Category: back pain yoga

Chair Tai Chi & Gentle Beginners Yoga for Back Care Classes – 2025

Chair Tai Chi & Gentle Beginners Yoga for Back Care Classes

February 2025. For Veterans Yoga Project Online Studio, Gail Pickens-Barger, Yoga Instructor/Chair Tai Chi Instructor. New schedule update.

Wednesdays Gentle Yoga for Back Care/ Chair Tai Chi. 11:00am PST(60 min) | Wednesdays | 1:00pm CST(60 min)

Fridays Chair Yoga for Fall Prevention. 11:00 am PST (60 min) | Fridays | 1:00 pm CST (60 mins)

Gail Pickens-Barger

Yoga Teacher, Chair Tai Chi & Yoga Nidra Meditation Teacher

Class Description: Chair Tai Chi / Gentle Yoga for Back Care for Beginners. One week will be chair tai chi, the next week will be gentle yoga for back care for beginners.

Chair Tai Chi Class Description:
 
Chair Tai Chi is a 45 minute class, consisting of a blend of Yang Style Tai Chi forms (singled out for adaptability in a seated position), Shaolin muscle and sinew exercises, qigong (“chee-kung”) detoxing techniques, hand/finger/eye exercises, acupressure point stimulation, and guided rest & relaxation & gratitude practice.

Benefits: Chronic pain reduction, improved strength and flexibility, range of motion, posture, blood pressure, sleep, digestion, and immunity. Relieves stress, anxiety, and aids in overall well-being. Chair Tai Chi is a unique therapeutic modality being offered in the online Veterans Yoga Project studio.
 
*Special instructions for Chair Tai Chi:
Please have a sturdy chair available.

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Gentle Yoga for Back Care Beginners Class Description:

This 60 minute class is formatted for those of all ages and levels who experience low back pain, whether chronic or due to injury. The use of gear is encouraged to help support you through class which is presented every other week with our resident VYP expert, Gail Pickens-Barger. Class can be done on a yoga mat, or seated on a chair.

Special Instructions
Please have on hand:
* a strap
* a block
* access to a non-stick surface (a.k.a. yoga mat) or be seated on a chair

Optional items to have on hand are:
* a blanket/cover
* access to a wall or chair/table.  

You don’t have to bend like a pretzel to do yoga!

Example of Back Yoga for Beginners. Ease your back challenges with simple, effective movements.

Check out my latest “Live” video. I was testing the video quality and sound at a remote location. Sound is not as crisp as I would like, but is tolerable. Movement sequences for hands and fingers for easing pain and arthritis.

How to see Veterans Yoga Project Online Studio on my big TV Screen

How to see Veterans Yoga Project Online Studio on my big TV Screen

I often get asked how I setup for teaching online yoga classes. I’ll just briefly give you an outline of what equipment I use, etc.

My teaching online Chair Tai Chi, Yoga and taking classes setup.

A quick photo of my setup for teaching online, and for taking classes online. Left to Right. Ipad, Adapter Lightening Cord, Laptop, Surge protector with my PC, and Apple Charging cord connected, HDMI cord connecting to the back of my TV, Roku device plugged into the other HDMI port, and my older not so smart (ha ha) TV, with the VYP app displayed from my ipad onto the tv.

I teach from my PC and attached camera.  Then I have a second screen, where I can do gallery view, to watch the students on my somewhat bigger TV Screen.

A little background, about nine years ago, when I was teaching some educational classes in my home, I would use the apple adapter cord into my ipad/pc, and my televisions’s hdmi cord to view onto my TV.  I had a different type of adaptor that I would use for my PC/Mac.  

Since then I use the same cord to use as a connection, to display larger onto my Smart TV.

  1. One needs a Smart TV.  You use the Roku app on the Smart TV to connect to an iphone/ipad device app.  This might be a bit difficult to figure out, as one needs to look at the “streaming store” and find the appropriate “app” for the HDMI hooking up service.
  2. Roku device hooked up to the back of their TV, or a Smart TV that has Roku integrated within the system. ~ $45
  3. A HDMI cord – which plugs into the Apple adaptor cord and into the HDMI port on the smart tv. ~ $10
  4. An Apple cord https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MW2P3AM/A/lightning-digital-av-adapter  $49
  5. An apple charging cord dedicated to this system.  
  6. I use a surge protector strip to plug in for power to the apple charging cord.

