Healthier Glades Brings Chair Yoga to Local Residents Through Let’s Move 365 Initiative

July 10, 2025

Classes scheduled to resume August 5, 2025

Healthier Glades, a Palm Health Foundation Healthier Together initiative, has been helping residents stretch their bodies and their wellness goals through a successful chair yoga program that is part of the Let’s Move 365 initiative, funded by a Healthier Glades mini-grant. This program was inspired by the online chair yoga program first brought to the Glades community by Drs. Park and Wiese as research to test the program's feasibility in rural settings, which was funded by the FAU I-Health Pillar.


From January 28, 2025, through June 26, 2025, community members gathered every Tuesday and Thursday for one-hour sessions designed to support physical activity, relaxation, and overall well-being. Held at St. John First Missionary Baptist Church in Belle Glade, FL, the classes attracted a wide range of participants, ages 18 to 80, many of whom were seeking a gentle and accessible way to improve their health.


The initiative began in 2022, when BeWellPBC awarded Bettye Lawson of Glades Faith Health Educators a mini-grant to create a chair yoga program for improving the brain health of older adults. After the grant ended, Healthier Glades continued to support the program, facilitated by class instructor and mini-grant recipient Milton Olen. Olen focuses on enhancing Glades residents’ mobility, strength, and mental well-being while encouraging storytelling among participants to build a supportive community atmosphere.


“Chair yoga has been a game-changer,” said one participant. “It’s low-impact, but it helps with flexibility, balance, and stress. And it’s been a great way to connect with neighbors.”


Chair yoga is suitable for people of all ages and abilities, including those who find traditional yoga challenging due to health conditions or mobility limitations. In addition to Park and Wiese's study, other researchers have found that chair yoga can improve brain health, and other benefits as highlighted by Wake Forest and Brown Universities. These wellness outcomes include improved strength, leading to better balance and lower risk of falls; reduced stress, promoting relaxation and mental clarity; and improved pain management. 

Let’s Move 365 is part of a broader collaboration between Digital Vibez, Inc., Healthier Glades, and other local partners to provide consistent, year-round opportunities for residents to stay active and engaged in healthy living. Chair yoga classes will resume on August 5, 2025, and will continue every Tuesday and Thursday from 4:00–5:00 PM at St. John First Missionary Baptist Church, 600 SW 8th St, Belle Glade, FL 33430.

All sessions are free and open to the public, and no prior yoga experience is required. Whether you're looking to improve your mobility, ease chronic pain, or enjoy a mindful hour with your community, chair yoga offers a welcoming and supportive environment for all.



For more information about chair yoga and other wellness programs, contact Healthier Glades at annie.glades@htpbc.org or call-text (561) 685-4829, or visit their Facebook and Instagram social media pages @healthierglades.


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About Healthier Glades
 Healthier Glades, a Palm Health Foundation Healthier Together initiative, launched in 2017 to focus on behavioral health in Palm Beach County’s western rural communities, including Belle Glade, Pahokee, South Bay, and the unincorporated community of Canal Point. The initiative's motto is "unlocking our strengths," aimed at unleashing the region's rich assets so residents can thrive physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

 

About Palm Health Foundation 
 Palm Health Foundation is Palm Beach County’s community foundation for health. With the support of donors and a focus on results, the foundation builds strong community partnerships, respects diverse opinions, advocates for its most vulnerable neighbors, and inspires innovative solutions to lead change for better health now and for generations to come. The foundation supports health equity for Palm Beach County residents of all backgrounds, heritage, education, incomes, and states of well-being. Palm Health Foundation has invested more than $95 million in Palm Beach County health since 2001. For more information about Palm Health Foundation, visit palmhealthfoundation.org or call (561) 833-6333.

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