Is Chair Yoga Good for Weight Loss?

When it comes to weight loss, every effort toward achieving your goal counts. However, it may not always be possible to apply conventional weight loss methods such as gym workouts or running to go the extra mile and get that movement in. This rings particularly true for busy individuals and those who are struggling with mobility Issues.

However, with chair yoga for weight loss, a modified form of traditional yoga that involves performing poses while sitting on a chair or using the chair for support, there’s now an accessible and effective way to work toward your weight loss goals.

But is chair yoga really good for weight loss? We’ll tell you everything you need to know.

Can I Lose Weight by Doing Chair Yoga?

Chair yoga can be beneficial for weight loss, although it’s not up there with other workouts in terms of burning calories. This practice involves a combination of slow and controlled movements, deep stretching, and breathing exercises. While these may not seem like intense calorie-burning activities on their own, they can have a significant impact on weight loss when they’re performed consistently and regularly.

Let’s explore how chair yoga can help with weight loss:

• Boosts Mobility and Strength

Chair yoga focuses on improving flexibility and building strength, even with limited movement. Better mobility helps you move more efficiently in everyday life, potentially increasing your overall activity levels (1). Stronger muscles also contribute to a higher resting metabolic rate, which means you burn more calories, even when at rest (2). If you’re curious about chair yoga belly fat, check out our earlier article.

• Reduces Stress Levels

Stress can wreak havoc on your weight loss goals. When you’re stressed, your body releases cortisol, a hormone that is linked to increased hunger and fat storage (3). Chair yoga incorporates breathing exercises and gentle movements that calm your nervous system (4). Practicing regularly can help manage stress, which may support healthier eating habits and weight management (5).

• Enhances Mindfulness

Chair yoga encourages mindfulness (6), which makes you more aware of your body and choices. This heightened awareness often translates to better control over what, when, and how much you eat. Mindful eating can reduce overeating and emotional eating, both of which are common barriers to weight loss (7).

• Encourages Consistency

Maintaining an exercise routine is the key to long-term weight loss. Chair yoga is accessible and gentle, which makes it easier to stick with consistently, particularly if you’re new to fitness or have mobility challenges. Small, regular efforts often add up to meaningful progress over time.

• Complements Other Activities

While chair yoga may not burn as many calories as high-intensity exercises, it can prepare your body for more demanding activities. Improved flexibility, strength, and reduced pain levels can help you feel more confident adding other forms of exercise into your routine (1).

• Supports Long-Term Wellness

Sustainable weight loss is about more than just burning calories. Chair yoga promotes overall well-being by balancing your body and mind (8). This holistic approach can help create a positive lifestyle that naturally supports healthy weight management (5).

Read more: Why Is The Chair Yoga Mountain Pose Worth Adding to Your Daily Routine?

What Is an Easy Chair Yoga Workout for Weight Loss?

Below are 10 chair yoga moves to get you started. Each one is simple, accessible, and designed to be an intentional step in your wellness routine.

1. Seated Cat-Cow Stretch

How it Helps: This move improves spinal mobility and reduces tension, which helps you feel more comfortable in daily movements and increases overall activity.

Steps to Perform:

1. Sit tall with your feet flat on the floor and your hands resting on your thighs.
2. On an inhale, arch your back, lifting your chest, and tilt your pelvis forward (cow pose).
3. On an exhale, round your back, tuck your chin to your chest, and tilt your pelvis back (cat pose).
4. Repeat for 5-10 breaths.

2. Chair Forward Fold

How it Helps: This gentle stretch releases tight hamstrings and lower back tension, which makes movement easier and more fluid.

Steps to Perform:

1. Sit on the edge of your chair with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Hinge forward from your hips, letting your chest rest on your thighs.
3. Relax your hands toward the floor.
4. Hold for 5 breaths, then sit back up slowly.

3. Seated Side Stretch

How it Helps: Side stretches improve flexibility in your spine and waist. Better range of motion helps you stay active throughout the day.

Steps to Perform:

1. Sit tall with your right hand holding the side of the chair.
2. Reach your left arm overhead, leaning gently to the right.
3. Hold for 3-5 breaths, then repeat on the other side.

4. Seated Warrior II

How it Helps: This pose strengthens your legs and core while promoting stability, which supports increased calorie burn even during low-impact activities.

