Sit Stretch Smile: Large Print Version (Volume 1)

Sit Stretch Smile creates a union of yoga, physical therapy, and "universal access" to help you begin and expand your yoga practice, anywhere. Large print, detailed color photos and simple written instructions for each pose will ease your learning process. This fun, 64 page instructional book begins your chair yoga journey with guidelines to assess your chair for optimal positioning of your body for better posture, breathing, strength and movement. From there you will learn to rhythmically breathe and effectively drive your movements, improving how you sit, walk and play. Sit Stretch Smile contains four series of stretches that range from beginner to very skilled that can foster and expand your chair yoga practice. The beginner program will help you learn proper body alignment and focus on elementary yoga movements. As your skill set and practice grows, you can explore the popular Sun and Moon Salutations programs, all while seated. Sit Stretch Smile will improve your quality of life wherever you live, work or travel.

Dr. Howie Shareff has dedicated his adult life to helping others heal. His 25 years of compassionate chair side dental care has provided a deep understanding of pain. He personally has suffered from chronic arthritis. This disabling condition led to early retirement from his practice and most of the recreational sports that he previously enjoyed playing. Yoga has been integral to Howie's personal journey toward healing. He began practicing in 1996 to improve muscle strength and increase flexibility in his back and shoulders. The benefits of his yoga therapy extended to better management of the physical and mental strains of his dental practice, sports traumas and chronic arthritis. Yoga became essential in his preparation before, and rehabilitation after, surgeries and career transition from dentist to chair yoga teacher. Howie achieved certification as a Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga Teacher in 2008. He's advancing his studies under the mentorship of Cindy Bulka at Moving Mantra Yoga Studio in Raleigh, N.C. Howie expresses his passion to heal by teaching chair yoga regimens based on principals of yoga and physical therapy. He shares his love of chair yoga and gentle restorative mat yoga at independent living facilities, the YMCA, Public Library, and other public and private venues. In 2010, Howie registered his business as a non-profit organization in order to facilitate education of the public about gentle yoga programs.