This week I have learned that chair yoga is to the West, what seated yoga is to the East. What I mean is that Burmese people young and old, sick and healthy can easily sit in ‘Easy Pose’ (Cross-legged) for an hour. Just as we can sit in a chair easily for an hour. We live in chairs, they on the floor.
Because so many of the people in my ‘class’ are sick or have broken limbs or are in pain, I have stopped teaching standing poses. I am using as many seated poses as I can think of — and there are many. I am modifying standing poses, just using the arms and above all minimizing the movement from laying to seated. The students respond by continuing to participate — even the very ill and those in pain.
I still think they participate because I am entertainment. That is fine. I feel like my major role is to give them attention. Some of them have told me that they feel better.
Yesterday I had to laugh on my way to the ‘Patient House’, the chicken coop structure I described before. I was shooing geese out of my way and stepping in some nasty water from a recent rain shower. I decided then that I need to buy some Crocs or something to protect my feet from whatever is living in the water/grass around the house. I will take pictures soon so that you can see what I am talking about.
