I love how descriptive and detailed this book is. It's perfectly written and includes all sorts of little things like the names of exercises, benefits, safety tips, very elaborate steps, and modifications for readers to use to do things differently. The writing with pronunciation of original Sanskrit names makes me so very happy. I also have to mention the beautiful illustrations featuring people drawn so well, of different body types and ethnicities. The end of the books has a few well-crafted workout routines with these exercises for readers to perform and refer to for different times. This should be the go-to book for anyone looking to start Chair Yoga. It is such a comprehensive guide that videos aren't even needed.

I have no real experience of yoga but I was attracted to this guide because the concept of chair yoga that you can do in your own home seemed like a great way to find out more. And indeed there are lots of exercises described to target all areas of the body. Plus suggestions on mindfulness and meditation techniques tho I confess that these seemed indistinguishable to me. I tried a wide range of positions and found them all manageable. There are often suggestions on how props can be included but these are options and you can make full use of the book just using a chair. The positions are described and illustrated so you know exactly what you’re supposed to be doing. (A number of the illustrations used the figure of a slightly podgy man and as a slightly podgy man I found that rather more comforting than the sleek athletic types that usually populate these types of guides.)
The book concludes with a series of suggested exercise sequences. As a newby I found these a bit clunky as I had to scroll back through the book to remind myself of the correct positioning. But I was reading an advance copy - thanks to Cider Press Mill - so it may be that the published ebook version will include hyperlinks.

Excited to have some nice options in my repertoire for more ways of movement. I liked the use of blocks and wish more of that was incorporated!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I am soo glad I have found this book. I am someone who used to absolutely love yoga before I became disabled but now my limited mobility makes it harder to join in with routines as there’s usually ones I can no longer do included. But this book has individual exercises targeting different parts of the body as well as routines in the last chapter that are accessible for me so I can enjoy yoga again. I liked that there were benefits and safety reminders included before the step by step guide and really appreciated the way the images demonstrated each exercise so it was easy to make sure I was doing it right.

If you are unsteady on your feet or just getting started exercising this book is terrific. However even if you are a practiced yogi you can benefit from Chair Yoga for Strength and Balance. Sometimes you just need to move and stretch but can’t get in the floor or don’t have the room with spread out a yoga mat. This book has exercises that will help relieve muscle tightness from sitting too long, back pain from poor posture while working, tight hips and shoulders too. Every office should have a copy. I will be using this during my workday everyday.

Chair Yoga For Balance and strength - ML Maitreyi

*Breathing practices, concentration, meditation and mindfulness*

I recommend this book to anyone who has ever experienced any kind of back trauma:
About 8, maybe 9 years ago I slipped 2 discs in my back trying to save a hoover! Yes, a bloody hoover! I was happily cleaning, doing my job with a brand spanking new, top-of-the-range Dyson. I turned too quickly at the top of the stairs to stop said hoover and myself from falling… within 30 mins I regretted it and I am still to this day!! That hoover should have smashed to pieces at the bottom of those god damned stairs! Within a few hours travelling home, sitting down and Paracetamol not touching the pain I was unable to get up from the settee, I couldn’t sit straight, stand up or move without excruciating pain and discomfort. I even had to call paramedics to check me over, give me as much pain relief as possible and help me to the toilet etc …except I couldn’t walk let alone get up the stairs to get to the bathroom, so I had to do my business in a bucket. Those two male paramedics deserve a medal. It was so embarrassing for me and they didn’t seem phased by it at all (well done those men.)
For a little under 18 months, I had to go very steady and didn’t see an end to the pain even with the highest doses of prescription medication. I had 2 young children, a dog and a useless specimen of a human (who didn’t take care of anyone or anything) and a house to run which all came before my recovery. I used to walk for miles, practice yoga and cardio and bike ride, I cannot do most of those things for as long anymore as I still get the back pain and lethargy from the damage I caused myself trying to save that stupid fucking Dyson! 😞

I miss being able to do ‘nomal’ standing Yoga! I’ve tried, my balance is off, it’s just not possible and I am not steady enough. I’m hoping with a bit of patience and a lot of practice I can build up my strength again. This book is a great starting point for that and I look forward to seeing some good changes.

Thank you for a greatly detailed book with breakdowns of everything I need to renew. 🙏 👏

Very handy book and great for beginner, and those who have not exercised in a while.
Suited for elderly, those who have limited mobility, and who work office jobs too.
Starts with very basics, and builds gradually, but you can also start anywhere. The illustrations demonstrate the activity.

It is not the most visually pleasing book, but I appreciated that somewhat because it helped me focus on the exercises.
Therefore, great for getting the hang of chair yoga and making it a habit.
Might purchase for loved ones who are elderly.

