Book Review: The Chair Yoga Pocket Guide by Amy Zellmer

As my eighth decade on earth dawns, I did not expect too many surprises awaiting me. My initial wishes were for a modicum of good physical health, and perhaps an equal serving of acceptable mental equilibrium. The gift of creativity has not waned as I continue to be able to write and publish for which I am eternally grateful. Neither has the gift of wonder at all our world contains and what each creature brings to the table diminished. But I did not expect a little book from my dear friend Amy to appear in my mailbox, that upon closer inspection and reflection upset the whole cart. Me, exercise? In a chair? I can’t say ‘I can’t’ because of course, well, it is a chair.

Over the years I made sure I walked at least a bit each day, though I had no use for watches that monitored that for me. I use the stairs over an elevator when given the option. I make sure I bend my knees when lifting and stooping down. I am finally happy with my weight, and after trying every diet known to man (and woman) I am super careful to eat only what is good for me. But yoga? Really? REALLY?

Well, yes. It has been added to the mix. As in daily. Only Amy Zellmer could convince me. Her little pocket guide with its wealth of age-old wisdom mixed with Amy’s own hard-won experience won me over, albeit grudgingly at first. I can find nothing to contradict its message: turn inward and thrive! To quote her book, “Yoga is now about the person you are becoming. Yoga is designed for a vast and profound purpose, for it to be truly called yoga, its essence must be embodied.” Even chair yoga offers its devotees gifts in multiple ways: ethical standards, self-discipline and spiritual observance, physical postures, breath control, withdrawal of the senses, concentration, meditation, and a state of blissful awareness. All this was written over 1,500 years ago, and continues to be relevant today.

One of my favorite quotes from the book comes from Jigar Gor: “Yoga is not about touching your toes. It is what you learn on the way down.” 

So, equipped with Amy’s book, I can now add a whole new vocabulary to my current one: asana, pranayama, ustranana, balasana, shavasana, ahimsa, cat-cow, hip steppers, cobra (which I take doesn’t have anything to do with the snake), and sukasana. It will be a challenge to continue my daily practice, to make time for it and honor its wisdom, as it increasingly becomes a valuable part of each day I actually look forward to now. 

I wondered for over nine years now, since Amy’s accident, how she continued to go forward after such trauma. I reflected that I did not know her secret. I doubted I would have survived as well as she did. I look across at her at our Women of Words writers’ meetings and think, “she only gets better. She glows and she is happy. How does she do that, especially after what life had so unfairly thrown at her?” Well now I know. It is this deep inner well of gift she found and shares lavishly with all those she meets. Thank you, Amy! You are such a blessing for us all.

Midwife-turned-author, Stephanie Schwartz seems to swim seamlessly through cultures, religions, superstitions, raw fear, and ecstasy to the first breath of a new baby. She knows how birth works and invites her readers to join her, taking us on a tour to the innermost workings of another world. After writing three books on birth and midwifery, she retired. Then, during the Pandemic, she produced a series of four Amish romance novels, many of the stories based on her own faith and experiences.