Chair Yoga Poses
from https://www.verywellfit.com/chair-yoga-poses-3567189
Chair yoga can be practiced by anyone who wants to enjoy the benefits of yoga and may (or may not) have mobility limitations. For example, chair yoga is great for anyone who needs more support and or is managing an injury or wants a more therapeutic approach to the practice. Office workers can also take advantage of chair yoga's adaptations to sneak in some stretches at work.
Chair Cat-Cow Stretch
Come to sit on a chair with the spine long and both feet on the floor. Place your hands on your knees or the tops of your thighs.
On an inhale, arch your spine and roll your shoulders down and back, bringing your shoulder blades onto your back. This is cow position.
On an exhale, round your spine down and drop your chin to your chest, letting the shoulder and head come forward. This is cat position.
Continue moving between cow on the inhalations and cat on the exhalations for five breaths.
Chair Raised Hands Pose - Urdhva Hastasana
On an inhalation, raise your arms toward the ceiling.
Maintain good upper body posture with the shoulders relaxed and rib cage sitting naturally over the hips. Anchor your sit bones in your chair seat and reach up from there.
Exhale and bring your arms down. Repeat.
Chair Forward Bend - Uttanasana
On an exhalation, bend from the waist over the legs and let the head hang heavy. Hands will rest on the floor to the side with fingers pointing to each other.
On an inhalation, raise the arms back up over the head.
Repeat this movement between a raised arms position, arms straight up, and a forward fold several times, moving with the breath.
Chair Extended Side Angle - Utthita Parsvakonasana
After your final forward bend, stay folded.
Bring your left fingertips to the floor on the outside of your left foot. Open your chest as you twist to the right on an inhale, bringing your right arm and gaze up at the ceiling.
This is your chair version of extended side angle pose. Hold here for several breaths.
Bring the right arm down on an exhale.
If your left hand doesn't come easily to the floor, place a block under it or bring it to your left knee instead and twist from there.
Do the same position with the right arm down and the left arm up.
Chair Pigeon - Eka Pada Rajakapotasana
Come back up to sit facing forward.
Bring your right ankle to rest on your left thigh, keeping the knee in line with your ankle as much as possible. Hands should be on your knee and ankle.
Hold this chair pigeon for three to five breaths. You may forward bend to intensify the stretch if you like. Repeat with the left leg.
Chair Eagle - Garudasana
Cross your right thigh over your left thigh for eagle pose. If you can, wrap the right foot all the way around the left calf.
Cross your left arm over the right one at the elbow. Bend the elbows, twist the arms and bring your palms to touch.
Lift the elbows to the height of your shoulders while dropping the shoulders away from the ears. Hold three to five breaths.
Repeat on the other side
Chair Spinal Twist - Ardha Matsyendrasana
Come to sit sideways on the chair, facing to the left.
Twist your torso toward the left, with both hands holding onto the sides of the back of the chair, for a spinal twist.
Lengthen your spine on each inhale and come back to forward position and twist on each exhale for five breaths.
Move your legs around to the right side of the chair and repeat the twist to the right side.
Chair Warrior I - Virabhadrasana I
Now keep the right leg in position over the side of the chair while you swing the left leg behind you. Check the alignment of your hips, making sure that both hips are squared to face forward.
Plant the sole of the left foot on the floor roughly parallel to the seat of the chair and straighten the left leg.
Keep your torso facing over the right leg as you raise your arms up to the ceiling on a inhale coming to warrior I. Hold for three breaths.
Chair Warrior II - Virabhadrasana II
On an exhale, open up the arms with the right arm coming forward in front of you and the left arm going back.
Draw the left hip back and turn the torso to the left, so that it is aligned with the front of the chair.
Gaze out over the right fingertips and hold warrior II for three breaths.
This pose should flow into the next.
Reverse Warrior
Let the left arm come down the left leg in the back of the chair and lift the right arm up to the ceiling on an inhale for reverse warrior. Hold for three breaths.
To do the poses on the left side, bring both legs to the front of the chair before coming to sit sideways on the chair facing left and going through the series of three warrior poses on the left side.
Final Relaxation: Chair Savasana
Sit up tall, facing forward, and an let your shoulders fall down and away from your ears.
Take a few minutes to sit with your eyes closed and hands in your lap at the end of your practice. This seated savasana will help your body absorb all the good effects of the poses you have done and transition you into the rest of your day.
