SBS Alum releases yoga DVD
(published 1/15/2015 in the Winnisquam Echo)
SANBORNTON — Sanbornton native Jennifer Lake has found a healthy and relaxing way to make a living, and she is now sharing the benefits of her fitness regime with others through a convenient home instructional video, “Active Chair Yoga.”
“I developed chair yoga at a fitness center on the seacoast, where not only did I see the demand, but I also saw how powerfully it affected seniors and those new to yoga,” said Lake, who now resides in Dover.
The daughter of Warren and Catherine Lake of Sanbornton, she attended school at Sant Bani School and had an early background in dance. From there, she moved on to yoga as a means of gaining a deeper, more spiritual connection within. Lake has been practicing yoga for more than 10 years now, and teaching it as a certified instructor for five years.
She said came up with the idea for the video when she noticed lower attendance in classes when weather, particularly in the winter, kept her clientele at home. A video, she realized, would not only provide those students with a supplemental resource for her classes, but could reach out to others as well.
“It took a while, but it all finally came together, and it’s been a real success,” Lake said.
Many people initially feel intimidated by yoga, she has observed, but it really is a form of exercise that anyone can participate in once they learn to connect with their breathing. In a world where life is moving along at an ever-increasing pace, yoga is something she finds to be “stillness in the face of challenges” that people can use to relax as they strengthen their body at the same time. After a while, it becomes part of your lifestyle, but it’s really the process (of yoga) that becomes their way of life,” she said.
Her concept of chair yoga came about when she recognized that older people might not, initially at least, be able to attain some of the many yoga poses a standard program presents. “Using a chair, they get a point of stability for the balancing poses and they don’t have to get down on the floor for a lot of poses like the Downward Dog,” Lake said. “I also incorporate some posture, breathing and arm techniques they can easily do.”
As she works with people through her chair yoga program, especially senior citizens, she sees them developing better balance and stability, all of which has come to make a real difference in their day-to-day living.
“They’re now able to do more complicated sequences and one person told me it even made a difference in his golf swing,” said Lake. By watching her video, people can follow her easy instructions in the comfort and privacy of their home and move on to higher levels as their strength, breathing and flexibility increase over time.
Those with medical conditions can also benefit from yoga, she pointed out. One example is a client of hers with multiple sclerosis that she has been working with for four years now. Through chair yoga, the woman has been able to reverse some of the debilitating effects of her disease and she can now stand unassisted, something she couldn’t do at the start. “She can also walk a little bit now, and her goal is to be able to eventually walk greater distances without her cane or walker,” Lake said.
Her yoga techniques have even helped people recover from physical injuries quicker than they might otherwise have done. “I had another person who came to me after a car accident and, with some modified practice, they were able to rehabilitate themselves through yoga. Yoga definitely made a significant difference in their recovery,” she said.
Lake’s DVD is available for sale online, where it has received rave reviews on her obvious passion for yoga, the ease of her chair yoga program and especially on her instructional techniques. “An inspired and inspiring yoga teacher,” wrote one customer, while yet another recommended the video for anyone looking to find peace and balance in their life from “someone with a gift to share.”
To order a copy of Active Chair Yoga, please visit Amazon.com or her Web site, www.activechairyoga.com.