Chair Yoga: Improve Flexibility and Strength

Chair yoga is a form of yoga that requires the use of a chair. The poses include sitting and standing poses, wherein the chair is used as a prop. Anyone can enjoy this form of yoga and benefit from its practise.

Here’s What You Should Know:

What is chair yoga?
Importance of chair yoga for people with limited mobility
Chair yoga poses and sequences
Chair yoga tips and precautions

What is chair yoga?

You can perform chair yoga while sitting or using a chair. Anyone looking for a light exercise session can practise these chair yoga poses. In addition, several chair yoga poses and exercises can be incorporated into hatha yoga exercises, which can help you maintain balance or climb up and down the floor with ease.

Importance of chair yoga for people with limited mobility

Practising chair yoga poses can immensely help those with limited mobility. You might suffer from chronic pain, acute injuries or disability, but performing these chair yoga poses will strengthen your body and mind. Studies state that people who practised chair yoga poses for 45 minutes at least twice a week experienced a considerable reduction in pain in daily life and increased walking speed.

Here are certain long-term benefits that people with limited mobility can experience:

Decreased stress and anxiety
Helps to manage PTSD, anxiety and depression
Helps to manage inflammation
Reduces the risk of heart disease
Tones your muscles
Improves strength and flexibility

Chair yoga poses and sequences

Here are some of the most effective chair yoga poses that you can perform at home:

Chair Uttanasana

Uttanasana, or the forward bend, is an easy pose to get started with. Sit on a chair with your back straight and inhale deeply while raising your hands above your head. On the exhale, bend forward from your waist and bring your head between your knees while hugging your thighs. Hold the position for four breaths before you exhale and raise your body again.

Chair Utthita Parsvakonasana

Utthita Parsvakonasana, or extended side angle, can be done by simply sitting on your chair with your back straight. Inhale. Raise one arm and exhale as you bend on one side and touch your ankle or the floor with one arm. Look up at the ceiling while raising your hand. Hold the position for four breaths before returning to the original posture. Now repeat the chair asana on the other side.

Chair Ardha Matsyendrasana

The Ardha Matsyendrasana chair yoga exercise is also called the chair spinal twist. For this asana, you must sit sideward on the chair with the backrest on your right. Keep your back straight and your hands on your lap. Inhale. On the exhale, twist your body at the waist so your upper half faces the backrest. Hold the backrest with your hands. Remain in the twist for four breaths before returning to the start position. Repeat the twist to the right side before facing the other direction in the chair. Do five repetitions of twisting on each side.

Chair yoga tips and precautions

Here are some of the tips and precautions that you can take while practising chair yoga:

Avoid overarching your lumbar spine.
Avoid chair yoga if you have arthritis.
Stop practising it if you have a joint or knee-related health complication
If you have high blood pressure, consider changing the poses that involve bowing your head below your heart or folding your body.

These chair yoga poses are great for beginners. You can start doing these chair yoga with ten repetitions for each exercise and slowly increase the number of repetitions as you get more comfortable.

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