AUBURN - For fun, residents at North Brook Heights might play bingo, do crafts or play a trivia game. But lately, recreation time has taken a decidedly physical turn.

The residents have been learning how to stretch and breathe in yoga classes, a first for the adult care center.

About 20 residents, from their 50s to their 80s, have been meeting each Tuesday for about 40 minutes since Jan. 10. Instructor Susie Birchenough, of Skaneateles, doesn't use mats on the floor; she has her students do exercises while sitting.

“There are so many benefits of yoga,” Birchenough said.

The deep breathing exercises help with relaxation and alleviate stress. The movements help the pain of arthritis, a common ailment at the center, and improve joint mobility and increase strength, flexibility, range of motion and balance.

“It will reduce your risk of falling,” Birchenough said.

She said the exercises increase circulation and regulate heart rate and blood pressure. They improve sleep and “promote a wonderful sense of peacefulness and clarity of the mind,” Birchenough said.

Additionally, the yoga helps draw out residents who otherwise might stay in their rooms, making them more outgoing and more likely to interact with others.

Nancy Chadwick, assistant director of recreation, said the classes are part of the goal of keeping residents “as active and healthy and as happy for as long as they're with us.”

She likes the gentleness of yoga and that it's low-impact.

“It can be done from a wheelchair or standing up and hanging onto a chair,” Chadwick said. “We feel very good about it. It's just a very relaxing time. The residents really like it.”

Resident Betty M. Staub, 82, loves doing yoga. She said it helps with the stiffness and pain from her two artificial knees.

“You can walk better,” she said. “You can do things better. It makes you feel like a different person.”