YogaFit – Gentle Yoga and Tai Chi with Gail

How it all began. Yoga with Gail Pickens-Barger

Yoga with Gail PB. How it all began.

My experiences with Yoga!

Places where I teach Yoga….. back in 2002…..
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Yoga Training – YogaFit ™ Level I, Level II, YogaFit™ for Kids, YogaButt™, YogaAbs/YogaBack, YogaFit™ for Seniors.
Also Katherine Robert’s Yoga for Golfers™ , also I’m up to date on my My Red Cross Adult CPR, First Aid and AED training..

My interest in Yoga began back when I was taking fitness courses along with the computer courses at Victoria College. I had taken the Weight Training, Walking, Karate and Physical Fitness classes. The college wasn’t offering any Yoga classes and through a survey, myself and others requested that Yoga be a fitness class offered at VC (there wasn’t a facility in town that offered any Yoga classes that fit my schedule). The first time that Yoga was offered through the college I took it. As with any other fitness class at the college several things happened.

In order for one to see if they are indeed making strides towards their fitness goals, you need to make assessments and measurements. At the beginning of the semester we measured weight, height, circumference measurements along the calves, thighs, hips, waist, chest and upper arms. A crunch test, along with a push-up assessment was done. Two fat body measurements were done-one with the pincher calipers and the other with an electronic fat body calculator. A Cardio endurance one mile walk (the Rockwell test) was also performed. Lastly a sit/stretch measurement was conducted. The assessments was a good portion of our grade. At the end of the semester all of these assessments were done to “measure” our fitness level, due to taking the Yoga class.

Not only was I feeling better and well rested, from my initial assessment, I confess that I could only do ONE push-up. Through the learning of the different Yoga poses, practicing, etc., at the end of the course not only did I reduce my body fat percentage, lose inches (and increased inches in my arms/calves), but I increased my number of push-ups to 19 (with my age was finally conducted at “average” fitness) and also increased my flexibility in my sit/stretch measurement. Also I decreased my resting heart rate.

One of the activities that we had to do was to present a Yoga class to the students. We paired up with 2-3 other individuals and selected the Yoga Mountain phase that we were to present to the class. After my 10 minute portion of the presentation the instructor had asked if she could use my Yoga sequences in her classes. (Sure!) She also recommended that I become certified and that I might like to teach YogaFit styled classes. (Perfect, so that I can schedule Yoga classes to fit my schedule!) So that is what I did. I’m currently trained in Level I and Level II, Seniors (Chair Yoga), YogaFit™ for Kids, YogaButt ™, YogaAbs/YogaBack by – YogaFit™ , and I just finished a workshop training in Yoga for Golfers™ by Katherine Roberts (see Yoga For Golfers™ web site!!) .

Back in 2004 was teaching Yoga classes at GymX, Citizen’s HealthPlex and Detar Health and Fitness Center, and a bit of teaching at Busby Dance Center, all from Victoria Texas.

On another interesting note, during this entire time that I was taking the college class, getting certified, etc., I told my 75 year old mom how I so enjoyed the Yoga. She started taking the Yoga classes offered at her local YMCA. Immediately her balance was better for her, her flexibility and range of motion in her arms increased, and whenever she took her class her blood pressure lowered (she takes medicine for her blood pressure). Balance and flexibility were some of her concerns and to get a bit lowering on her blood pressure was just a bonus. Now mom is a pretty active person. She swims laps twice a week at the YMCA and also tries to walk at least 45 minutes 3 times a week. Not only that but she bowls a mean 160 average! Now isn’t it interesting that she noticed changes in her body when she added Yoga to the mix.

Additionally for me, I’ve had bunion surgery on my right foot and had a fourth degree sprain on my left foot, so I have some “foot” issues that I’m always concerned about. With the various balancing poses that you do in Yoga, I’ve become more confident on my “footing” and balance. I never thought I’d be able to do the “Tree and Eagle” poses, much less the “Dancer” pose (I can do them now!). Its been a work in progress, but I’m very pleased with the results!

Collected here are some comments from students who have taken my classes:

“feeling very relaxed after a session”
“my pain in my back has eased up considerably”
“I sleep better at night”
“I feel energized”
“I need your class to help my legs and my back feel better”
“When I don’t come to class, my stress levels become very high”
“I’m ready for a nap, I’m so relaxed”
“I’m not having any spasms in my left leg”
“I can manage my stress better”

I’m almost tempted by the type of comments that I get from my students to call my class “Yoga for Backs”.

