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13 Chair Yoga Poses

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If you happen to work at a desk or spend a whole lot of time commuting, there’s no getting round the truth that you’re in your seat greater than you’re in your toes. You’re already conscious of the well being risks repeated by medical consultants in regards to the lack of motion but there by no means appears to be sufficient hours within the day. That’s the place chair yoga poses can assist.

Chair yoga is precisely what it feels like—yoga poses modified for a seated place. Though they originated as help for anybody who has restricted mobility for any motive, anybody can apply yoga in a chair to stretch stiff muscle groups and fascia, expertise aid from aches and pains, regain correct posture, assist enhance blood circulate, and draw consciousness to the breath with a purpose to regain a way of calm.

Nearly something you are able to do in your mat will be finished in a chair. The next chair yoga poses can assist you be artistic in being lively even whenever you’re sitting down. Apply them individually in between conferences or as a collection.

Chair Yoga Fundamentals

Not each chair will present the help you want whenever you’re practising chair yoga poses. Right here’s what to bear in mind.

1. Chair yoga poses require a secure, sturdy seat. In case you are at house, a kitchen chair or virtually any armless chair that isn’t too comfortable will work.

2. Discover one which lets you sit along with your toes on the ground along with your shins and thighs at a 90-degree angle. Inserting blocks below your toes might assist.

3. For security’s sake, keep away from chairs with wheels when practising chair yoga until you’ll be able to lock them to maintain them from rolling.

13 Chair Yoga Poses for Anybody

Most chair yoga poses require you to sit down away from the again of the chair in order that you’ll be able to transfer extra freely. However the chair again also can act as a prop to present you extra help and leverage, particularly in twisting postures. As in any yoga class, you may additionally wish to preserve straps or blocks close by when practising chair yoga poses to facilitate your physique discovering a model that works for you.

South Asian women sitting in a black chair extending her arms up in a chair yoga pose version of Urdhva Hastasana or Upward Salute

As a substitute of standing along with your arms alongside your ears, strive it sitting. Have interaction your core to stop an exaggerated backbend. (Photograph: Andrew Clark)

1. Upward Salute (Urdvha Hastasana)

  1. Sit along with your again a number of inches from the again of the chair. Lengthen your backbone, reaching the crown of your head up and gently releasing your tailbone towards your seat. Carry your chin parallel to the ground.
  2. Place your toes flat on the ground along with your huge toes touching and somewhat area between your heels.  (If you happen to expertise decrease again ache, apply along with your toes hip-distance aside. Place your toes on blocks in the event that they don’t attain the ground.) Root down along with your huge toe mounds, your heels, and the skin edges of your toes.
  3. Inhale, draw your shoulders again, soften your entrance ribs, and lift your arms overhead along with your arms shoulder-distance aside and palms going through one another. In case your shoulders are tight, take your arms out wider than your shoulders.
  4. Attain towards the ceiling and preserve your gaze straight forward. If you happen to choose, you’ll be able to contact your palms collectively and produce your gaze to your thumbs.
  5. Hold your arms sturdy. Keep right here for a number of breaths. Launch your arms.
South Asian woman practices Cat Pose as a chair yoga pose.
Sit somewhat in entrance of the again of the chair and spherical your again as you draw your chin towards your chest. (Photograph: Andrew Clark)

2. Cat Pose (Marjaryasana)

  1. Sit in your chair along with your toes hip-width aside.
  2. Let your arms relaxation in your knees.
  3. On an exhalation spherical your backbone and decrease your chin towards your chest.
  4. Take a number of relaxed breaths right here. Come again to your unique seated place.

Dark-haired woman in rust colored tights and top practices Cow Pose in a chair

Maybe probably the most accessible backbend is to easily arch your again and elevate your chest in addition to your gaze whereas in a seated place. (Photograph: Andrew Clark) 

3. Cow Pose (Bitilasana)

  1. Sit in your chair along with your toes and knees hip-width aside. Let your arms relaxation in your knees.
  2. Inhale and arch your again. Lengthen alongside the again of your neck and your decrease again to create a protracted, even curve.
  3. Carry your chin and sternum, broaden your collarbones, and permit your shoulders to fall again and away out of your ears.
  4. Take a number of breaths. Return to a impartial backbone.
Dark-haired woman in rust colored tights and top practices Camel Pose in a chair
You’ll expertise each stretching and strengthening on this seated model of Camel Pose. (Photograph: Andrew Clark)

4. Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

  1. Sit in your chair along with your toes hip-width aside.
  2. Inhale and arch your again, permitting your shoulder blades to the touch the again of your chair.
  3. Carry your chin and sternum, broaden your collarbones, and permit your shoulders to fall again and away out of your ears.
  4. Attain your arms again to know the legs of the chair. Rotate your arms externally in order that the within of your elbows face out.
  5. In your subsequent inhalation, press your chest ahead and up, permitting your rib cage to develop and creating a protracted even curve via your mid and higher again. You’ll be able to press your toes into the ground to have interaction your legs and core.
  6. Take a number of breaths. To launch the pose, launch your arms, tuck your chin, and are available again to your unique seated place.
South Asian women bends from the waist to do a modification of Happy Baby pose.
As with every yoga apply, you’ll be able to modify the pose to your consolation. On this seated model of Glad Child, you’ll be able to preserve your backbone straight or enable your again and shoulders to spherical ahead as you calm down your neck. (Photograph: Andrew Clark)

5. Glad Child

  1. Sit towards the entrance fringe of the chair along with your toes on the ground, somewhat greater than hip-width aside.
  2. Attain the crown of your head up and draw your tailbone down to search out size in your again.
  3. As you exhale, fold ahead at your hips and produce your stomach between your thighs. Chances are you’ll select to widen your legs to create extra space to your torso.
  4. Inhale and attain down between your legs and grasp your outer shins, ankles, or toes.
  5. Gently pull your torso down between your thighs, decreasing your physique towards the ground.
  6. Take a number of breaths. To launch the pos, let go of your grip and are available again to your unique seated place.
    South Asian woman in burgundy clothes practices King Arthur's Pose in a chair
    You’ll be able to extra simply management the depth of the stretch in your quads within the chair model of this yoga pose. (Photograph: Andrew Clark)

    6. King Arthur’s Pose

    1. Sit in a chair along with your sit bones about halfway on the seat. Shift your self towards the correct facet of the seat and place your toes flat on the ground along with your knees hip-width aside.
    2. Hold your proper thigh linked to the chair seat as you bend your proper knee, elevate your foot off the ground, and level your toes towards the again of the chair.
    3. Attain down along with your proper hand and grasp your ankle. Gently elevate it towards your physique till you’re feeling a robust stretch in your quadricep and the entrance of your shin. (If you happen to can’t attain your ankle, loop a strap or towel round your foot.)
    4. Take a number of breaths. Decrease your foot and are available again to your unique seated place. Repeat on the alternative facet.

South Asian woman practices Bound Angle pose in a chair

Tree Pose is meant as each a stretch for the hips in addition to a balancing pose. It nonetheless delivers each within the seated model. (Photograph: Andrew Clark)

7. Tree Pose (Vrksasana)

  1. Sit towards the entrance fringe of the chair. Inhale deeply, lifting your chest, and exhale as you draw your shoulder blades down your again. Look straight forward at a gradual gazing spot.
  2. Lengthen your left leg straight out in entrance of you. Flex your foot or level your toes towards the ground.
  3. Open your proper leg out to the facet, holding your knee bent and your foot or toes on the ground.
  4. Place your arms in Anjali Mudra at your coronary heart or stretch your arms overhead.
  5. Take a number of breaths. To launch the pose, come again to your unique seated place. Repeat the pose on the opposite facet.

Asian American woman in bright pink top and tights practices Triangle pose in a chair

You wish to really feel a stretch, not a pressure, in your neck. Hearken to your physique and switch your gaze anyplace that feels most snug, whether or not straight forward, at your lifted arm, or down at your leg. (Photograph: Andrew Clark)

8. Prolonged Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)

  1. Sit in order that your physique is on the left facet of the chair and your left thigh clears the seat.
  2. Lengthen your left leg straight out to the facet. Agency your thigh and straighten your leg as a lot as doable.
  3. Inhale and lift your arms straight out out of your shoulders and parallel to the ground. Hold your shoulder blades extensive and your palms down.
  4. Exhale and lean your torso to the left, bending out of your hip joint. Attain your left arm out and down towards your prolonged leg, resting your left hand in your shin or thigh. Attain your proper arm towards the ceiling.
  5. Hold your head in a impartial place or flip to look both at your proper hand or down on the floor.
  6. Take a number of breaths. Inhale and attain up along with your proper hand as you deliver your torso up. Then deliver your left leg again to heart. Shift your physique to the correct facet of your chair and repeat the posture on the opposite facet.
You’ll be able to simply change the depth of the stretch by taking part in with the place you place your toes. Taking them additional away from you to create extra of a diamond form along with your legs and a extra average stretch could also be extra tolerable. Don’t power the stretch. (Photograph: Andrew Clark)

