varying injuries or ailments that my body has experienced have also contributed to finding a gentler practice. Some of which are due to a car accident that I speak more to in my introduction of the course, and then others potentially due to overuse. Growing up as a dancer and athlete, I have put my body through a good amount of stress. Over the past decade as a trainer and fitness professional, I have learned to build muscular strength and create intensive physical challenges through other movement modalities.
DailyOM: What about sharing this course with others really excites you?
MP: What really excites me in sharing with others is to encourage each student to investigate their own relationship with their bodies. So much of what we do in life takes us out of the physical experience and more into a thinking state. This course is specifically designed to pull you back into physical awareness and create a loving, supportive relationship with your body. Some of us have lost that connection over time, and some of us may have never even felt it. I am grateful to be able to offer the rebuilding of that relationship through guided, intentional movement in a safe environment. This course also opens up the opportunity for us to move in ways we did not think were possible, and for each of us to move with a renewed sense of grace.
It excites me to offer chair yoga movement to those who cannot get up and down from the floor, do not want to put weight on their hands, or are tired of feeling frustrated with traditional yoga classes. I too have felt these same bounds to my movement, so I empathize with those who may feel limited in their current range of motion. Sometimes, when movement does not feel like it is made for us, we get discouraged. A lot of my adult life has been spent feeling limited in movement, so now all I want to do is celebrate the ways in which I am capable of moving. And if I can encourage others to do the same, then that really gets me motivated to share!
DailyOM: The movements through these lessons are not strictly yoga-specific. Can you explain why?
MP: Yes, not all of these movements are yoga-centric or traditional yoga postures per se. Although I love yoga and I am committed to the practice and truly enjoy instructing it, when I look at exercise, workouts, or movement as a whole, I tend to find an approach of varying perspectives. When you create an exercise routine with one particular lens, it can be lacking in dimension. What I mean by that is sometimes yoga has a sense of tunnel vision, without room to expand into differing points of view. And when we participate in movement, we want to bring in varying concepts that work synergistically in order to meet our goals.
Just like culture, environment, spirituality, or travel, we are more well-rounded when we have various perspectives, or lenses, in which to view the world. I see movement similarly. So even though the foundation of this course is based around yoga, specifically those postures that you can do while seated, we incorporate other functional styles of movement in order to increase the dynamic capabilities of the body. The idea of yoga can also feel intimidating if you are not used to the practice or have tried other courses before that felt out of your comfort zone. This course encourages beginners or those who do not quite feel like "yogis" just yet to try out this uniquely beneficial style of movement.
DailyOM: In addition to the physical benefits from the short workouts, what can people expect to gain from this course and practicing this gentle style of chair yoga?
MP: By taking this course and practicing a gentler style of chair yoga we are not only investigating the body with physical awareness, but we are also investigating the mind through mental awareness. Through stress-relieving breath practices, as well as intentional focus in the present moment, we are able to better manage the response of the nervous system. While navigating these flows, you are simply tapping into the parasympathetic nervous system which allows the heart rate to slow, increases digestive ease, and improves your restful sleep. Not only is this beneficial within our practice, but allows the calm or focus to trickle out to our daily lives.
A gentler style of chair yoga allows us to slow down, creating a more refined pace in the way we approach our movement and, again, affecting our lives. We spend so much of our day in a state of busyness. We are focused on the next thing that is coming up, we have a to-do list a mile long, and we are in the practice of doing. The gentleness of this chair yoga course, gets you away from all that in order to take a pause with the breath, the body, and the mind working cohesively. Any student taking this course can expect to see these positive effects of stress management, while simultaneously building strength, flexibility, and spinal stabilization.
DailyOM: It is easy to see your passion in movement exploration through these video lessons. How does that improve the experience for students?
MP: It is my hope that my passion for movement is conveyed through the exploration of the body in this course, with a foundational look at the anatomy of what we are working in each lesson. I believe that this enhances the experience for each of my students by staying engaged and hopefully cultivating that same passion within them. The more enthusiasm an instructor can have for the topic at hand, the more enjoyable the student is able to experience in the process of learning. My passion for movement is meant to spill over into anyone who moves through this practice and video lessons with me.
DailyOM: If you could have students walk away from this course with one major learning experience, what would it be?
MP: When students walk away from this course, I hope that they have taken the time to know themselves a bit better. Part of this journey in life and in physical movement is reflection, awareness, and understanding. The more that we can reflect on our bodies, hearts, and minds, the more we can become aware of our state of being. And the more we become aware of that state of being, the more understanding and appreciation we can have altogether.
Whether we intend to change or not, we become more enlightened in the relationship we have with ourselves. This improvement makes us more capable at moving out into the rest of our world healthfully. Meaning, when we have a healthy relationship with ourselves, we create overall healthier habits: in relationships with others, with food, with work, with family, with time, you name it. So, if I were to have students walk away from this course with one major learning experience, it would be that the relationship they can establish with themselves, through breath, movement, and focused attention, is one of the most important and rewarding they will ever construct to improve their lives overall.
How Does It Work?Starting today, you will receive a new lesson every day for 1 week (total of 7 lessons). Each lesson is yours to keep and you'll be able to refer back to it whenever you want. And if you miss a lesson or are too busy to get to it that day, each lesson will conveniently remain in your account so you won't have to search for it when you're ready to get back to it.
Free GiftAs a free gift, when you sign up for this course, you will also receive the award-winning DailyOM inspiration newsletter which gives you daily inspirational thoughts for a happy, healthy and fulfilling day. We will also let you know about other courses and offers from DailyOM and Michelle Pualani that we think you might be interested in.
Get Started NowWe are offering this course with the option of selecting how much you want to pay. No matter how much you pay, you'll be getting the same course as everybody else. We simply trust that people are honest and will support the author of the course with whatever they can afford. And if you are not 100% satisfied, we will refund your money.
How much do you want to pay?$19$35$55 This is the total amount for all 7 lessons
Thanks, Michelle! In this course, she offers two workouts in each lesson: a 5-minute and a 10-minute one so you have the option depending on your schedule. Or if you have extra time, do them both! The short routine is especially perfect for those who want a quick stretch during the day. Your body will thank you for it. Until next time.
Be well,
DailyOM For more information visit:
> Chair Stretches to Overcome Body Stiffness
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