So take a Yoga class….you never know what benefit it may have in store for you!

Active Yoga / Beginning Yoga / Chair Yoga/ Yoga for the Sports Enthusiast – Class Descriptions

Active Yoga – A fitness yoga class uses traditional Hatha yoga poses, in the context of a fitness workout, to make you relax and sweat at the same time. The goal of fitness yoga is the increased strength and stamina you expect from a vigorous workout and the inner peace and tranquility that yoga is famous for. One hour format.

Beginning Yoga – This class introduces students to fundamental yoga postures, including stretching, strengthening, balance and alignment in the postures. Emphasis is on the standing, seated, and relaxation poses. Additionally, this class, uses a sequence of yoga postures to strengthening your core muscles, which will, in time, help lessen back pain and strengthen your abdominal muscles. Less strenuous than the Active Yoga, the goal is the same increased strength and stamina and in a 45 minute or 1 hour format.

Chair Yoga – This class was designed for those that have trouble getting up and down from the floor. Seated / Standing Chair Yoga poses are modified to the chair and work all parts of the body to improve strength and mobility. The class focuses on mild stretching and breathing exercises designed to promote physical fitness. Forty-five to Fifty-five minute class.

Yoga for the Sports enthusiast

improves flexibility, strength, balance, posture & breathing. (Soccer, Track, Power Lifting)
helps to relieve back problems caused by twisting the spine. (Volleyball, Basketball, Dancing, Wrestling or Football)
enhances body rotation so a proper swing can be fully executed. (Golf, Tennis, Racquetball & Baseball)

Current teaching schedule:

*Monday*	*Tuesday*	*Wednesday*	*Thursday*
9:35 – 10:30 Detar HealthCenter Beginning Yoga	8:45am – 9:35am GymX – Active Yoga / Beginning Yoga *	9:35 – 10:30 Detar HealthCenter Beginning Yoga	8:45am – 9:35am GymX – Active Yoga / Beginning Yoga *
	10:30am – 11:15am Citizen’s HealthPlex – Beginning Yoga		10:30am – 11:15am Citizen’s HealthPlex – Beginning Yoga
			2:00 p.m. Chair Yoga Detar HealthCenter

Classes I taught after getting newly certified.

* Beginning Yoga is taught, unless the mix of people are of the intermediate level.

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Gaileee in South Texas

Fast forward about 20 years or so….

Moved to the Golden Triangle Area here in southeast Texas. Local cities are Port Arthur, Port Neches, Nederland, Groves, Beaumont, Bridge City and Orange Texas.

Initially taught at both the YMCA of Port Arthur and the W.P. Hebert Wellness and Fitness facility in Beaumont, Texas.

Took my advanced teacher training at the Yoga Institute with Lex Gillan in Houston Texas near the downtown medical center.

Did additional training in adaptive yoga, chair yoga, yoga for Multiple Sclerosis, Yoga for Scoliosis. Adaptive Yoga with Mathew Sanford, Restorative Yoga, Yoga Nidra Meditation, Prenatal Yoga, Childrens and Kids Yoga.

The Kids yoga classes at the Ymca, and at Exygon Health and Fitness were fun classes to teach. I eventually took the kids yoga to the local Mother’s Day Out program at Wesley Methodist in Nederland, Texas. I’m a registered Childrens yoga teacher through Yoga Alliance.

Additionally taught prenatal yoga at Detar Health Center in Victoria Texas, which eventually led me to teach baby yoga for my youngest child and my grandchildren. Used the Itsy Bitsy methodology to teach the baby yoga classes.

Taught officially for the National MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Society, the Lonestar Chapter for over 10 years prior to the pandemic.

Had the opportunity to teach at the local VA, and took Veterans Yoga Project Mindful Resilience Trauma Training, and for the past five years been teaching online for VYP through their various offerings after the pandemic and currently. Taught Chair yoga, gentle yoga, back care yoga, chair tai chi, and beginners standing tai chi.

More recently looked into QiGong and Tai Chi practices for my own personal interest and have become certified in Chair Tai Chi, Tai Chi Ball QiGong, and Beginners standing Tai Chi Yang Style Short Form 12. Teaching the Chair Tai Chi and the Yang Style Short Form online for Veterans Yoga Project.

Got especially interested in yoga for scoliosis, for back care, as I have those challenges, and now teaching a gentle yoga for back care class. More recently online for VYP, but in years past was a popular class, taught weekly at Wesley Methodist Church in Nederland, Texas.

