News and Tips

If you were to come to New Heart on a Tuesday or Friday at 10am, you’d likely find Cheryl wearing a hot pink New Heart t-shirt and playfully grumbling about the warrior pose. 

“Joslyn’s chair yoga is so much fun. Lots of yoga classes are so quiet, not this one. We tend to laugh, we make jokes, like ‘oh my god we have to do this now? You want what!?’”

Cheryl has been involved at New Heart since 2014 when she was prescribed rehabilitation after her aortic valve replacement. After completing the program twice – once in 2014 and again in 2016 – she is now a consistent gym member. 

Cheryl chooses to continue exercising at New Heart because of its welcoming environment and the security it provides to people with medical conditions. New Heart always has a cardiologist on duty on days when rehabilitation patients are exercising. Oxygen tanks are available, and heart rates and blood pressure are closely monitored. 

“The staff is so well prepared. They know what they are doing, and they are fun and encouraging and positive,” Cheryl says. “After a couple of times they know your name. It’s a family.”

As a regular gym member Cheryl takes advantage of the chair yoga class. Eight months into the class, and she is noticing a difference, most notably with her balance. 

Cheryl says “the joke in the family was that I could fall down standing still.” She remembers how cautious her mother was as she aged, moving around the house with the intention of holding onto counters and doors for support.

“I have better balance, and I have more confidence that at 74 that I am still mobile, and I want to stay mobile as long as I possibly can. I want to do things and not say ‘oh, I’m sorry, I’m old, I can’t do that.’”

Chair yoga classes are Tuesdays at 10am for all gym members and Fridays at 10am for rehabilitation patients. Talk to a staff member for more information!