Loved this chair yoga manual!
Both of my parents practice yoga and they always recommend it, especially for stress and a sore back (both common conditions when you work in IT, unfortunately). My issue is that sometimes I don't have the time / motivation to get my mat out and do a proper session.
Yesterday, I tried a few exercises from each section of this book and they felt fantastic. My favourite one so far is the gentle knee warmup. I could definitely feel a difference before and after doing it, and when I got up afterwards, my knees didn't do lil "clicks" (I'm not old or unfit (I think), but sitting for long stretches of time will do that to you ^^U)
More things I loved about this book:
* It makes yoga accessible to more people and in more situations, by making most exercises seated
* It tells you about the health benefits of different exercises
* The different poses are illustrated with a variety of characters, which makes it seem both more inclusive and more visually interesting
Thank you so much to the author for sharing these exercises with people!
I'll certainly be trying to incorporate them into little work breaks, and long journeys :)

I've been interested in chair yoga, was I was excited to find this Arc available to read. Chair Yoga for Strength and Balance has helpful information on getting strong and healthy, and many poses are listed for beginners. I've tried several of the routines listed and feel comfortable with the exercises. I would recommend this to anyone who would like to increase their stamina and mobility. Thanks to NetGalley and Cider Mill Press for the ARC.

#ChairYogaforStrengthandBalance

This book is just what I was looking for. I need to take care of my mental health and yoga helps a lot, but I didn't know that chair yoga was an option. Here, you can learn new ways of exercice, and mindfullness, with great illustrations. I'm going to buy this book in december for sure.

Thank you to everyone for this copy ]

The book was very informative and well laid out and i found it to be helpful

4.5 stars. This is my first yoga book I’ve read. I have done some video lead yoga off of YouTube but I am not an avid yogi. That being said, I really enjoyed this book. I have never done chair yoga specifically but I think this could be useful for me when my sciatica is flared up or perhaps I’m being lazy but I want to get some sort of activity in.

I found the introduction very informative and learned some new yoga vocabulary. Most of the information is basic yoga knowledge making this book is great for beginners. Something else I found to be great was the amount of poses provided along with warm ups. They were organized by body parts or target focus such as “upper spine, neck, shoulders, and arms” or “brain, nervous system, breath and relaxation”.

I also like how each pose is broken down. You are provided with a small intro paragraph describing how the pose could benefit you in your daily life. Then a list of the benefits that is more precise and direct. A safety reminder to avoid whatever could cause pain or injury in the pose. Then you are given some steps, including breathing techniques and graphics, on how to complete the pose. Lastly, you given some additional options that changes each chapter but they can be support, ways to go deeper into the pose or create more resistance, and how to do the pose standing.

Then the last chapter has routines for you to follow. The routines themselves are great! The only thing that was a disappointing a bit was the quantity… I wish there were at least twice as many routine options since you’re given so many poses.

Thank you Netgalley, ML Maitreyi, and Cider Mill Press for allowing me to read and review this book.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me early access to this in exchange for an honest review. I've been looking for good books with exercises that won't hurt my knee, and this book is perfect. Easy to understand but with a wide variety of suggestions, I highly recommend this for people who want to incorporate some low impact exercise into their workout routine.

Loved this book! I can’t wait until it comes out so I can buy it. Easy to understand, perfect illustrations. All the stars!!!

I think this will be good practise for me - my knees and joints will appreciate it! I like the different techniques, the pictures help to visualise the moves and they look easy enough to do which is good as a beginner to yoga.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Chair Yoga for strength and balance by ML Maitreyi - I enjoyed the inclusive graphics in this book, as the exercise examples represented a wide variety of people, across gender, size and race lines. I also found the examples well drawn and informative (when used with the written instructions).

I am unsure how much this book would help with strength and balance, as the exercises are not difficult (how much you get out of the book depends on your current level of exercise) however at the very least these exercises can reintroduce the reader to simply working towards better health, a valuable goal for each of us.

Read the highly recommended and wonderfully written book on chair yoga. The benefits of chair yoga, step by step exercises, and illustrations are included.

Knowing very little about yoga yet being as flexible as concrete the older I get I was intrigued about this book when I saw it on NetGalley. It seems like a great guide for yoga for beginners like me. It is well written and clearly organized. The instructions are clear but i personally wish they’d used pictures of a real person doing the moves instead of an illustration. But still a great guide.

The book was well written, easy to follow with illustrations to assist. I didn’t know the variations of these poses in a chair, so that was really good to know, especially for days when I’m stuck in the office for long hours.

I've been wanting to find a gentler all-body workout and found exactly what I need in this very helpful book. Simple to read and use, with easy-to-follow illustrations. A winner!