Alyce Bryant, a local yoga instructor, combats yoga’s intimidating reputation with a chair and an informal atmosphere.
At the Reno Buddhist Center in Midtown Reno, you’ll find a large brick building with a welcoming white archway leading to a set of double doors. Inside a gray carpeted hallway leads to a large assembly room half dedicated to chairs and tables, half empty, and with a large and ornate altar at the front with Buddhist iconography.
On Tuesdays from 10:30-11:45 a.m., you’ll also find Alyce Bryant, 33, teaching a “chair yoga” class. Chair yoga is as simple as the name suggests. Participants complete a variety of simple stretches such as cat and cow poses that involve gently arching the spine. These poses are modified to be done while sitting and in a few standing poses the chair is used to provide balance.
“Chair yoga allows for inclusivity, accessibility and most of all connection back to self,” said Bryant to Our Town Reno during a recent Tuesday morning session. These cozy and non-intimidating classes are funded through a donation-based system at the Reno Buddhist Center. Attendees have access to yoga blocks, mats, and blankets used to make the chair more comfortable to sit in, and to adjust poses to each individual skill level.
“I’ve been doing [yoga] for 20 years. I started at 13 to help my scoliosis,” Bryant said of her own journey. Bryant has been teaching yoga for two years both online and in-person.
Creating a fun, informal atmosphere is an important part of Bryant’s class as she walks participants through stretches, breathing exercises, meditation, and positive self-talk. The class is a boon to flexibility, concentration, strength and mood, while reducing stress and joint strain.