GET FIT WHERE YOU SIT!

Every body needs exercise, but not everybody has the strength, agility, or time to pursue a fitness program.  Now there is an accessible path to fitness that is changing lives. Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga, first created in 1982 for a student who had been stricken with arthritis and could no longer get down on the floor to practice yoga has evolved into a simple, gentle — yet invigorating — series of yoga movements that enhance body tone, muscle strength, bone mass, and mental health.

Adapting timeless asanas (poses) from the floor to the chair, Get Fit Where You Sit! presents each class in two formats. First, the step-by-step instructions allow people to learn the workouts completely.  Second, the regular routine yields the same workouts in less time by using fewer words.  Both formats take into account that everyone has different levels of flexibility and fitness.

Lakshmi Voelker-Binder, a certified Kripalu Yoga instructor, member of the Yoga Alliance and International Association of Yoga Therapists, and holder of multiple certifications, has dedicated her life to creating accessible paths to wellness.  She has certified nearly 200 people as Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga Teachers (LVCYT) in North America and Japan and has received feedback regarding the benefits of the program for people of all ages with or without physical challenges.  “The techniques that Lakshmi teaches arthritis patients are very valuable in reducing pain and increasing function,” reports Maria Greenwald, MD.  Raina Thorsen notes, “In doing my Saturday chair yoga class, some of the students who really come alive are those with Autism. They immediately become social and confident, and they love the positive feedback they get from the class.”  Richard Rosen, Contributing Editor at Yoga Journal wrote of LVCY “…this is a competently instructed, well-organized and accessible program suitable for all levels of students.”

“This fitness technique has already helped hundreds of disabled, chronically ill, elderly, and office workers improve their physical condition and relieve stress,” notes Lakshmi, “and this new DVD was created to make it available to the thousands of people who don’t have a certified instructor in their neighborhood or the ability to get to one.”  Lakshmi is currently working with the New York City Department of Education and the Mayo Clinic to certify healthcare professionals such as physical and occupational therapists and rehabilitation aides. 
Based in Palm Springs, California, Lakshmi also works extensively as a private yoga therapist and has taught and developed various yoga classes and teacher training programs. She has led yoga and Zen meditation retreats as well as dolphin swims and whale research retreats in the U.S. and Mexico. She has written numerous papers and articles expressing more than 35 years of studies and practices of various forms of yoga and Eastern disciplines. Additionally, Lakshmi has studied with other masters from many traditions from India, Japan, Tibet, Taiwan, Korea, and China. She has taken the best from the best to create Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga.

Get Fit Where You Sit! is available at www.getfitwhereyousit.com or by phone at 760-464-9548.