Yoga Chair for Desk Work: Is This Specialized Chair All It’s Cracked up to Be?

Chair yoga is a modified and easier version of traditional yoga that is often done by people with limited mobility, seniors, or those who are recovering from injuries. 

If you spend a chunk of your days seated, chair yoga can be a good way to help you stretch and keep active even as you work, thereby reducing the risk of a sedentary lifestyle.

While you can use a simple chair to practice this exercise, some believe that a specialized yoga chair for desk work may be a better option. But is this true?

What Is an Optimal Yoga Chair for Your Desk?

The answer to this largely changes based on who you ask. There are many specialized yoga desk chairs out there and so answers may differ depending on the manufacturer/advertiser or user experience.

However, despite all this, research states that you don’t need a specialized chair to practice chair yoga. Researchers state that you can use any chair to practice this exercise, apart from those with wheels as they may slip (1, 2).

What Chairs Are Good for Chair Yoga?

As mentioned above, any stable and sturdy chair without wheels can be used to practice chair yoga. In addition to sturdiness and a lack of wheels, some other things you should consider when choosing the best yoga chair for desk work include:

• Armrests 

Your chair of choice should not have any armrests as they can hinder some poses

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• Chairs Height 

Do your feet comfortably touch the floor? The chair you choose should be the perfect height for you. Your feet should not be dangling off the floor nor should the chair be too low and make you feel as though you are crouching while seated.

• Chair Seat 

This should be flat and level front to back and side to side to allow you to move through any chair workout for weight loss sequence without affecting your balance.

Read more: 10 Chair Yoga Poses For Beginners

What Are the Benefits of a Yoga Chair for Desk Workers?

Most chairs that fit the above description of an ideal yoga chair are either simple kitchen table chairs or folding chairs. Unfortunately, unless you work from home, it’s not feasible for you to use kitchen table chairs or folding chairs at work.

Even those who work from home may find it difficult to use such chairs for long periods as they’re not the most comfortable options. Therefore, yoga desk chairs, such as the meditation chair office alternative or stability balls, are available.

Proponents of these alternatives claim that these chairs may help firm your core, improve your posture, and strengthen your back – all while you sit. Unfortunately, all these benefits are largely anecdotal as researchers and experts have found these claims to be untrue.

Studies over the years on the use of exercise balls as office chairs have shown that the risks outweigh any purported advantages. Some of the downsides seen after the use of these balls as a desk chair at work include (3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

• Increased levels of discomfort, especially due to spinal shrinkage
• Increased perceived risk of falling
• Higher risk of bad posture
• A higher risk of experiencing injury if the ball happens to burst

Can a Yoga-Inspired Desk Chair Improve Posture?

No, a specialized yoga desk chair won’t help improve your posture. As seen from the section above, research and experts have shown that such chairs only lead to more disadvantages than advantages.

Instead of relying on an office chair to be the magical pill to help improve your posture, we suggest that you incorporate exercise into your routine.

A yoga chair core workout is a great example of a low-impact workout you can do to better your posture over time. Not only is yoga a great exercise for improving posture (8, 9) but research has consistently shown that a stronger core improves your posture, balance, back muscle strength, endurance, and sports performance (10, 11).

How to Use a Yoga Chair for Desk Exercises

As mentioned above, most specialized yoga desk chairs will only lead to more problems than solutions as they’re not well made to support your body or back as you work.

If you’d like to do office chair yoga, you can do simple stretches such as neck rolls, finger and wrist stretches, and shoulder rolls. These stretches are simple enough to do, even with a regular chair with wheels on it, and can help take off some tension during work hours.

If you’d like to do more office chair yoga moves, then it may be a good idea to find a stable chair with no wheels or armrests and place it in a corner of the office and use that instead. Putting it into a corner can help to increase the stability of the chair. This will prevent you from tipping over when you attempt any chair yoga exercise. 

What Are Some Quick Yoga Chair Exercises for Desk Jobs?

Other simple stretches you can do at your desk while seated on a stable sturdy chair with neither wheels nor armrests include:

The Seated Twist

Also known as the twisted spinal twist, this helps reduce any tightness that may be caused by prolonged sitting and increases your back’s range of motion.

1. Stand and turn your chair to the side. Sit back down sideways, with either your right or left side toward the back of the chair.
2. Ensure your feet are flat on the floor.
3. Turn slightly and hold the back of your chair with both hands.
4. Using the chair as support, turn yourself 180 degrees so you’re facing the opposite side of the chair.
5. Hold this position for 30 seconds to a minute before returning to the starting position and turning 180 degrees to the other side.

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Seated Cat-Cow Stretch

This stretch helps increase mobility and flexibility and relieves any tension in your upper back, shoulders, and neck.

1. Sit up straight with your feet on the floor and your hands on your knees.
2. On an inhale, arch your back and look up toward the ceiling.
3. Hold this position, and then on an exhale, round the spine and let your head drop forward.
4. Repeat this 5 to 10 times.

Seated Eagle

If your hips, thighs, and shoulders feel stiff, this stretch can help relieve some of that tension.

1. Cross your right leg over your left leg and if you can, wrap your right foot around your left calf.
2. Lift your arms out to either side, until they are parallel to the floor.
3. Slowly bring your arms together in front of your chest, crossing your left arm over your right one. Make sure your palms are touching.
4. Lift your elbows while keeping your shoulders sliding down your back. 
5. Hold this pose for up to 30 seconds then repeat with your left arm over the right.

Read more: 9 Discreet Desk Yoga Poses For Office Workers

How Often Should You Do Chair Exercises at a Desk

There’s no limit to how often you should engage in seated yoga exercises at your desk throughout the day. These exercises are simple to do, require minimal space and movement, and offer quick relief. Do them as required.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is a yoga desk chair good for beginners?

Not really. As we’ve mentioned above, you don’t need to get a specialized yoga desk chair or a meditation office chair – any stable chair without wheels or armrests can work well for both work and desk yoga when the need arises. 

If you want to meditate for a few minutes while at work, find a quiet, clean space and sit to meditate for as long as you can. You could also bring a simple yoga mat and leave it at the office if you prefer not to sit directly on the floor for meditation.

• Can a yoga chair be replaced with a regular office chair?

Yes, you can. As we’ve seen from the studies above, research and experts don’t agree with the purported benefits of such furniture. Instead of paying for these specialized yoga furniture, you’re better off sticking to a regular office chair.

Although more research is needed on the matter, studies have shown that regular office chairs may help reduce musculoskeletal symptoms among workers who are required to sit for prolonged periods (12).

• Can a yoga chair for your desk improve your focus at work?

It’s unlikely that a piece of furniture will help improve your focus. If you want to improve your focus at work, you’ll likely experience better success if you (13):

• Exercise regularly
• Put away distractions such as your phone while you work
• Make time blocks specifically for work and take a break after each time block
• Sleep more, preferably for 7 to 9 hours a night
• Eat healthier and stay hydrated
• Find healthy ways to motivate and reward yourself after a task or work milestone is completed

• Are there alternatives to a yoga chair for your desk?

Any comfortable armless chair without wheels can work as a cheap and efficient alternative to a yoga desk chair. 

The Bottom Line

While it may seem like a good idea to invest in a yoga desk chair, research has clearly shown that many of the purported benefits are largely anecdotal and there is little to no scientific backing to them. Instead of buying such a chair, save your money and stick to a simple, sturdy chair. Regular office chairs may actually be even better than these specialized seats – opt for one of those instead.