Chair Pose Yoga Benefits and Hacks You’ve Never Tried

Do you wake up feeling stiff and sore? As the years go by, your muscles and ligaments can lose their elasticity. They can feel even tighter if you don’t move around much. The chair pose (Utkatasana) can lubricate the joints, move the synovial fluid, and warm the body. 

However, with these chair pose yoga benefits, you can get more than just better circulation. It can offer stability, better posture, digestion, stamina, and oxygen intake. It can rejuvenate your mind, keep you active, and help you stay positive. 

It’s an effective pose that works both the lower and upper body. Below, you can learn the foundations and some hacks that can make this sequence feel like a breeze. 

Let’s get started. 

What Are Some Chair Pose Yoga Benefits?

Yoga treats the mind and whole body — the muscles, the joints, and the organs. It teaches you patience, concentration, and fulfillment. Utkatasana is accessible and enjoyable for almost everyone. 

There are several chair pose yoga benefits. It can enhance body flexibility, coordination, stability, muscular strength, and respiratory function. It can strengthen the muscles on either side of the spine, burn calories, and refresh your mood. 

Doing Utkatasana adds value to existing therapy. For example, you can use it together with psychotherapy, massage therapy, acupressure, acupuncture, or aromatherapy. 

How to Do Chair Pose

Begin standing in mountain pose — stand tall with your feet on the ground. Roll your shoulders up, back, and down. Go ahead and bring your feet together. Press into the ball of your feet and slide your heels slightly open. 

Gently bring your buttocks backward and bend your body, as if trying to take a seat on an imaginary chair. Squat down halfway so the tailbone and vertex (crown of the head) stay in line. Take a deep breath and bring your hands up over your head. 

Keep your gaze focused on one point. Hold this pose for about five deep breaths. Your body weight should fall on your thighs rather than your knees. Your knees should point forward and not spread to the sides. When you’re ready, inhale and bring your hands to your chest. Stand back up and relax. 

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Why Is Chair Pose So Difficult?

Utkatasana is considered a beginner pose but it may be challenging for some due to a variety of factors. For those with balance deficits, chair pose may be difficult as it utilizes a relatively small base of support while holding a position where your center of mass moves from its standard position in upright standing. In addition, those with balance and/or lower extremity strength deficits may find chair pose challenging as it involves prolonged activation of several large muscle groups, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, spinal extensors, and deltoids.

Those with joint pain in their knees, hips, ankles, or shoulders may also find this pose challenging due to the prolonged hold in the non-resting state range of motion of these joints. However, remember that this pose (and all others) can be modified to suit your needs. 

Read more: Can Chair Yoga Build Muscle? The Truth According to Experts

How to Solve the Problem

There are many chair pose modifications that can be made to allow the pose to better suit your needs and preferences. For those with balance deficits, increasing the base of support by widening the feet apart, and/or decreasing the depth of knee and hip flexion may be enough to allow them to perform the pose. Others may need to use upper extremity support on a chair, wall, countertop, or other sturdy surface.

Those with strength deficits or pain that limits their ability to perform the pose may choose to perform the pose against a wall, limit the depth of the pose, skip the overhead reach, or simply decrease the time the pose is held.

If you feel intimidated to do chair pose variations on your own. A yoga instructor can check your alignment and tailor the practice to your needs. They can modify the pose and show you how to distribute your weight evenly.

Do you want to know how to make the chair pose a lot easier? Check out our guide on 13 Easy Chair Yoga Poses You Can Do at Home.

Does Chair Pose Reduce Thigh Fat?

You can’t spot-reduce fat. In other words, you can’t specifically target the excess adipose tissue in an area of your body by performing certain exercises or movements that engage the muscles that lie beneath it. Fat reduction occurs when an individual consistently achieves a caloric deficit (expending more calories than are consumed). Body fat percentage will decrease in a relatively even distribution throughout the body, although the exact distribution of fat loss is dependent on variables such as your body type and genetics. 

Yoga can be an effective component of an overall weight loss regimen, which may result in decreased body fat when paired with proper diet and other forms of exercise.

What Are 5 Benefits of the Chair Pose?

The chair pose has several perks, each with something unique to offer. 

• Helps Gain More Balance 

Utkatasana activates the muscles in your core, hips, and legs. A robust core acts as a steady base for your body and helps maintain balance and stability. (1)

You move the body from a standing position to squatting, and back to a standing position while maintaining balance. 

• Can Improve Postural Awareness

Utkatasana targets the muscles supporting the spine. You push the heart center forward and open up the chest. It relieves some of the tension you get from hunching over your phone or computer.  

The pose encourages awareness of your body’s alignment. You may become more conscious of your posture throughout the day, which can develop better posture habits.

• Can Aid the Digestive Tract

Utkatasana is like a gentle massage for your abdominal cavity. It can stimulate blood flow and promote gut motility. 

The squatting and stretching in this pose compresses the abdominal muscles. It may alleviate constipation, cramps, and bloating. It can help cleanse the digestive tract, particularly if you increase your dietary fiber intake.

