Adaptable positioning
Exercises can be modified for a bed, chair or mat according to present mobility.
Restore. Rebalance. Recover.
Recovery Yoga
A practical guide for working with your body as it is today,whether from injury, illness, recovery, or aging.
Begin with the body you have today
A graduated program for rebuilding confidence in your body
Recovery Yoga is a guide for using yoga to feel better, both physically and emotionally, for those with chronic illness, injury, or mobility issues from simply growing older. Recovery Yoga is a graduated program that can be practiced successfully by people who are in bed, sitting on a chair, or who have limited mobility for any reason.
With this program, people can rediscover their bodies and begin to take charge of their health, restore a sense of control over their lives, promote a feeling of well-being, and to whatever degree possible, promote healing.
Recovery Yoga is a step-by-step, fully illustrated program that includes:
- Breathing exercises
- Lying-down exercises
- Sitting exercises
- Floor exercises
- Standing and supported exercises
- Relaxation and meditation exercises
Recovery-centered practice
Small movements are real progress. What matters is the movement, not the amount.
Active participation
A non-forceful yoga practice can help to restore a feeling of balance during illness, injury or aging
Relief and quiet
Breathing and supported movement can help shift attention away from discomfort and calm the mind.
From Sam’s own experience
The same principles work at very different levels
Sam wrote Recovery Yoga after a chronic illness took his practice, his strength, flexibility and endurance away. He used it himself — starting at page one — not to get back to where he was, but to find what was still possible.
Traditional yoga is built on progression — deeper into a pose, further along a sequence, closer to an ideal form; where the body is a project to be improved.
Recovery Yoga starts from a different premise: the body is not a project. It's where you live right now. The work isn't about reaching further — it's about meeting the body where it is, working within its current capacity, and finding what's possible from there. The tools are the same. The direction is different.
This educational material does not replace medical advice. Consult your healthcare provider about your individual condition and whether a movement program is appropriate for you.
Choose the two-page spread for a larger screen or the single-page scrolling PDF for a small screen. You can read either PDF online, download either PDF, or download the EPUB.