Care home residents’ experiences of participating in chair yoga

This study qualitatively explored care home residents’ experiences of participating in chair yoga through post-intervention focus groups with 10 residents and individual interviews with three care home staff members. Older adults from two UK care homes took part in an eight-week programme involving twice-weekly 30-45-minute sessions of Lakshmi Voelker Chair YogaTM. Through reflexive thematic analysis, two overarching themes were developed; experiences of chair yoga and its perceived effects. Within these themes, participants described a range of benefits – five of which were shared by residents and staff – including enjoyment, social connection, stimulation, relaxation, and the importance of teacher qualities. Staff additionally emphasised the value of yoga teachers communicating clearly with residents, having an understanding of dementia, and offering one-to-ones for residents with advanced dementia. Barriers included logistical challenges such as the location of sessions within the care home, resident motivation, and limited staff availability. This paper offers insight into the experiences of participating in chair yoga, adding to a limited evidence base in this topic area.