South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Chair yoga class ‘perfect for seniors’
Boynton Beach resident Helene Slosberg, 74, offers free lakeside chair yoga classes to her Platina neighbors as a way of giving back to her community during the coronavirus pandemic.
Boynton Beach resident Helene Slosberg has figured out a way to give back during the coronavirus pandemic. The 74-year-old instructor has been offering free lakeside chair yoga classes to her Platina community neighbors. In pre-pandemic times, Slosberg, who is trained in the Iyengar method of yoga, had a busy teaching schedule at different venues around the city.
“In the beginning of April, when all of the clubhouses and gyms closed, I decided to teach chair yoga to my neighbors, for free, in front of my house, as a way to give back to the community,” she said.
Although participants in the bring-your-own-folding-chair sessions are not required to wear masks, they stand 6 feet apart when they work on strength, posture, flexibility, balance and breathing.
“The class is perfect for seniors who need balance, or people who can’t easily get down to or up from the floor,” she said.
The class, which Slosberg holds three times weekly in the late afternoon, has spread by word of mouth and can accommodate up to 15 people. There is no registration, no attendance taken and no fee. Although her neighbors have all expressed their appreciation for the class, Slosberg does not want to receive payment.
“When people ask me how they can pay me, I tell them that when the clubhouses open up again, they can all take my classes,” she said.
One appreciative attendee is Alice Alper, 75, an active senior who had been going to the gym three or four times a week before the COVID-19 lockdown closed Palm Beach County gyms.
“When the pandemic came about we were all itching to do something outside. Helene, who teaches at many different places, said, ‘I really miss teaching’,” Alper said. “So she said, ‘Let’s try it, and see how it goes.’ We have people of varying abilities and ages ranging from about 64 to 95. Helene has been wonderful — she brings enthusiasm. Everyone looks forward to it and you see the growth in some of the older participants. It’s lovely.”
In addition to being a source of regular physical activity, the yoga classes are giving participants the socialization they have been craving, along with a regularly scheduled activity to look forward to, Alper said.
“I’ve spoken to many friends who have been doing nothing during the day. They’re so bored. I’m not bored at all,” she said.