Excellent Form of Physical Exercise for the Wheelchair Bound

There are many benefits of yoga. It helps strengthen your muscles, increases your body's flexibility, improves mobility, increases stamina, and is advantageous for the working of all your vital organs. Moreover, regular yoga promotes positive thinking, a stress free and disease free existence and a happier life whether you are a normal person or confined to a wheelchair.

In fact, sitting in a wheelchair all day can be extremely taxing for the muscles over the long haul. But wheelchair yoga can help you strengthen your muscles and allow you to feel healthier and fitter. Typically, yoga is an ancient Indian form of meditation, but it has seen dramatic rise in popularity in the United States within the last 10-15 years. Known for its flexibility in style, yoga incorporates breathing techniques with bodily contortions and stretches. Nowadays, wheelchair yoga has become quite popular and specifically designed yogic exercises are helping wheelchair users to make the best of their physical limitations and begin to lead to a fuller life.

Wheelchair yoga is designed keeping in mind the physical limitations of people confined to the wheelchair, while helping them to carry out these exercises any time and any place they choose. There are many benefits to practicing wheelchair yoga. Not only will you start feeling stronger, healthier but your muscles, joints, and tendons as well as your vital organs will start functioning better and with more vitality.

Wheelchair yoga also helps you to gain spiritual, physical, and mental benefits. If you are depressed about your physical condition, you will begin to feel calmer, more in control of your life and generally begin to experience a sense of well-being that will aid you in overcoming day to day limitations.

When practicing wheelchair yoga, you will not feel stiff or lack of energy. In fact, some of the more positive effects of wheelchair yoga include increased muscle and mental strength, decreased levels of anxiety, nervousness, and stress. You will sleep better, feel stronger and experience a surge in confidence and self-esteem levels.

The exercise postures and movements are selected carefully during wheelchair yoga sessions and the emphasis is on comfort, ease, and simple poses for every wheelchair bound individual. More and more physiotherapists recommend yoga as a supplementary physical therapy to patients who are disabled, thereby helping them to connect and respond to their own body better.

Wheelchair yoga exercises are even designed for participation of caregivers and are organized in comfortable room where a group of wheelchair yoga enthusiasts can relax and have fun while exercising. And depending on your requirements, wheelchair yoga can be practiced in several different positions including sitting, standing or lying on the floor.

The Internet offers much information on wheelchair yoga and both studio and private lessons are available for you. The cost of a typical lesson could be anywhere from $20 to $50. Let wheelchair yoga help you take charge of your life and general well-being and you'll be glad you did!

© CG Groth Inc 2007

The "Daycare Diva", Christine G. Groth, is the creator of "The Guide to Instant Daycare Profits". To learn more about this step-by-step program and to sign-up for her FREE "How to Start a Daycare" tips and articles, visit http://www.ExpertsatDaycare.com