Steps to Perform:

1. Sit sideways on your chair, with your right thigh on the seat and your left leg extended straight behind you.
2. Open your arms wide, parallel to the floor.
3. Hold for 5-8 breaths, then switch sides.

5. Chair Twist

How it Helps: Twisting helps with digestion and reduces bloating, which can support weight loss by enhancing gut efficiency.

Steps to Perform:

1. Sit tall with your feet flat and your hands on your knees.
2. Rotate your torso to the right, placing your right hand on the chair back.
3. Hold for 3 breaths and return to center.
4. Repeat on the left side.

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6. Seated Knee Lifts

How it Helps: This move engages your core and strengthens hip flexors, which are essential for overall physical stability and mobility.

Steps to Perform:

1. Sit tall, holding the chair sides for support.
2. Lift one knee toward your chest, keeping your back straight.
3. Lower and repeat with the other knee.
4. Do 10 reps on each side.

7. Seated Leg Extensions

How it Helps: Targets the quadriceps and boosts strength, contributing to better muscle tone and calorie use during rest.

Steps to Perform:

1. Sit at the edge of your chair with your feet grounded.
2. Extend your right leg out, keeping your knee straight.
3. Lower slowly and switch legs.
4. Repeat 8-10 times for each leg.

8. Seated Sun Salutations

How it Helps: A full-body flow that increases circulation and gently raises your heart rate for a calming energy boost.

Steps to Perform:

1. Sit up straight and bring your hands together in prayer position at your chest. 
2. Inhale deeply as you reach your arms overhead. 
3. Exhale as you fold forward, lowering your hands to touch or come close to the floor. 
4. Return to your starting position and repeat the sequence three times.

9. Chair Pigeon Pose

How it Helps: Opens up tight hips, reducing discomfort and promoting better movement patterns during activities.

Steps to Perform:

1. Sit tall and cross your right ankle over your left knee.
2. Flex your right foot to protect the knee.
3. Hinge forward slightly for a deeper stretch.
4. Hold for 5 breaths and switch sides.

10. Seated Relaxation (Final Pose)

How it Helps: Resting in stillness calms the nervous system, reducing stress and supporting mindful choices.

Steps to Perform:

1. Sit back in your chair with your feet flat and your hands resting in your lap.
2. Close your eyes and breathe deeply.
3. Stay for 1-2 minutes, focusing on your breath.

These exercises provide more than just movement. By improving mobility, calming the mind, and building strength, chair yoga sets the stage for consistent, meaningful progress on your overall weight loss journey.

Read more: Chair Yoga to Lose Weight: Build a Gentle Yet Effective Routine

Which Type of Yoga Is Best for Weight Loss?

Is there one type of yoga that reigns supreme for weight loss? Not exactly. While some styles, such as Power yoga or Vinyasa, are more physically demanding and calorie-intensive, the choice is ultimately dependent on your fitness level, goals, and preferences.

The effectiveness of yoga for weight loss comes down to how consistently you practice, together with its ability to support other healthy habits. Below, we’ll break down some popular yoga styles and how they can help with your weight-loss efforts.

Vinyasa Yoga

Vinyasa is known for its dynamic, flowing sequences that link breath to movement. This style offers a blend of cardio and strength training (9), helping you burn calories while building lean muscle.

How it supports weight loss: The continuous movement keeps your heart rate elevated, promoting fat-burning. It also improves endurance and flexibility, which makes other forms of exercise more accessible.

Power Yoga

Power yoga is an intense workout inspired by Ashtanga yoga. It combines strength-building poses with fast-paced flows for a full-body workout.

How it supports weight loss: Its high-intensity nature increases muscle tone and boosts metabolism (10). The challenging poses also engage your core, helping you sculpt a stronger, leaner physique.

Ashtanga Yoga

Structured and repetitive, Ashtanga yoga follows a set series of poses. It demands focus and discipline, which makes it suitable for those who enjoy structure in their workouts.

How it supports weight loss: The physically demanding nature of the practice builds strength and stamina (11). Over time, it can elevate your overall fitness level and calorie-burning capacity.

Hot Yoga (Including Bikram)

Practiced in a heated room, hot yoga increases your heart rate and promotes sweat, which some people find energizing (12).

How it supports weight loss: The warm environment can increase flexibility, which allows you to move more deeply into poses. The elevated heart rate mimics cardio exercise, supporting fat burn.

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Hatha Yoga

Hatha yoga is focused on basic postures that are held for longer periods. It’s gentler but still builds strength and improves body awareness (13).

