Chair Yoga: Gentle, Accessible Movement for Everyday Life
I'm making this blog post to celebrate Chair Yoga and its many benefits.
Chair Yoga can be a great way to practise for anyone.
It can be especially supportive for people who sit at a desk all day and need a seated movement break at work, people who use mobility aids, or are living with chronic illness, older adults... and the list goes on.
Chair Yoga is for everybody 🙂 This blog post will explore some Chair Yoga postures with photo examples, and linked short video tutorials.
Accessible
Chair Yoga
The Benefits of Chair Yoga
So much of yoga practice can be about accessing the calm, spacious moments. But to get there, we often need to slow down the pace.
Some evidence suggests that regular yoga can help reduce workplace stress, relieve tension from sitting, and support calm by combining gentle movement, mindful breathing and relaxation.
In our current modern culture, yoga is often assumed to be about super bendy postures, headstands and intensely dynamic flows.
But yoga is accessible by nature and can be practised in all kinds of ways, including from bed or from a chair.
It can be about gentle breathing exercises, self-compassion and compassion for others, and simple movements to help get out of the thinking head and into the feeling body. One way to do that is through simple breath awareness.
➡️ Link to 10-minute Breathing Exercises video here – This is an accessible introduction to some breath exploration. I offer 4 different techniques; breath awareness, extended exhale, gentle breath retention and 5 finger breath. Give it a try at home!
Chair Yoga Exercises You Can Try
If you'd like to continue practising at home or during your work day, here are a few ideas:
Side Stretch in Chair (Extended Side Angle)
A gentle side stretch can feel good after spending time sitting. One way to do this is the have the feet wide, knees bent and aligned roughly above your feet.
Place the back of the left forearm or hand onto the left leg, then lift the right arm up into the air and over the ear.
Reach up and over to the side to get space in the right side of the body then repeat on the other side.
Benefits include:
Stretching through the side body and waist
Creating more space for the ribs and spacious breathing
Counteracting the effects of sitting in one position
Gently improving mobility through the spine and shoulders
Practise Balance From Your Chair
Balance isn't just something we practise standing up!
A fun way to explore balance during a work break is to sit tall and balance a book on your head for a few breaths. Think about reaching tall up through the crown of your head.
You can add a figure 4 stretch with the legs too if you like, by crossing one ankle over the other ankle, or over the other thigh near the knee.
Benefits include:
Encouraging good posture
Improving body awareness (proprioception)
Strengthening the muscles that help keep us upright
Offering a mindful break away from the screen
Supported Child's Pose in a Chair
Rest your elbows or forearms onto your knees, or onto the desk in front of you if you’re at a desk. Allow your head to rest into your hands, and take a few slow breaths. Think about breathing in to expand ino the belly, ribcage, chest, and upper back.
You could also gently massage the point between your eyebrows using your thumbs or fingers.
This can be a lovely way to:
Pause and reset during a busy day
Relax the neck and shoulders
Encourage a slower breath
Give yourself a moment of quiet
If you'd like to follow a guided Chair Yoga practice, here's a free 20-minute Chair Yoga class video:
Accessible Yoga Means Options
There is no one-size-fits-all in yoga.
It's essential for yoga teachers to give those practicing with us options. And it’s important to remember when practicing yoga ourselves, or any other kind of movement, to know that we have options so we can have agency over what feels most supportive.
Everyone is unique and has different needs, so what works for one person might be the opposite of what someone else needs.
As a Yoga instructor, it's wonderful to see a room full of people all finding different ways to practise the same posture, and I always want to encourage people to be curious about what feels most supportive for them.
Yoga comes in all different forms!
About Me
I'm Jasmine, and I've been teaching yoga for around 9 years, practicing for over 20 years.
Yoga dates back to ancient India, has developed over thousands of years, and there are many ways it can still support us in modern life.
Whether you're practising from a yoga mat, a chair, or even your bed, I hope this reminds you that yoga doesn't have to look a certain way to be beneficial :)
You can learn more about my values and experience as a yoga teacher here.