How to Go Forth and Teach Chair Yoga at your Local Libraries
Tips from Lori in Canada!
I just had to tell you how amazing my life is today! Last summer I went to several libraries regarding teaching Chair Yoga to over 50’s who can’t get down on a mat and the response was overwhelming. This summer my life has been blessed tenfold, I have libraries calling me all over the greater Toronto area to teach, waiting room only in the classes I’m presently teaching in and registration for my classes fills up in ten minutes where the cut off is 32 because of fire hazards within the space! I feel like the Chair Yoga queen of Toronto, lol! I have been watching your YouTube videos for new material and when I return to the desert the end of October I give my students your info to watch you in their homes during the winter months to keep moving, letting them know you were my teacher and inspiration. They love you too!
It’s really incredible how things happen. I was teaching Gentle Mat Yoga and wasn’t really that interested in Chair Yoga since my experience with it was in seniors homes and they weren’t “active seniors” and it was difficult and also depressing. Last summer I walked into a library in my hood and on a whim I left my card and said if they were interested in Chair Yoga for seniors to give me a call. I now have over a hundred active seniors who drive to their libraries and look forward to every class and my yoga practice has made a 360 degree turn and I couldn’t be more thrilled!
The most fulfilling part of it all is the changes I’ve made in these beautiful souls lives! They come in smiling telling me they can finally tie their shoe laces, they can reach higher, bend lower, their less stiff, have less pain and the list goes on and on.
Last thing, I PROMISE, when you talk to your students about job opportunities, libraries are all re-inventing themselves with special events, lectures, films etc. My mother who is 85, practically lives at her library since they specialize in seniors interests. The other great thing is, if you are popular with the group you teach, the librarian tells another librarian who tells another and the next thing you know you are asked to teach at several different libraries. I didn’t go to all these venues, they called me! In fact I turned down three library gigs because they were too far away for me to drive to! They only pay $30 an hour and the gas would have been at least $15 there and back and I didn’t want to sit on freeways in the middle of rush hour traffic…nothing worse than a frazzled yoga teacher, lol!
Anyways, don’t forget to include libraries on your list and I’m sure your students will be very happy with the outcome.
