Yoga practitioner Nikki Hobbs began offering chair yoga classes on the Border about 12 months ago.

She gave weekly classes in Wodonga and Corowa and wanted to branch out to Albury.

Mrs Hobbs said regular yoga could be difficult for some groups of people.

“Chair yoga is for everyone,” she said.

“It’s for people with mobility issues, people with joint pain or arthritis.

“The whole class is seated, you’re never free-standing and it’s for people who need to feel supported.

“There is a 20-minute wind-down with meditation too so it’s also deeply relaxing.”

Having trained in chair yoga in Sydney, Mrs Hobbs was inspired to offer classes after seeing their impact on her teenage son.

Her son Zac, 14, who has Lyme Disease, got relief from his symptoms after each yoga class.

Lyme Disease is a tick-borne illness caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. (It is not recognised by the medical fraternity in Australia and has been the subject of much public debate.)

“Zac suffers from joint pain, chronic fatigue, anxiety and insomnia,” Mrs Hobbs said.

“Sometimes he’s awake until 1am or 2am.

“The amazing phase of relaxation in yoga has been able to calm his mind.” 

Mrs Hobbs founded Zen Do Chair Yoga and Meditation, which offered classes at Felltimber Community Centre in Wodonga and Amaranth Foundation at Corowa.

“I’m getting mat yoga poses on to the chair,” she said.

“Some of the poses are goddess pose, eagle, tree, the dancer and the warrior series.”

There’s no need to BYO chair to class, just yourself!

Classes run at Felltimber Community Centre in Wodonga on Wednesdays from 6.30pm to 7.30pm; Amaranth Foundation at Corowa on Tuesdays from 9.30am to 10.30am and 6pm to 7pm. Mrs Hobbs hopes to offer an Albury class in future.

Anyone interested in a Lyme Disease and Borreliosis support group on the Border can contact Mrs Hobbs on 0417 062 134.

- JODIE BRUTON