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    13 Chair Yoga Poses

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    In case you work at a desk or spend lots of time commuting, there’s no getting round the truth that you’re on your seat greater than you’re in your ft. You’re already conscious of the well being risks repeated by medical experts concerning the lack of motion but there by no means appears to be sufficient hours within the day. That’s the place chair yoga poses may help.

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

    Nearly something you are able to do in your mat might be achieved in a chair. The next chair yoga poses may help you be inventive in being energetic even if you’re sitting down. Follow them individually in between conferences or as a sequence.

    Chair Yoga Fundamentals

    Not each chair will present the help you want if you’re working towards 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 nearly any armless chair that isn’t too comfortable will work.

    2. Discover one which means that you can sit together with your ft on the ground together with your shins and thighs at a 90-degree angle. Putting blocks beneath your ft might assist.

    3. For security’s sake, keep away from chairs with wheels when working towards chair yoga except you may lock them to maintain them from rolling.

    13 Chair Yoga Poses for Anybody

    Most chair yoga poses require you to take a seat 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 need to preserve straps or blocks close by when working towards chair yoga poses to facilitate your physique discovering a model that works for you.

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

    1. Upward Salute (Urdvha Hastasana)

    1. Sit together with your again a couple 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. Elevate your chin parallel to the ground.
    2. Place your ft flat on the ground together with your large toes touching and a little bit area between your heels.  (In case you expertise lower back pain, follow together with your ft hip-distance aside. Place your ft on blocks in the event that they don’t attain the ground.) Root down together with your large toe mounds, your heels, and the surface edges of your ft.
    3. Inhale, draw your shoulders again, soften your front ribs, and lift your arms overhead together with your palms shoulder-distance aside and palms dealing with 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. In case you favor, you may contact your palms collectively and convey your gaze to your thumbs.
    5. Preserve 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 a little bit in entrance of the again of the chair and spherical your again as you draw your chin towards your chest. (Picture: Andrew Clark)

    2. Cat Pose (Marjaryasana)

    1. Sit in your chair together with your ft hip-width aside.
    2. Let your palms 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 authentic 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 raise your chest in addition to your gaze whereas in a seated place. (Picture: Andrew Clark) 

    3. Cow Pose (Bitilasana)

    1. Sit in your chair together with your ft and knees hip-width aside. Let your palms relaxation in your knees.
    2. Inhale and arch your again. Lengthen alongside the again of your neck and your decrease again to create an extended, even curve.
    3. Elevate 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. (Picture: Andrew Clark)

    4. Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

    1. Sit in your chair together with your ft hip-width aside.
    2. Inhale and arch your again, permitting your shoulder blades to the touch the again of your chair.
    3. Elevate 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 increase and creating an extended even curve by your mid and higher again. You’ll be able to press your ft into the ground to interact your legs and core.
    6. Take a number of breaths. To launch the pose, launch your palms, tuck your chin, and are available again to your authentic seated place.
    South Asian women bends from the waist to do a modification of Happy Baby pose.
    As with every yoga follow, you may modify the pose to your consolation. On this seated model of Joyful Child, you may preserve your backbone straight or permit your again and shoulders to spherical ahead as you calm down your neck. (Picture: Andrew Clark)

    5. Joyful Child

    1. Sit towards the entrance fringe of the chair together with your ft on the ground, a little bit greater than hip-width aside.
    2. Attain the crown of your head up and draw your tailbone down to seek out size in your again.
    3. As you exhale, fold forward at your hips and convey your stomach between your thighs. You might select to widen your legs to create extra space in your torso.
    4. Inhale and attain down between your legs and grasp your outer shins, ankles, or ft.
    5. Gently pull your torso down between your thighs, reducing 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 authentic 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. (Picture: Andrew Clark)

      6. King Arthur’s Pose

      1. Sit in a chair together with your sit bones about halfway on the seat. Shift your self towards the suitable aspect of the seat and place your ft flat on the ground together with your knees hip-width aside.
      2. Preserve your proper thigh linked to the chair seat as you bend your proper knee, raise your foot off the ground, and level your toes towards the again of the chair.
      3. Attain down together with your proper hand and grasp your ankle. Gently raise it towards your physique till you are feeling a robust stretch in your quadricep and the entrance of your shin. (In case you 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 authentic seated place. Repeat on the other aspect.

