Chair Yoga for Beginners: Achieve Transformation Through Easy Movements

Yoga myths have lulled many people into thinking that only experienced professionals can do this practice. “No way”, “It’s not for me”, “Come on, I wouldn’t be able to stand in Warrior pose even for a second” – you may have used some of these excuses yourself. 

We understand this is our reality – due to health conditions or age, not everyone can perform certain poses. But does that mean you should resign to those terms and not give it a shot? 

Prepare praises for chair yoga – a great alternative to traditional yoga practice but with a slight change: you do it on a chair or use any sturdy chair for balance. These modifications make yoga accessible to various people: those who can’t stand and need support, lack mobility to move easily, or simply desire to have a quick break right in their office. 

You do not need any previous experience, as today we’re going to touch upon chair yoga for beginners: achieve real transformation through easy movements. On top of that, you will explore the main benefits of seated yoga and how to integrate chair yoga into your daily routine. 

Is chair yoga good for beginners?

Chair yoga for beginners is an ideal alternative for those who feel intimidated by the advanced poses on the mat. This practice is more practical for newbies, due to some support – a sturdy chair. 

Still, being easy enough for beginners is not the prime reason why you should consider this type of practice. Let’s examine the 6 major chair yoga benefits (1):

1. You may become more flexible
2. You might improve your self-awareness
3. You can start sleeping better
4. You can manage your pain better
5. You might become more content
6. You may get stronger

You may become more flexible

Doing yoga encompasses bending, twisting, stretching, and moving freely. As you perform these movements, you in turn will be able to deal more easily with daily activities, like lifting groceries or going up the stairs. Some people assume that a loss of flexibility is inevitable with age, but that’s not the fact. As long as you move your body by challenging it with even gentle chair yoga moves, you will increase your range of motion and improve your mobility, no matter what your age.

You might improve your self-awareness

Practicing the best chair yoga for beginners allows you to shift from one pose to another. This process promotes proprioception, or your ability to accurately sense where your body is in space, therefore, improving your coordination. 

Plus, being aligned with your body gives you a deeper exploration of your mind-body connection. Staying in one pose and then moving to another will help you better understand your physical sensations. 

You can start sleeping better

A regular exercise routine, including chair yoga, is often associated with better sleep. These mindful practices can create a more positive outlook on life, which helps reduce stress and improve sleep. Besides, chair yoga can also focus on proper breathing as well, which could help you chill out emotionally and, hence, positively affect your sleep. 

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You can manage your pain better

Chair yoga is also an activity that helps you manage your pain better. As you gently move, breathe deeply, and imagine the pain is leaving your body, you can cope with pain and discomfort more easily. 

You might become more content

Chair Yoga Routine helps you focus on your movement, your breathing, and how your body is reacting to the exercise. This creates a so-called moving meditation that promotes relaxation, and feelings of contentment by reducing depression and anxiety (4).

You may get stronger

Seated yoga sequences promote full-body muscle activation, which may improve strength and stability throughout your body, including the muscles in your arms, legs, and core. This happens because your body weight is used as resistance (3). 

This is why chair yoga for seniors is so helpful: the stronger they are, the more their risks of falls are reduced. It can also improve the ability of their body to withstand injury. Lastly, more muscle mass will boost your calorie-burning ability and make activities of daily living easier.

One of the best Benefits of Chair Yoga is that this practice can be done by almost anyone and almost anywhere: whether you’re at your office or home. All you need to have is a sturdy chair and some free space for full ranges of motion. 

Is chair yoga good for weight loss?

Chair yoga exercises may help you shed calories but not as many as vigorous workouts. If you’re aiming to lose weight, you should combine yoga with strength training and aerobic activities.

Additionally, there are other modifiable risk factors contributing to healthy weight:

• the quality of your sleep
• your stress levels
• your diet
• your overall lifestyle

Still, seated yoga is beneficial for your health and may perfectly fit those individuals who want to reduce their weight but can’t perform vigorous exercises. 

How do you start chair yoga?

Starting chair yoga as a newbie from the comfort of your home is easy. Use the following tips to apply to seated office yoga. 

1. Make sure you get a well-sturdy chair. It’s important as you’ll be using it for balance in certain poses and you don’t want to get injured. You can also place the back of the chair against the wall for extra stability.
2. Start with a few movements. You don’t have to indulge in 30 minutes of hourly practice. Reach for 10 to 15 minutes of seated movements to get the hang of each pose. Your proper technique plays a crucial role here, so vote for quality and not quantity.
3. Always breathe. People may either hold their breath for too long or forget about proper breathing at all. But as you move you should control your breath, as this is essential for every kind of physical practice.
4. Get comfortable. Listen to your body to identify whether or not to proceed with the movement. Please note: you should not endure any pain during chair yoga. When you feel any pain, change the angle or the pose.
5. Warm yourself up and cool down afterward. Despite being performed on the chair, seated yoga requires some warming beforehand. A few minutes of stretching before and after yoga will be enough.
6. Add resistance if needed. Some of us like challenges and the best chair yoga for beginners allows you to accelerate your experience with ankle weights, light hand weights, or resistance bands. Yet, they’re not obligatory. So, don’t use them if you don’t feel like it.

Read more: Mouth Taping For Sleep & Snoring: Fact Or Fad

How many days a week should you do chair yoga?

