9 Seated Chair Yoga Poses You Can Do at Home

Seated chair yoga poses offer an easy way to engage in yoga exercises while seated on a chair. This is particularly good if you have balance or mobility issues, are recovering from injuries, or are an older adult who finds traditional floor yoga challenging. 

Whether you have any of the conditions that would limit you from practicing traditional floor yoga or you just prefer seated chair yoga, there are numerous benefits you will get. According to the Journal of Medical Evidence (2), some of the benefits of chair yoga include: 

• Enhances blood circulation
• Helps tone the abdominal muscles
• Removes rigidity or stiffness in the spinal muscles and reduces back pain
• Helps correct posture and also allows the lungs to expand
• Removes tension and stiffness in the leg muscles
• Tones the abdominal and pelvic region and increases the flexibility of the hip joints
• Promotes inner awareness and reduces stress

Of course, chair yoga is a complete course with a good number of poses. You need to understand each pose to identify one that can be best suited to your situation and the goals you want to achieve. 

What Are Some Seated Chair Yoga Poses?

There are a lot of poses you can do in seated chair yoga. Let’s look at some of the common options that you can try: 

Upward Salute Pose (Urdhva Hastasana)

If you want to stretch your arms and shoulders, spine, and belly, you need to consider this pose. It has been proven to help in many ways, including improving posture and digestion and relieving anxiety and fatigue (4). It’s also good if you just want to prepare your body for other poses: 

Steps 

1. Sit in the chair and let your feet rest flat on the floor. Keep your back straight and your knees a few inches apart. 
2. While your feet are grounded strongly on the floor, align your spine by lifting your chest and sitting up tall. 
3. Raise your arms overhead while breathing in with your palms facing each other. You can keep your palms a few inches apart (shoulder-width) or touching each other. 
4. Keep your shoulders away from your ears in a relaxed manner so you don’t tense your neck. 
5. Hold and breathe while in this stretching position until you can feel the stretch in your shoulders, back, and arms. 
6. As you breathe out or exhale, lower your arms slowly to the starting position. 
7. Repeat this pose a few times if you can. 

Chair Cat-Cow Stretch

It’s beneficial for reducing the rigidity or stiffness of the spinal muscles. It also enhances the circulation of blood resulting in decreased back pain (2). 

Steps

1. Sit on a sturdy chair with your feet grounded properly on the floor, a few inches apart (hip-width). 
2. With your palms facing down, support your hands on your knees while still seated upright. 
3. Inhale as you arch your back for a cow pose. Raise your chest forward and up as you draw your shoulders back and down. While doing this, allow your head to tilt slightly upward. 
4. As you exhale for a cat pose, round your back and allow your chin to drop to your chest while keeping the head and the shoulder forward. Hold for a few breaths then return to your initial seated position. 

Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

This one of the seated yoga poses for seniors is good for back problems and relaxing the mind (3). In addition, it helps strengthen the back muscles and improves posture, among other benefits. 

Steps 

1. Sit upright on a stable chair with your feet hip-width apart and grounded on the floor. 
2. Move toward the edge of the chair while keeping your spine straight, then hold the sides of the chair behind you. 
3. Inhale as you arch your back, then lift your chest as you pull your shoulders to open. 
4. Keep your head straight or slightly tilt it backward, but don’t let it strain. Hold for about 3-5 breaths, then resume your sitting position. 

Chair Forward Bend (Uttanasana)

The chair forward bend is one of the seated chair yoga poses that is good for stretching your back and hamstrings. 

Steps 

1. Sit upright in a stable chair and keep your feet hip-width apart. 
2. Keep your back straight and place your hands to rest on your knees. 
3. Inhale deeply as you sit tall to lengthen your spine. 
4. Exhale slowly then bend forward as you lower your chest toward your thighs. It’s important to keep your back straight as you bend. 
5. Allow your forehead to reach to your knees if possible, then hold for a few breaths. 
6. Return to your seated upright position and repeat. 

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Chair Spinal Twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana)

Whether you’re a senior or beginner, have mild back stiffness, or limited mobility, this is one of the best poses you can try. The chair spinal twist pose is good for reducing back pain and toning abdominal muscles, among other benefits. 

Steps 

1. Sit comfortably on a stable chair, keeping your feet on the floor, hip-width apart. 
2. Put your right hand at the back of the chair and rest your left hand on your right knee. 
3. Take a deep breath in as you lengthen your spine to sit tall. 
4. As you exhale, twist your torso slowly and gently toward the right. Support the twisting with your hands, but make sure not to force the twist. 
5. Stay in the twisted position for a few breaths while feeling the stretch in your spine. 
6. Slowly resume your initial position and then repeat toward the other side. 

Tree Pose (Vrksasana)

This pose is one of the options for seniors who want to improve balance and stability, strengthen the core and lower body, promote flexibility, improve posture, and improve circulation (6). It’s normally conducted in a standing position, but as a senior or if you have any mobility issues, you can do it while seated. 

Steps 

1. Sit upright near the front edge of a stable chair.
2. Lift one leg and let the sole of your foot be on the thigh of the other leg by the knee. You can keep your hands resting on your thighs or with your palms in a prayer position. 
3. Hold for a few breaths as you take a deep breath while sitting tall. 
4. Repeat the same with the other leg. 

Chair Extended Side Angle Pose (Utthita Parsvakonasana) 

Chair extended side angle pose improves stability and balance strengthens the core muscles, improves flexibility, and improves posture (7).  Like other seated chair yoga poses, this pose is good for seniors and people who have mobility issues. In addition, it’s good for people with injuries and beginners. 