9. Sure Angle Pose (Baddha Konasana)

  1. Sit towards the entrance fringe of your chair in order that your buttocks are supported however your knees clear the seat.
  2. Open your legs extensive, in order that your knees level away from one another.
  3. Sit tall, urgent your shoulder blades in opposition to your higher again to elevate via your sternum. Attain the crown of your head towards the ceiling.
  4. Hold your knees extensive as you deliver your toes collectively. Open your toes as when you had been opening the pages of a e book, holding the outer edges of your toes collectively.
  5. Place your arms in your thighs and gently press your thighs away from one another.
  6. Take a number of breaths. Slowly launch and are available again to your unique seated place.
South Asian woman practices High Lunge in a chair. Her arms are extended overhead.
You’re not solely making a form, you’re participating your muscle groups. This pose stretches the muscle groups alongside the entrance of the straight leg and may construct energy within the entrance leg. (Photograph: Andrew Clark)

10. Excessive Lunge

  1. Sit going through the left facet of your chair in order that your thighs are totally supported. Shift towards the entrance of the chair in order that your proper thigh clears the seat.
  2. Conserving each hips going through ahead, prolong your proper leg straight again. with the ball of your foot on the ground. Agency your thigh and push it up towards the ceiling to straighten your leg as a lot as doable.
  3. Inhale and attain your arms towards the ceiling, holding your shoulders extensive and your arms aligned along with your ears.
  4. Take a number of breaths. To launch the pose, launch your arms and produce your proper leg ahead.
  5. Flip to face the correct facet of your chair and repeat the posture on the opposite facet.
Dark-haired woman in rust colored tights and top practices Extended Side Angle in a chair
There’s no must make your backside hand contact the ground. As a substitute, place your hand on a block or a water bottle or relaxation your forearm in your entrance thigh. You’ll profit from the identical facet physique stretch. (Photograph: Andrew Clark)

11. Prolonged Aspect Angle Pose (Uttita Parsvakonasana)

  1. Sit going through the left facet of your chair in order that your thighs are totally supported on the seat. Shift your self to the correct, close to the entrance facet of the chair, in order that your proper thigh clears the seat.
  2. Lengthen your proper leg again. Open your hips towards the entrance of the chair. Straighten your proper leg and place the underside of your proper foot on the ground along with your toes going through ahead.
  3. Lean your torso towards your left knee, hinging at your hips to deliver your left arm towards the ground. Place your left fingertips on the bottom or on a block, so your arm and shin are parallel.
  4. Attain your proper arm towards the ceiling. Lengthen it alongside your proper ear, palm going through the ground, or bend your proper elbow and attain again to know the again of the chair.
  5. Rotate your torso to show your chest towards your high arm. Flip your head to look towards the ceiling.
  6. Take a number of breaths. To launch the pose, press your self up along with your left hand and produce your proper leg in to return to your seated place.
  7. Flip to face the correct facet of your chair and repeat the posture on the opposite facet.
Dark haired woman practices Half Lord of the Fishes in a black chair.
This twist can accommodate all our bodies. There’s no must twist 90 levels if that doesn’t really feel proper in your physique. Merely begin to flip towards one facet and pause whenever you really feel a stretch. (Photograph: Andrew Clark)

12. Half Lord of the Fishes (Ardha Matsyendrasana)

  1. Sit going through the correct facet of your chair in order that your thighs are totally supported on the seat.
  2. Cross your proper leg over your left.
  3. Inhale as you lengthen your backbone and elevate each arms towards the ceiling.
  4. Exhale and twist to the correct as you deliver your arms down to know the again of the chair.
  5. Flip your head to the correct, trying previous your proper shoulder. Be sure to don’t pressure your neck.
  6. Take a number of breaths. To launch the pos, inhale and attain your arms up after which exhale and unwind your physique. Place each toes on the ground.
  7. Flip to the left facet of your chair and repeat the posture on that facet.
South Asian woman in burgundy clothes practices Marichyasana
In case your foot doesn’t relaxation on the chair seat, that’s high-quality. You’ll be able to draw it towards your chest after which flip towards the facet any quantity that you could. (Photograph: Andrew Clark)

13. Marichyasana 3

  1. Sit along with your backbone supported by the again of the chair. Lengthen your backbone and gently launch your tailbone towards the seat.
  2. Place your toes on the ground hip-width aside.
  3. Carry your proper knee and draw it towards your chest. Tempo your proper foot on the seat of the chair as near your proper sitting bone as doable.
  4. Inhale and lengthen your backbone. Exhale and twist to the correct. Grasp your proper knee along with your left hand or wrap your left elbow round your proper knee.
  5. Drape your proper arm over the again of your chair  and both grasp the chair again or clasp your arms collectively.
  6. Take a number of breaths. Lengthen on every inhalation and gently twist a bit extra with every exhalation.
  7. To launch the pose, decrease your arms, unwind your physique, and place your proper foot again on the ground. Repeat on the opposite facet.

This text has been up to date. Initially revealed July 3, 2022.

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