Also became a licensed Zumba Instructor, and teach a seated dance fitness class for the senior population at Lakeside Center in Beaumont Texas. Additionally teach a weekly Chair Tai Chi Ball QiGong with a Splash of Yoga at Lakeside Center.

Updated 2/2026

Kids Yoga Ambassador for International Kids Yoga Day — International Kids Yoga Day. Yearly in April.

Chair Yoga for Fall Prevention. Fridays at 1 PM Central Time on Veterans Yoga Project online studio. — Chair Yoga for Fall Prevention. Online on YouTube Channel

Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis for the National MS Society. Local teacher, Gail Pickens-Barger, teaches adaptive yoga for NMMS

Chair Tai Chi Certified through MoonWillowTaiChi

Chair Yoga Dance Instructor - Gail Pickens-Barger - Yoga Vista Certified — Chair Yoga Dance Instructor – Gail Pickens-Barger – Yoga Vista Certified

Prenatal Yoga taught in a health clinic in Mongolia!

Teaching Yoga Chair Tai Chi with Gail PB

Gentle Yoga, Adaptive Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis, Kids Yoga!

Start or Re-Start Your Yoga Practice – 15 good reasons to get you started

Count on Yoga. Looking for a reason to start practicing (or restart your practice)?

1. Flex Time.

Improved flexibility is one of the most obvious benefits of yoga. During your first class, you probably won’t be able to touch your toes, never mind do a back bend. But if you stick with it, you’ll notice a gradual loosening, and eventually, seemingly impossible poses will become possible. You’ll probably notice that aches and pains start to disappear. That’s no coincidence. Tight hips can strain the knee joint due to improper alignment of the thigh and shinbones. Tight hamstrings can lead to a flattening of the lumbar spine, which can cause back pain. And inflexibility in muscles and connective tissues, such as fascia and ligaments, can cause poor posture.

2. Bone Zone.

It’s well documented that weight-bearing exercise strengthens bones and helps ward off osteoporosis. Many postures in yoga require that you lift your own weight. And some, like Downward- and Upward-Facing Dog, help strengthen the arm bones, which are particularly vulnerable to osteoporosis fractures. In an unpublished study conducted at California State University, Los Angeles, yoga practice increased bone density in the vertrebrae. Yoga’s ability to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol may help keep calcium in the bones.

3. Worry Thwarts.

Yoga lowers cortisol levels. If that doesn’t sound like much, consider these facts. Normally, the adrenal glands secrete cortisol in response to an acute crisis, which temporarily boosts immune function. If your cortisol levels stay high even after the crisis, they can compromise the immune system. Temporary boosts of cortisol help with long-term memory, but chronically high levels undermine memory and may lead to permanent changes in the brain. Plus, excessive cortisol has been linked with major depression, osteoporosis (it extracts calcium and other minerals from bones and interferes with the laying down of new bone), high blood pressure, and insulin resistance. In rats, high cortisol levels lead to what researchers call “food-seeking behavior” (the kind that drives you to eat when you’re upset, angry, or stressed). The body takes those extra calories and distributes them as fat in the abdomen, contributing to weight gain and the risk of diabetes and heart attack.

4. Breathing Room.

Yogis tend to take fewer breaths of greater volume, which is both calming and more efficient. A 1998 study published in The Lancet taught a yogic technique known as “complete breathing” to people with lung problems due to congestive heart failure. After one month, their average respiratory rate decreased from 13.4 breaths per minute to 7.6. Meanwhile, their exercise capacity increased significantly, as did the oxygen saturation of their blood. In addition, yoga has been shown to improve various measures of lung function, including the maximum volume of the breath and the efficiency of the exhalation.

5. Pain Drain.

Yoga can ease your pain. According to several studies, yoga postures (asana), meditiation, or a combination of the two, reduced pain in people with arthritis, back pain, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other chronic conditions. When you relieve your pain, your mood improves, you’re more inclined to be active, and you don’t need as much medication.

6. Connective Tissue.

As you read all the ways yoga improves your health, you probably notice a lot of overlap. That’s because they are intensely interwoven. Change your posture and you change the way you breathe. Change your breathing and you change you nervous system. This is one of the great lessons of yoga: Everything is connected – your hipbone to your anklebone, you to your community, your community to the world. Such interconnection is vital to yoga. This holistic system simultaneously taps into many mechanisms that have self-perpetuating and even multiplicative effects. Synergy may be the most important way of all that yoga heals.