Chair yoga is a type of practice you can do daily. However, if you’re a newbie with no experience whatsoever, it may be better to start with 3 to 4 days of seated yoga per week. Your muscles will need some time to adjust to some movements and positions. 

When you get stronger and more flexible, you are welcome to change the frequency from 4 days to daily practices. 

In addition, you will get more powerful to experiment with advanced poses. Just stay patient and follow a robust Chair Yoga Workout Plan that helps you smoothly dive into a new experience. 

If you’re mulling over starting a chair yoga for a beginner’s workout plan, consider adding these 6 exercises to your yoga practice (2):

Downward-Facing Dog with chair

How to perform:

1. Stand in front of a chair, with your feet at a hip distance apart.
2. Bending from the hips, place hands on the seat of the chair. Keep the back straight.
3. Step back until your arms are in line with your spine.
4. Hold the pose for as long as it feels comfortable.
5. Step the feet forward again and raise the upper body to a starting position.

Seated Pigeon Pose

How to perform: 

1. Sit on the chair, with your feet on the floor.
2. Bring the left ankle up onto the right thigh, keeping the left knee and ankle aligned.
3. Hold the pose for a few seconds and repeat on the other side.

Seated Mountain Pose

How to perform:

1. Sit in a chair and bring the soles of your feet to the floor.
2. Keep your ankles and knees aligned.
3. Inhale and draw your shoulders forward and up.
4. Exhale and roll the shoulders down and back.
5. Repeat as desired.

Upward Salute Pose

How to perform:

1. Sit in the chair, with your back straight and feet at hip-width apart.
2. Inhaling, raise both arms toward the ceiling. Keep the shoulders relaxed and the back straight.
3. Exhale while lowering the arms.

Chair Cat-Cow Stretch

How to perform: 

1. Sit on a chair with your straight back and both feet on the floor. Place your hands on your knees.
2. Inhale and roll your shoulders down and back, bringing your shoulder blades onto your back. This is a cow position.
3. Exhale and round your spine, dropping your chin to your chest. This is a cat position.
4. Continue moving the cow on the inhalations and the cat on the exhalations for a few breaths.

Chair Spinal Twist

How to perform: 

1. Sit sideways on the chair, facing to the right. Twist your torso toward the right, holding onto the back of the chair.
2. Stretch out your spine on each inhale and twist on each exhale for a couple of breaths.
3. Move your legs around to the left side of the chair and repeat the twist to the left side.

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FAQs

• Can you get in shape with chair yoga?

Chair yoga has several health benefits. Some seated asanas will help you strengthen your legs, arms, hamstrings, and thighs as well as your back. Still, if you want to lose weight, then doing chair yoga may not be enough for you. 

In this case, you should combine seated yoga sequences with strength training activities and other more vigorous sports. Also, keep tabs on your diet, sleep quality, and stress levels as they are vital components in managing a healthy weight.

• Can you lose belly fat with chair yoga?

Although many chair yoga poses focus on your belly,  helping you shed calories in this area as well, this may not be sufficient enough for losing belly fat. To reduce belly fat, you should aim for a better diet first, stay hydrated, sleep enough, and have an overall active lifestyle. Incorporating all these strategies will benefit your weight loss process. 

• Is chair yoga difficult?

Chair yoga is an easier alternative to traditional yoga practice, due to the additional prop – a sturdy chair. Plus, it provides all kinds of poses for both beginners and advanced practitioners. To enjoy a good start with your seated yoga, try to start with lighter asanas, for 3 to 4 days a week. 

Gradually after your body has adjusted to movements you might proceed to more challenging poses – they will make you even more flexible and stronger. Chair yoga is a perfect starting point, especially for those individuals who have never tried yoga before.

• What age is chair yoga for?

Chair yoga is accessible to people of any age, from children to seniors. Unlike traditional yoga practice, it provides an essential prop – a chair that simplifies the whole process but allows you to reap similar benefits as from performing yoga on the mat. 

Therefore, if you’re a newbie to yoga, you will benefit from the seated yoga asanas.

• How long is a chair yoga session?

If we’re talking about the yoga session in the studio, then it takes around 1 hour. It starts with short stretching and breathing focus and proceeds to actual poses. However, if you perform chair yoga at home, you can do it as long as you want. 

Even 5 minutes per day may be enough for you. As you get the hang of many poses, you might change the timing and frequency – from 5 to 20 minutes for 4 days a week. It’s up to you and there are no strict rules about the right timing.

The Bottom Line

Today you’ve explored chair yoga for beginners: achieve real transformation through easy movements. A chair yoga is a prolific yoga practice you perform on a chair or use for stability. 

By doing chair yoga you may become more flexible, improve your self-awareness, start sleeping better, manage your pain, become more content, and get stronger.

Using chair yoga as the main component for weight loss may not be enough for you. That’s why you should combine this practice with more intense training, watch your diet, sleep better, and ensure your stress levels are stable. 

Chair yoga beginners can start with 3 to 4 days of practice per week. It’s essential to begin your practice with a short warm-up before and a short cool-down after the session. You can begin with the 5 chair yoga exercises that were mentioned in this article. 

Enjoy your sessions and know that even 5 minutes of chair yoga is effective.