Steps 

1. Sit on a stable chair, keeping your feet grounded on the floor hip-width apart. 
2. With your spine kept upright and shoulders relaxed, extend your right arm to your side and keep your left arm resting on your thighs. 
3. As you exhale, lean slightly on the left and extend your right arm overhead toward the left while extending your right leg in the opposite direction. 
4. As you look up or forward, hold for about 3-5 breaths and switch sides. 

Chair Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I) 

This is a modified form of the standing version and you can do it while seated on a chair. This pose is gentle on the joints and can help you improve your balance and stability, and build strength in the arms, legs, and core. 

Steps 

1. Sit comfortably on the front edge of a stable chair while keeping your feet flat on the floor. 
2. Ensure your back remains straight and your knees are at a right angle. 
3. Move your right leg backward slightly so that your heel is lifted while your toes remain on the ground. Keep your other leg feet flat on the ground. 
4. Lift up both of your arms overhead and let your palms face each other. 
5. Stay in that pose for a few breaths and switch the sides. 

Marichyasana III Pose 

Doing this pose can help you improve your spinal flexibility, relieving tension in the lower back, neck, and shoulders, and improving the circulation of blood throughout the body. In addition, it helps strengthen the muscles and enhance posture (7). 

Steps 

1. Sit at the edge of a stable chair, keeping your feet flat on the floor and hip-width apart. 
2. Inhale as you sit tall to lengthen your spine, then exhale as you twist to one side. You can do this by placing your right hand on your left thigh and keeping your left hand behind you on the chair. Twist your upper body to the left while looking over your left shoulder. 
3. Breathe out, then make a little deeper twist, but ensure it’s still comfortable as you don’t want to force it. 
4. Hold for a few breaths, release gently as you return to your initial position, then repeat on the other side. 

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

Can You Do Yoga Sitting Down on a Chair?

Yes, you can do yoga while sitting down on a chair. It’s called chair yoga and there are many poses you can do in this type of yoga. Some of the yoga poses you can do while sitting include chair forward bend, cat-cow pose, tree pose, and camel pose. 

Does Chair Yoga Really Work?

Yes, chair yoga works. A study on the effects of chair yoga on functional fitness and daily life activities in older female adults has shown it to be effective in improving functional fitness. It also shows that chair yoga improves muscle strength, agility, and balance (1). Chair yoga also allows the lungs to expand as it corrects posture and promotes inner awareness (2). 

Chair yoga works by enhancing strength, promoting better alignment or posture, increasing circulation, boosting mental health, and reducing stiffness and pain, among other benefits. 

What Are the Benefits of Seated Chair Yoga? 

Seated chair yoga poses are good for enhancing blood circulation, reducing back pain, toning the abdominal and pelvic region muscles, reducing stiffness in the hip joints and spinal muscles, and reducing stress. Different chair yoga poses are good for different reasons. 

For example, in the table below, you can see some of the types of poses and what they’re good for (2): 

What Are Some Seated Chair Yoga Poses?

Some of the seated chair yoga poses include the seated cat-cow stretch, happy baby pose (Ananda Balasana), King Arthur’s pose, chair extended side angle (Utthita Parsvakonasana), tree pose (Vrksasana), chair spinal twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana), extended triangle pose (Utthita Trikonasana), and bound angle pose (Baddha Konasana), and upward salute pose. 

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How Many Calories Does 30 Minutes of Chair Yoga Burn?

As explained in our earlier post on the effectiveness of chair yoga belly fat exercises, you can burn approximately 50 to 100 calories in 30 minutes of chair yoga. However, the number of calories that you can burn within this time is dependent on several factors such as chair yoga complexity and individual fitness and weight. 

Read more: Can You Lose Weight Doing Chair Yoga? The Effects Of This Gentle Exercise On Weight

Does a 28-Day Chair Yoga Challenge Really Work for Weight Loss?

A 28-day chair yoga challenge is not specifically designed for weight loss but for improving overall fitness. Therefore, you should incorporate other strategies such as a controlled diet or other exercises if you want to lose some weight. However, it can help you shed a few pounds due to the fact that it will burn calories, just like any form of movement, but it won’t be as substantial a calorie burn compared to high-intensity exercises. 

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can you get in shape with chair yoga?

Chair yoga improves overall fitness and posture, both of which contribute to getting in better shape. Some chair yoga poses also help tone the abdominal and pelvic region muscles. You can incorporate chair yoga with other exercises and strategies such as a controlled diet to achieve the body you want. 

• Does chair yoga get rid of belly fat?

Chair yoga alone may not get rid of belly fat. You need to combine your exercises with a calorie-controlled diet. When it comes to any exercise, you can’t choose the spot where your body will burn fat. Multiple studies have shown that it’s not possible to spot reduce fat with any kind of exercise (5).

• Does chair yoga tone your body?

Yes, chair yoga improves muscle tone. As mentioned in our previous post on the benefits of chair yoga, with proper form, you can tone the specific muscles you’re targeting. It also helps you shed a few calories and increases your overall fitness. 

• Can you do chair yoga every day?

Whether or not you can do chair yoga every day is dependent on your personal goals and body condition. As mentioned in our previous post, you can do it about 3-5 times per week. If your goal is to lose weight and increase flexibility, you can do it every day. However, you must always remember to listen to your body and not to push things if you’re not feeling 100%.

The Bottom Line 

At this point, you’ve learned the different chair yoga poses, how to do them, the benefits, and other important things about chair yoga. Although it isn’t as intense as other types of exercises, chair yoga poses are good for specific people who may find traditional floor yoga challenging, have limited mobility issues, or are recovering from injuries. 

It should be noted that chair yoga poses are good for the groups of people we’ve mentioned, including seniors and older adults. Therefore, you can try any of these poses that you find suitable for achieving your desired goals, as long as you have approval from a medical professional.