7. Joint Account.

Each time you practice yoga, you take your joints through their full range of motion. This can help prevent degenerative arthritis or mitigate disability by “squeezing and soaking” areas of cartilage that normally aren’t used. Joint cartilage is like sponge; it receives fresh nutrients only when its fluid is squeezed out and a new supply can be soaked up. Without proper sustenance, neglected cartilage can eventually wear out like worn-out brake pads, exposing the underlying bone.

8. Flow Chart.

Yoga gets your blood flowing. More specifically, the relaxation exercises you learn in yoga can help your circulation, especially in your hands and feet. Yoga also gets more oxygen to your cells, which function better as a result. Twisting poses are thought to wring out venous blood from internal organs and allow oxygenated blood to flow in once the twist is released. Inverted poses, such as Down Ward Facing Dog, Standing Straddle Splits, Headstand, Handstand and Shoulderstand, encourages venous blood from the legs and pelvis to flow back to the heart, where it can be pumped to the lungs to be freshly oxygenated. Yoga also boosts levels of hemoglobin and red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the tissues. And it thins the blood by making platelets less sticky and by cutting the level of clot-promoting proteins in the blood. This can lead to a decrease in heart attacks and strokes since blood clots are often the cause of these killers.

9. Heart Start.

When you regularly get your heart rate into the aerobic range, you can lower your risk of heart attack and relieve depression. While not all yoga is aerobic, if you do it vigorously or take flow or Ashtanga classes, it can boost your heart rate into the aerobic range. But even yoga exercises that don’t get your heart rate up that high can improve cardiovascular conditioning. Studies have found that yoga practice lowers the resting heart rate, increases endurance, and can improve your maximum uptake of oxygen during exercise – all reflections of improving aerobic conditioning.

10. Strength Test.

Strong muscles do more than look good. They also protect us from such conditions as arthritis and back pain, and help prevent falls. And when you build strength through yoga, you balance it with flexibility. If you just lifted weights, you might build strength at the expense of flexibility.

11. Spinal Rap.

Spinal disks – the shock absorbers between the vertebrae that can herniate and compress nerves – crave movement. That’s the only way they get their nutrients. If you’ve got a well-balanced asana practice with plently of backbends, forward bends, and twists, you’ll help keep your disks supple.

12. Standing Orders.

Your head is like a bowling ball – big, round, and heavy. When it’s balanced directly over an erect spine, it take much less work for your neck and back muscles to support it. Move it several inches forward, however, and you start to strain those muscles. Hold up that forward-leaning bowling ball for 8 or 12 hours a day and it’s no wonder you’re tired. And fatigue might not be your only problem. Poor posture can cause back, neck, and other muscle and joint problems. As you slump, your body may compensate by flattening the normal inward curves in your neck and lower back. This can cause pain and degenerative arthritis of the spine.

13. Sugar Show.

Yoga lowers blood sugar and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and boosts HDL (“good”) cholesterol. In people wit diabetes, yoga has been found to lower blood sugar in several ways: by lowering cortisol and adrenaline levels, encouraging weight loss, and improving sensitivity to the effects of insulin. Get your blood sugar levels down, and you decrease your risk of diabetic complications such as heart attack, kidney failure and blindness.

14. Space Place.

Regularly practicing yoga increases proprioception (the ability to feel what your body is doing and where it is in space) and improves balance. People with bad posture or dysfunctional movement patterns usually have poor proprioception, which has been linked to knee problems and back pain. Better balance could mean fewer falls. For the elderly, this translates into more independence and delayed admission to a nursing home or never entering one at all.

15. Loose Limbs.

Do you ever notice yourself holding the telephone or a steering wheel with a death grip or scrunching your face when staring at a computer screen? These unconscious habits can lead to chronic tension, muscle fatigue, and soreness in the wrists, arms, shoulders, neck, and face, which can increase stress and worsen your mood. As you practice yoga, you begin to notice where you hold tension: It might be in your tongue, your eyes, or the muscles of your face and neck. If you simple tune in and pay more attention to these areas, you may be able to relieve some tension.

To see all 38 ways yoga can improve your health and well-being click on over to the Yoga Journal Website. http://www.yogajournal.com/health/1634

Online Beginners Yoga with Gail — Work with me!

Yoga with Gail PB. How it all began.

My experiences with Yoga!

[ Citizen’s HealthPlex Group Exercise Schedule | GymX Group Exercise Schedule | Detar Health and Fitness Center Aerobic Schedule ]

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