    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. (Picture: 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 gentle gazing spot.
    2. Lengthen your left leg straight out in entrance of you. Flex your foot or point your toes towards the ground.
    3. Open your proper leg out to the aspect, maintaining your knee bent and your foot or toes on the ground.
    4. Place your palms 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 authentic seated place. Repeat the pose on the opposite aspect.

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

    You need to really feel a stretch, not a pressure, in your neck. Take heed to your physique and switch your gaze wherever that feels most comfy, whether or not straight forward, at your lifted arm, or down at your leg. (Picture: Andrew Clark)

    8. Prolonged Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)

    1. Sit in order that your physique is on the left aspect of the chair and your left thigh clears the seat.
    2. Lengthen your left leg straight out to the aspect. Agency your thigh and straighten your leg as a lot as potential.
    3. Inhale and lift your arms straight out out of your shoulders and parallel to the ground. Preserve your shoulder blades large 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. Preserve 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 together with your proper hand as you deliver your torso up. Then deliver your left leg again to middle. Shift your physique to the suitable aspect of your chair and repeat the posture on the opposite aspect.
    You’ll be able to simply change the depth of the stretch by taking part in with the place you place your ft. Taking them additional away from you to create extra of a diamond form together with your legs and a extra reasonable stretch could also be extra tolerable. Don’t drive the stretch. (Picture: Andrew Clark)

    9. Certain 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 large, in order that your knees level away from one another.
    3. Sit tall, urgent your shoulder blades towards your higher again to raise by your sternum. Attain the crown of your head towards the ceiling.
    4. Preserve your knees large as you deliver your ft collectively. Open your ft as in case you have been opening the pages of a e-book, maintaining the outer edges of your ft collectively.
    5. Place your palms 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 authentic 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 tissue. This pose stretches the muscle tissue alongside the entrance of the straight leg and may construct energy within the entrance leg. (Picture: Andrew Clark)

    10. Excessive Lunge

    1. Sit dealing with the left aspect 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. Preserving each hips dealing with ahead, lengthen 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 potential.
    3. Inhale and attain your arms towards the ceiling, maintaining your shoulders large and your arms aligned together with your ears.
    4. Take a number of breaths. To launch the pose, launch your arms and convey your proper leg ahead.
    5. Flip to face the suitable aspect of your chair and repeat the posture on the opposite aspect.
    Dark-haired woman in rust colored tights and top practices Extended Side Angle in a chair
    There’s no have to 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 aspect physique stretch. (Picture: Andrew Clark)

    11. Prolonged Facet Angle Pose (Uttita Parsvakonasana)

    1. Sit dealing with the left aspect of your chair in order that your thighs are totally supported on the seat. Shift your self to the suitable, close to the entrance aspect 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 together with your toes dealing with 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 dealing with 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 together with your left hand and convey your proper leg in to return to your seated place.
    7. Flip to face the suitable aspect of your chair and repeat the posture on the opposite aspect.
    Dark haired woman practices Half Lord of the Fishes in a black chair.
    This twist can accommodate all our bodies. There’s no have to twist 90 levels if that doesn’t really feel proper in your physique. Merely begin to flip towards one aspect and pause if you really feel a stretch. (Picture: Andrew Clark)

    12. Half Lord of the Fishes (Ardha Matsyendrasana)

    1. Sit dealing with the suitable aspect 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 raise each arms towards the ceiling.
    4. Exhale and twist to the suitable as you deliver your palms down to know the again of the chair.
    5. Flip your head to the suitable, 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 ft on the ground.
    7. Flip to the left aspect of your chair and repeat the posture on that aspect.
    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 aspect any quantity that you could. (Picture: Andrew Clark)

    13. Marichyasana 3

    1. Sit together with your backbone supported by the again of the chair. Lengthen your backbone and gently launch your tailbone towards the seat.
    2. Place your ft on the ground hip-width aside.
    3. Elevate 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 potential.
    4. Inhale and lengthen your backbone. Exhale and twist to the suitable. Grasp your proper knee together 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 palms 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 aspect.

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

    For in-depth descriptions, variations, and suggestions for working towards the yoga poses you see right here, go to the Yoga Journal Pose Library.



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