11 Benefits of Chair Yoga: Even The Skeptics Will Want to Try It

It’s time. Put on some comfy clothes and shoes, pull up a sturdy chair, and explore the combined mental and physical benefits from chair yoga that yoga practitioners have practiced for thousands of years. 

The beauty of yoga is that you don’t have to be a well-skilled yogi/yogini to get the benefits. Don’t allow social media to persuade you from trying this accessible and life-changing activity. 

Whether you’re young or old, fit or overweight, yoga can give you the power to calm your mind and strengthen your body. 

Instead of thinking “It’s not for me”, switch your thoughts to “Why not give it a shot?”. Don’t let the fancy terminology and complicated yoga poses intimidate you. Note, chair yoga is much simpler, yet still effective when it comes to health outcomes.

This practice is for everyone who desires to enhance their life. Feeling stronger and powerful both physically and emotionally is something most everyone wishes to attain. 

You won’t need to move a lot, especially during the chair yoga poses, as the primary focus is on your breathing. Perhaps you need that final push – the scientifically-based benefits. Well, you’re welcome to unravel them today. 11 benefits of chair yoga: even the skeptics will want to try it. 

And for practice, check out the 5 finest chair yoga poses to enjoy a fresh yoga start. 

What does chair yoga do for the body?

The benefits of chair yoga for seniors and younger people vividly impact mental and physical health. There are obvious advantages and those you may need to dig into the research for. Here is a compilation of both:

1. It positively impacts functional fitness and activities of daily living.
2. It helps you sleep better. 
3. It effectively decreases stress, and anxiety, and eases the symptoms of depression.
4. It’s a low-impact activity.
5. It helps tone your muscles. 
6. It improves balance.
7. It makes you more flexible. 
8. It’s accessible to everyone. 
9. It might help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. 
10. It can help manage chronic conditions. 
11. It can reduce your back pain. 

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It positively impacts functional fitness and activities of daily living

Chair yoga is regarded to be a feasible and effective tool to promote overall fitness and quality of life. A 12-week chair yoga program was provided to a group of elderly females two times per week from January to April 2020. 

The primary outcomes included changes in body mass index, physical functional ability, and biophysiological indicators. The analysis highlights that the participants had a significantly higher level of functional fitness and daily life activity scores after chair yoga intervention. This finding concluded that chair yoga is effective in improving the functional fitness and daily life activity scores of elderly females with knee osteoarthritis (3).

It helps you sleep better

Humans must sleep well to function well. Incorporating yoga into your daily regime might help reduce sleep issues. The study indicates the positive effects of yoga postures on sleep patterns (4).

This is due to the fact that yoga is a great tool for calming your nerves and reducing stress. The less stressed you are, the faster you fall asleep. 

It effectively decreases stress, and anxiety, and eases the symptoms of depression

Now let’s look at the emotional outcomes of doing yoga. Let’s face it, chronic stress, depression, and anxiety cannot provide the life we want. They keep us away from adequate sleep, normal weight, and balanced relationships with ourselves and others. 

Moving your body is a key way to reduce these symptoms. 

Studies demonstrate that yoga plays a crucial role in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression (8). Please note, we don’t recommend using it as the one and final tool in promoting your emotional well-being. 

Consider talking to your healthcare provider so that they can guide you through the safe path of improving your life quality. 

It’s a low-impact activity

Yoga in general is low-impact (4). Surely, some advanced poses require more flexibility and stamina. Professional yoga masters have proposed great alternatives to certain difficult poses so that the newbies may enjoy them. 

Besides, chair yoga exercises feel easier, as you won’t be standing through your pose but sitting comfortably on the chair. By doing so, you’ll put less pressure on your knees. 

It helps tone your muscles

Yoga is celebrated as a great tool to tone your muscles. You can achieve toned muscles by using proper form and focusing on the muscle group you’re working on. Particular poses such as arm balances or chair twists can help you tone your core and upper body (1).

It improves balance

Chair yoga is effective for balance and forces you to engage your core muscles to stay stabilized in the chair. Besides, there is one pose called chair twists that aids proprioception, which is the ability to sense where your body is in space. This is a key component of balance (1).

Read more: 21 Day Chair Yoga: Reasons To Add This Challenge To Your Routine

It makes you more flexible

You don’t have to be super flexible to enter a yoga session as yoga itself is designed to promote flexibility. Being flexible allows you to do many mundane activities more easily and increases your mental and physical relaxation. 

Chair yoga is a practical way to increase your flexibility because the poses slowly open up the body (1). 

It’s accessible to everyone

It’s not rocket science that yoga is for everyone who wants to move their body and control breathing. Chair yoga particularly is excellent for those individuals who have mobility issues. 

For example, those who:

• Have trouble standing for long periods
• Have balancing problems
• Suffer from back pain
• Have a limited range of motion
• Feel stiff in the morning
• Experience joint pain

No need to buy any special yoga chairs. Simply use the one you have at home but be sure it’s sturdy enough (you don’t want to get injured, right?).

It might help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases

Studies highlight the positive effects of yoga on your cardiovascular health (9). Yoga is your potent heart booster, helping lower blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood glucose levels, as well as heart rate (1). 

