Chair Yoga with Yoga4Philly

Yoga4Philly is holding a chair yoga session at Bustleton Library on Wednesday, October 21, at 10:10 AM. It's part of a series they're running on Wednesday mornings, so if this one works for you, there are others in the same slot. The class is led by certified yoga teachers, including Janet McAllister Faulls and Lindsey Gill.

If you've never done chair yoga, the basic idea is that the chair takes the place of the traditional mat as the main prop. It's designed for anyone who finds it hard to put pressure on their knees and wrists, and it's open to all levels and ages, so you don't need any prior experience to join in. The whole point is to make the practice accessible, whether you're just starting out or you've been practicing for years.

The session takes place at the Bustleton Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, which serves the neighborhoods of Bustleton and Somerton. The area was once thick with woodland and farming, and it grew around the Bustleton Tavern, a local watering hole that dates back to before the Revolution. Verree Road gets its name from Verree's Mill, a tool factory on Pennypack Creek that shipped hatchets and axes across the East Coast. The library itself has a long history in the community: it started in 1905 when the Free Library placed a 'travelling library' of 50 books in Tustin's Drug Store, moved to St. Luke's Chapel six years later, and opened as an official branch in 1941 after residents petitioned City Council. The current building opened on October 1, 1965, on land donated by the Philadelphia Board of Education, and inside hangs James House Jr.'s carved wood mural Man's Learning Preserved.

That puts the class at 10199 Bustleton Avenue, at the intersection of Verree Road and Bustleton Avenue in Philadelphia, PA 19116. It starts at 10:10 AM on Wednesday, October 21, as part of the series Yoga4Philly is running on Wednesday mornings.