Yoga is a highly popular form of exercise due to its accessibility; Whether you're a beginner or a senior, yoga can adapt to your fitness level and physical ability. Chair yoga is one such variation that offers a stationary yet dynamic practice suitable for all.
Whether you're seeking chair yoga for seniors, chair yoga for beginners, or simply looking for chair yoga poses to practice at your desk, this form of yoga can cater to your needs and abilities.
Seated Mountain (Tadasana)
If you need a little extra support during your practice, or just a quick break from typing away at the computer, seated mountain pose is a quick and easy refresher.
How to practice:
- Ground your feet firmly on the floor, support your back against the seat, lift your chin slightly, and roll your shoulders back and down
- On your inhale, lift your arms up over your head, bringing your palms together
- Exhale bring your palms to heart’s center, taking a moment to connect with your breath and ground yourself once again
Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana)
Stretch and decompress your back with a seated forward fold, even from your chair (or the floor). Boost circulation, lower blood pressure, and calm your mind with this gentle inversion.
How to practice:
- Ground yourself in your chair and inhale your arms over your head
- Exhale and reach your arms forward, hinging at your waist, stretching your fingertips toward the floor
- You can keep this pose engaged by continuing to reach forward, or let yourself drape over your legs, resting your head on your knees or even a pillow placed on your lap
- Let your head hang down and rest here for a few breaths, and when you’re ready to sit back up, slowly roll back up to sitting on your inhale
Eagle Arms (Garudasana Arms)
This twist is a fantastic stretch for your upper back and shoulders, and doesn't require complicated balancing poses. It also has several simpler variations that you can try
How to practice:
- Ground yourself in your chair, and inhale your arms up over your head
- On your exhale, bring your arms down and bent at the elbow
- From here, stack your right elbow on top of your left and complete the twist by tucking your left fingertips into your right palm
- To make the twist less intense, you can simply stack one elbow over the other or bring your palms and forearms together instead of going for the full deep twist.
- Take a few deep breaths here and when you’re ready, unwind your arms on the exhale, inhale them up over your head, and exhale them into the opposite stack
- You can stay seated upright here in your chair or take a gentle forward fold to extend the stretch in your upper back and shoulders
Seated Twist (Parivrtta Sukhasana)
After stretching out your upper back, assume this simple seated twist to give your lower back some love, too.
How to practice:
- Ground yourself in your chair, and on your inhale, lift your arms up over your head
- On the exhale, twist to the right, fixing your right hand on the back of the chair and left your hand on your leg or the seat of the chair and looking over your right shoulder
- Stay here for a few breaths, using your leverage on the chair to pull yourself a little deeper into the twist if it feels right
- When you’re ready to come out of the twist, release your grip and return to center on your exhale
Single Leg Stretch (Janu Sirsasana)
Stretch out the tension in your legs and get the blood flowing again with this perfect seated hamstring stretch.
How to practice:
- Ground yourself in your chair, sliding forward as you need to be able to reach forward, and extend your right leg straight out in front of you with your toes pointing up
- Inhale your arms up over your head, and, similar to the forward fold, reach down towards your foot
- If your foot is within reach, anchor your grip on it to allow you to pull yourself a little deeper into the stretch; if not, just breathe into the stretch here, actively reaching your hands in the direction of your foot
- When you’re ready to move out of this, sit back up on your inhale and repeat on the other side
Chair yoga is an excellent way to make various poses more accessible while also providing your body with a satisfying and deep stretch. Whether you need to take a break from sitting at your desk or want to offer extra support to your yoga practice, chair yoga can help get your blood flowing and improve your overall well-being.
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