How it supports weight loss: While it’s not as calorie-intensive, Hatha yoga promotes mindfulness and stress relief. These help reduce emotional eating and encourage healthier habits.

Restorative Yoga

Restorative yoga prioritizes relaxation with supported poses held for longer periods, often paired with deep breathing (14).

How it supports weight loss: It reduces stress and lowers cortisol levels. Chronic stress can lead to weight gain (17) so practicing Restorative yoga is a key complement to more active styles.

Which Style Is Right for You?

The best yoga for weight loss is the one you enjoy and can do consistently. Whether you prefer the intensity of Power yoga or the gentle approach of Hatha, every style has unique benefits.

The key is to select one that suits your current fitness level and aligns with your goals. Remember that yoga’s holistic impact on strength, mindfulness, and stress reduction makes it a valuable ally in any weight-loss plan.

For more details about the best chair yoga for weight loss, take a look at our prior publication.

Is 30 Minutes of Chair Yoga Enough to Lose Weight?

30 minutes of chair yoga can contribute to weight loss, but it’s unlikely to deliver significant results on its own. Chair yoga is a low-intensity activity, burning an estimated 80-120 calories per session depending on your weight and effort levels (15).

Chair yoga promotes weight loss by incorporating gentle movements and stretches into your daily routine. These exercises help improve muscle tone, flexibility, and balance, which are all important components of maintaining an active lifestyle and healthy weight.

Furthermore, chair yoga can also have a positive impact on your mental and emotional well-being. It has been proven to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, in addition to improving overall mood and self-esteem (4). Research has linked stress and negative emotions to weight gain (16), which makes chair yoga a valuable tool for managing and maintaining a healthy weight.

That being said, chair yoga works best when it’s supplemented with other forms of physical activity and a balanced diet. It shouldn’t be seen as a replacement for traditional exercise, but rather as an addition to your fitness routine.

Our previous post goes into great detail about the chair yoga exercises for weight loss.

Does Chair Yoga Count as Exercise?

Chair yoga does count as exercise. It may not be as physically demanding as other forms of exercise, but it still provides numerous health benefits and can be a great option for those who are unable to engage in more intense workouts.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines exercise as any movement that works your muscles and requires more energy than resting (17). Chair yoga involves various movements and poses that engage different muscle groups, which makes it a form of physical activity that meets this definition.

In fact, studies have shown that practicing chair yoga regularly can improve strength, flexibility, balance, and overall physical function in older adults (4). It has also been found to be effective for reducing chronic pain and improving mood (18).

So while chair yoga may not involve running or lifting weights, it still qualifies as exercise and can contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is yoga better than a gym workout?

It depends on your goals. Yoga is focused on flexibility, mindfulness, and mobility, while the gym emphasizes strength and high-intensity training. Both have unique benefits and can complement each other.

• Which style of yoga burns the most fat?

Vinyasa and Power yoga are the most effective for burning fat. These styles are high-intensity, combining continuous movement with strength-building poses, which increases calorie burn.

• Do chair yoga workouts really work?

Yes, chair yoga is highly effective for improving mobility, strength, and stress relief. While it may not burn as many calories as traditional workouts, it supports overall health and helps with weight loss when combined with other efforts.

• Can you get a toned body with chair yoga?

Chair yoga is a gentle yet effective way to help tone muscles over time, particularly in your core, arms, and legs. By incorporating controlled movements and stretches, it works on building strength and improving flexibility.

Chair yoga is best when used as a complement to higher-intensity workouts if your goal is to achieve significant muscle definition. Combining chair yoga with strength training or cardio can help you maximize your results and create a balanced fitness routine.

• How successful is chair yoga?

Chair yoga is incredibly successful for individuals with limited mobility, beginners, or those who are looking for low-impact exercises. It promotes flexibility, strength, and stress reduction, which makes it a versatile and inclusive fitness option.

The Bottom Line

Chair yoga can help with weight loss by improving mobility, reducing stress, and fostering long-term consistency in physical activity. Although chair yoga isn’t a significant calorie-burning workout on its own, it can support weight loss when combined with a calorie deficit and other forms of physical activity, such as walking or strength training.

In addition, its stress-reducing benefits can help regulate cortisol levels, which may play a role in weight management. When it’s practiced regularly, chair yoga can be an accessible and sustainable part of a healthy lifestyle.