It can help manage chronic conditions

Seated yoga may be helpful in managing chronic health conditions like Type 2 diabetes. For example, a small study observed the effects of a 10-minute chair yoga program on people with diabetes. Participants received standard care and incorporated the seated yoga routine into their daily lives. In a 3-month follow-up, they showed improvements in their blood sugar, heart rate, and blood pressure (6).

It can relieve your back pain

The benefits of chair yoga for office workers usually apply to lower back pain. Sitting at your desk for hours can cause exhaustion and pain in the lower back, neck, and shoulders. One study found that just 15 minutes of chair yoga in the office can improve physical and psychological stress (5). Chair Yoga For Lower Back Pain can be practiced in the office as well. No need to search for spacious rooms. All you need is comfy clothes, 5 minutes of break, and a chair. 

Does chair yoga tone your body?

Chair yoga is a lighter version of yoga that induces a state of relaxation while strengthening and stretching your muscles. 

A 2022 review in Diseases found 22 studies that indicate yoga helps reduce total body weight, body fat percentage, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference among participants with obesity. These studies included versatile yoga styles, such as hatha, vinyasa, bikram, and iyengar (7).

Unfortunately, there is a lack of studies connected to chair yoga for weight loss. Still, chair yoga can help you burn calories, but not as much as more vigorous exercises. 

It can still contribute to healthy weight management – strength-building poses, improved flexibility, and stress reduction boosts quality of life, which contributes to weight loss (2).

Chair Yoga For Obese Beginners may be a gentle practice to get their bodies ramped up and adaptable to more advanced training.

Is chair yoga as good as floor yoga?  

Chair yoga has benefits similar to floor yoga. Chair yoga practices are a modified version of the classic offering. The seated versions are simply more accessible to people with poor mobility and those who spend the majority of time at their desks. 

Chair yoga is excellent for anyone who needs more support, is dealing with an injury, or wants a more therapeutic approach to the practice.

Check out these 5 primary chair yoga poses to tackle your day while you’re at work. 

Chair pigeon pose

• Sit upright, and bring your left leg over your right leg so that your left ankle rests on your right thigh. 
• Hold the position to feel the stretch, and switch sides. 

Chair downward dog

• Stand upright with your arms at your sides, facing the chair.
• Bend forward slowly, and place your hands on the chair’s seat. 
• Hold the pose before returning to the starting position. 

Chair Twist

• Sit on the chair with your feet flat on the ground, facing sideways on the seat so that the chair back is up against your right arm. 
• Turn your upper body to the right, holding the back of the chair for support. 
• Hold the position to feel the twist, repeat multiple times and then complete on the other side. 

Chair cat-cow 

• Sit upright with feet flat on the floor and your hands on your knees. 
• Inhale and open your chest, move your shoulders back to arch your back. 
• Exhale to bring your chin toward your chest, rounding your back and shoulders. 

Chair forward fold

• Sit on the chair with your back straight and your arms straight down at your sides. 
• Exhale, and slowly lean forward, move your core toward your lap and your hands toward the floor. 
• Rest your hands on the floor to feel the stretch. 
• Inhale, and slowly return to the original position. 

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How often should I do chair yoga?

Practicing chair yoga two to three times a week might be enough for you. Gradually you can move to more frequent sessions three and four times a week. The frequency depends on many factors, including your time, fitness level, and goals. 

FAQs

• Does chair pose reduce buttocks?

Chair yoga poses may help tone your muscles, shed calories, and reduce your overall body weight. Chair pose in particular may help you improve the shape of your buttocks, but note that it’s not the primary way to get a perkier butt. 

You will need to implement a strength training routine and most importantly a well-balanced diet, rich in fiber and protein. The combination of chair pose, other yoga poses, strength training, and a proper diet is your key to a desirable peachy bum.

• Does chair exercise really work?

Chair yoga poses really work to maintain your emotional and physical health. Being a low-impact activity, chair yoga practices positively impact: functional fitness and daily life activity levels, better sleep, decreased stress and anxiety, and symptoms of depression, muscle toning, improved balance, flexibility, reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, chronic condition management, and back pain relief. 

• Can you burn calories doing chair yoga?

You can burn calories doing chair yoga, but fewer compared to more vigorous training. Still, chair yoga practices are a nice alternative for people who desire to shed calories without placing much pressure on their bodies. 

• Are chair exercises beneficial?

Yes, chair exercises are beneficial, especially to people who lead sedentary lives by working at their desks. Chair exercises are suitable for elderly people, and those who suffer from chronic conditions. In addition, chair yoga is vital for people with limited mobility and those who recover from injuries. 

 The Bottom Line

You have just seen 11 benefits of chair yoga: even the skeptics will want to try it. 

Among them are better sleep, decreased stress, anxiety, and depression, toned muscles, improved balance, enhanced flexibility, accessibility, reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, managed chronic conditions, and relieved lower back pain. 

Chair yoga is a great alternative for people who suffer from chronic conditions, elderly people, and individuals with limited mobility. 

Practicing chair yoga is okay two to three times a week. Chair yoga is good for increasing daily movement, but should not be used as the only weight-loss strategy. 

If you’re aiming to lose weight, you should watch your diet, sleep well, and stay hydrated along with performing physical exercises.