Active Aging – Active Older Adult

Wow – Active Aging – Active Older Adult – Yoga – Chair Yoga – Chair Tai Chi – Chair Yoga Dance

Gentle Yoga for Low Back Care with Gail Pickens-Barger
Gentle Yoga for Low Back Care with Gail Pickens-Barger

Yoga classes geared for those actively aging!

Seated Chair Yoga. Using gear such as yoga straps, blocks, chairs and mats to build bones by actively engaging large muscle groups.

Lessen stiffness & knee pain with guided Chair Tai Chi Classes with Gail

In-Person Classes: Wednesdays – Chair Tai Chi with a splash of Yoga at Lakeside Center, 150 Magnolia Street, Beaumont, Texas. $4 for non-residents of Beaumont, free for Beaumont residents. Class starts at 11:00 AM. Come a bit early to grab a chair, or have one of us get you a chair.

Fridays – Yoga – may be done entirely seated, or on the yoga mat, or standing behind the chair for support. Lakeside Center, 150 Magnolia Street, Beaumont, Texas. $4 for non-residents of Beaumont, free for Beaumont residents. Class starts at 10:30 AM. Come a bit early to place down your yoga mat, grab a chair, yoga strap and block. Please bring your own personal yoga mat. All other gear provided.

Online Classes: Wednesdays at 1 PM Central Time (think Texas). Held on Veterans Yoga Project Online yoga studio. Free. All are welcomed. https://veteransyogaproject.org/vyp-classes to create an account and then book a class. There’s also an app for that. Download from Apple or Andriod onto your phone. Create and account, book a class! Come a bit early to class to say “Hi” before we get started.

The online class can also be done either seated on the chair, or on the yoga mat. I do have some folks who do the class on the couch or their bed. This class is geared to lessen back pain.

How Yoga Can Help Veterans
How Yoga Can Help Veterans
Low Back Care Yoga on Veterans Yoga Project Online Yoga Studio with Gail P-B.
Low Back Care Yoga on Veterans Yoga Project Online Yoga Studio with Gail P-B. Wednesdays Classes are now at 1 PM Central TIme.

Additional beginners yoga classes for back challenges with Gail P-B.

For those of you taking my online beginning yoga classes, I’ve include a few fan favorites here for you to enjoy. Additionally, a Yoga Nidra Meditation & Chair Tai Chi with Gail PB.

Hello, I’m providing some links to previously recorded classes, in case you need to take another class with me, prior to us coming together next Wednesday. I teach regularly on Wellness Living Online Studio classes for Veterans Yoga Project. Enjoy!

Videos:
https://youtu.be/RrhmFnQ18vA

I’m also including a seated chair tai chi video:

and lastly a 43 minute Yoga Nidra practice, which in my opinion is part II in reducing chronic daily pain.

Kids Yoga Day – April 5, 2024

April 5th, 2024 is the 9th Kids’s Yoga Day Event. Held the first Friday in the month of April.

Just 5 minutes of yoga a day can boost the mental and physical health and wellness of our children, regardless of their socioeconomic status, athletic abilities or prior knowledge. To help spread this powerful message, in 2016, Teresa founded Kids’ Yoga Day (KYD), an international event held every year all over the world – at schools, homes, yoga studios, and/or community centers, even via livestream!  No previous yoga experience required.

Come to class. Starts at 10:30 AM!

In 2023 over 435 yoga ambassadors from 36 countries and 43 states, led over 30,000 children through a simple 5 minute routine at the same time, on the same day, not to mention countless others following along at home.

Our participants reported that the kids not only loved doing yoga, but also being a part of something bigger than themselves.  In this frenzied world, isn’t that what it’s all about?

Last year Teresa created an adaptive yoga routine, from a suggestion that I had made the previous year. I used the routine for the seniors that I teach on Fridays! They LOVED it!

Adaptive Yoga Kids Yoga Day . Suggested by Gail Pickens-Barger, a Kids Yoga Day ambassador. Teresa created this routine to use starting in 2023!
Adaptive Yoga Kids Yoga Day . Suggested by Gail Pickens-Barger, a Kids Yoga Day ambassador. Teresa created this routine to use starting in 2023!

The 9th Kids’ Yoga Day is happening on Friday, April 5th, 2024. 

Back Challenges – Easy Yoga for Back Relief

Overview of Back Care Yoga Class

Easy to do yoga movements, today’s class featuring postures for easing sciatica & kyphosis. Class will also promote healthy backs!
  • Gail teaches gentle yoga for back care, focusing on low back, upper back, mid-back and core.
  • Specific yoga postures are designed to ease back challenges and chronic daily pain.
  • Equipment needed: yoga strap and yoga block, although not mandatory for participation.
  • Recording of the class is provided for those who want to try with the gear later.
  • Class ends with guided rest, relaxation, and gratitude practice.

Adaptations for Different Needs

  • Participants can choose to stand, sit on a chair, or modify postures based on individual needs.
  • Constructive rest posture is recommended for reducing back challenges.
  • Seated Participants can also benefit from certain postures, with some adaptations required.
  • Various modifications are suggested to accommodate different levels of flexibility and comfort.
  • Participants are encouraged to listen to their bodies and adjust postures accordingly.

Yoga Postures for Back Care

Yoga postures for back care are specific poses designed to strengthen and stretch the muscles in the back, helping to improve posture, reduce pain, and increase flexibility. These poses target different areas of the back to promote overall spinal health and alleviate discomfort.

Constructive Rest Yoga Posture for Easing Back Pain.
Knee to  Chest Sequence for Easing Back Pain.  Yoga with Gail
Easing Back Pain with Overhead Extension Yoga Pose Sequence with Gail PB
Flowy Cat Cow Sequence Yoga Posture for easing back pain with teacher, Gail PB
Warrior Pose Variations for strength and lengthening of the lower body muscles.  Yoga with Gail PB
Unsupported Spinal Twists and Bird Dog Spinal Balance Variations for easing back pain.  Yoga Teacher Gail PB

Balanced Rock at Big Bend National Park

The Balanced Rock at Big Bend National Park.  Well worth the trek!

Balanced Rock at Big Bend National Park.

Bit of a hike with walking sticks.

Had a bit of hip/back pain, but well worth the journey. Of course, going up was easier than coming down!

During spring break a few years back, we booked so late, we had to stay in Marfa, Texas. Which turned out to be delightful! 

I told everyone to grab a chair.  We are doing seated warrior II yoga posture.  Great for bone building, increasing range of motion in both arms, hips, plus with intention, strengthening shoulders and upper back muscles.

What journeys are you doing for self-discovery, and self-help? Why not try a yoga class? I teach an in-person class on Fridays at LakeSide Event Center in Beaumont Texas. Pretty nice price point too. Only $4 if you are a non-resident of Beaumont. I have several of my students follow me from Jefferson Mid-County come to this class.

A wonderful facility. Clean, and spacious, with a skate park, and a neat lake to stroll around.

Plus the beginners class I teach is an adaptive yoga class. If you need to stay seated, I give you all the poses seated on the chair or standing behind a chair. I also teach you how to get down to the floor with the chair, and get back up off the floor with the chair. This class is geared towards beginners.

I occasionally either at the beginning of class or afterward do an indoor walking short workout, that folks seem to like. And if you laugh at my jokes, we sometimes do a seated cardio dance fitness routine. Y’all just need to check it out!

#balancedrock #stonegate #bigbendnationalpark