Recent research studied the role of yoga on digestive health and sleep quality in seniors. The research suggested that yoga may help ease insomnia and constipation. Patients experienced optimal bowel movement and received sufficient sleep. (2)

• Allows You to Build Stamina

The chair pose yoga sequence creates tension and resistance in your quads, hip adductors, and hamstrings. It allows more oxygen to flow efficiently through the body and boosts stamina. Studies have shown that yoga training could improve mobility and muscular endurance. (3)

• Could Increase Lung Capacity

Controlled breathwork provides more oxygen to the bloodstream. Utkatasana can strengthen and engage the intercostal and diaphragm muscles. The chest opens up, allowing the body to use the lungs at full capacity. This is one of the most notable chair pose yoga benefits.

A study found that yoga practices led to a remarkable improvement in lung capacity. Participants lived near industrial areas and other polluted zones. They experienced various respiratory illnesses, which affected their quality of life. Yoga improved the immune response, helped lower inflammation, and cleansed the respiratory tract. (4)

Read more: Yoga Poses For Weight Loss: Get In Shape And Lose Belly Fat With These Simple Asanas

How Long Should You Hold the Chair Pose?

Hold the pose for 3 to 5 long, deep breaths. This should take anywhere from 30 to 60 seconds. For beginners, we suggest trying it for approximately 15 seconds. The legs usually start to feel a bit uncomfortable at around 10 seconds if you aren’t accustomed to the pose. 

Take it one step at a time. Let your body become accustomed to the posture so that your thighs can handle the pressure. Wall yoga poses should ease the transition. You can use the wall for support and slowly adjust. 

Who Should Not Do Chair Pose?

As with every other form of exercise, the chair pose carries a certain risk of injury. Chair pose contraindications include:

• Fracture of the lower extremity or spine. Those with an active fracture of any bone in the lower extremity or spine should avoid this pose. 
• Acute, sharp pain while performing the pose. If you feel sharp pain at any time while performing this pose, it’s important to modify the pose in a way that eliminates the pain. If you’re unable to do so, the pose should be avoided.
• Inability to maintain balance. If you have severe balance deficits, you should modify this pose so you can use your upper extremities for support, or only perform under the supervision of a physical therapist or certified yoga instructor. Failure to do so may result in a fall and resulting injury.

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Chair Pose Hacks You Can Do at Home

Utkatasana is a balancing act that can make you better at multitasking. It can help you establish a connection with your inner self and work on your body. If the stretches feel too hard, the hacks below can help:

1. Stability Comes Before Flexibility

Before you do the chair pose, we suggest working on your stability. This means improving your strength of the major muscle groups through body weight or traditional strength training so you’re able to hold poses without a feeling of instability or potential loss of balance. If you have significant strength and balance deficits, this should be addressed as a much higher priority than improving flexibility. While flexibility is an important component of overall mobility, it doesn’t provide much value if there are significant underlying strength deficits. 

2. Never Say “I Can’t”

Don’t avoid your weaknesses or use them as an excuse not to exercise. Keep practicing to the best of your ability and notice how much your body changes over time. An hour of yoga every week is enough to experience some chair pose yoga benefits after 12 weeks.

3. Leave Your Worries Outside

Meditate for at least a minute to settle your emotions. Take lots of long, deep breaths and center your thoughts. Guided imagery helps connect your thoughts to a peaceful scenery and facilitate healing. 

Do you want to take your exercise even further? Check out our previous article about 28-Day Chair Yoga Challenge: Exercise List, Benefits, and Tips.

4. Hydrate Before and After Class

Yoga can make you sweat and lose electrolytes. Dehydration increases the chances of cramps and stomach discomfort. 

To replenish the fluid losses, have a drink before and after sessions. You can enjoy water, herbal teas, vegetable juice, herb or fruit-infused water, fresh fruit juice, coconut water, etc.

If you drink during a session, you may feel a little bloated. This can make it difficult for you to concentrate and focus on your breathing. 

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the hardest yoga pose ever?

Everyone struggles with a different pose. Firefly pose (Tittibhasana) is one of the most difficult poses. It’s an incredibly difficult arm-balancing exercise that requires a great deal of strength, balance, and flexibility. Even experienced yogis need practice to bend and stretch the body to its full potential.

• What chakra is the chair pose?

Utkatasana opens up the root, sacral, throat, and third-eye chakra. It can help restore spiritual and emotional balance. 

• Is chair pose good for abs?

Utkatasana is a good pose for the six-pack muscles. It activates the core muscles, stimulates blood flow, and tones the abdomen. 

• Is chair pose bad for the knees?

No, chair pose isn’t bad for the knees. It’s an isometric position that can easily be modified if necessary. As always, if you experience sharp pain in your knees or anywhere else in your body while performing this pose, modify the pose to a more comfortable alternative.

The Bottom Line

The chair pose can help circulate the synovial fluid in your joints. It lessens friction and improves oxygenation, circulation, and flexibility. However, as with any exercise, there are both chair pose yoga benefits and precautions to consider. Listen to your body and avoid the exercise if it’s causing you significant pain and discomfort.