When I started teaching online for VYP almost five years ago, I just used the same cord system.

There are other methods to connect to a smart tv, depending if you are using a PC, an android.  I’ve used Chromecast, but it was rather cludgy.

When I teach in person at a gym, I sometimes play indoor walking workouts for my clients, prior to the tai chi or yoga class.  The facility has an overhead projector system.  I’m able to use the cord again, and “cast” onto the large theatre display, using their bluetooth connection technology.   

Apple Adapter cord. 

Apple Lightening Adapter cord

Apple adapter into my ipad, with the hdmi cord, and my apple charger cord coming out.  

My cord connection from my Ipad

My setup for teaching and taking online classes.

My Online Teaching Setup.

Left to Right.  Ipad/Apple adaptor cord, PC, Camera, surge protector strip cord.  My PC, Apple Charger cord in the strip cord.  Smart TV with a Roku in the back plugged in (it is an older Smart TV), then on the screen I have the VYP app on screen, as it shows up on the Ipad.

One must turn off the audio on the Ipad, or you’ll have reverb/echo noise.  I also turn off the volume on the TV, and only use the volume from the PC.  Their setup may be different as they will not have the PC or the Ipad both running at the same time.  So the sound could either be from their Ipad/Iphone or PC or the Smart TV.  It takes a bit to figure this stuff out.

Questions? Complaints? Comments? Complements? Let me know!

Gail

My Roku Streaming Services

Teaching Online Yoga Wednesdays at 1:00 PM Central Time.

Now teaching online at: 12 AM PT, 1 PM CST, 2 ET

Gentle Yoga with Gail Pickens-Barger. Yoga to help ease back pain, lessen stress, increase flexibility, build bones, better balance, and have higher quality sleep. Next class sign up. https://tinyurl.com/TueYogaGail
Gentle Yoga with Gail Pickens-Barger. Yoga to help ease back pain, lessen stress, increase flexibility, build bones, better balance, and have higher quality sleep. Next class sign up. https://tinyurl.com/TueYogaGail
Tuesday Yoga for Easing Back Pain with Gentle Beginners Yoga with Gail, in-person classes starting 3rd week of March 2022.
Tuesday Yoga for Easing Back Pain with Gentle Beginners Yoga with Gail

Interesting Study: New Study Adds Growing Evidence that Yoga and Meditation Can Reduce Chronic Pain. I can attest to that study, as it has helped me with my chronic back pain!

https://www.yogauonline.com/yoga-research/new-study-adds-growing-evidence-yoga-and-meditation-can-reduce-chronic-pain

The study echoes previous findings on the benefits of yoga and meditation for chronic pain published in 2016 in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association.

“The bottom line is that patients are seeking new ways to cope with chronic pain and effective non-pharmaceutical treatments are available,” says Dr. Marske. “Our findings show meditation and yoga can be a viable option for people seeking relief from chronic pain.”

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201001133227.htm

This just in. Yoga Eases Moderate to Severe Chronic Low Back Pain - Yoga with Gail
This just in. Yoga Eases Moderate to Severe Chronic Low Back Pain – Yoga with Gail
Check out one of my more popular class formats. Can be done seated on the chair, or on the yoga mat or on your couch or bed. Beginners simple movements.

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

Ease back challenges with gentle beginners yoga with Gail

Discover how to ease back pain with beginners gentle yoga with Veterans Yoga Project Teacher, Gail Pickens-Barger.

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 12:30 PM CT
Benefits of a Regular yoga practice. On the chair or using a floor mat!
Benefits of a Regular yoga practice. On the chair or using a floor mat!
Yoga Benefits - Reasons to do Yoga!
Yoga Benefits – Reasons to do Yoga!

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Online Yoga Studio at Veterans Yoga Project on Wellness Living Studio Platform.