Chair yoga poses are the modification in twenty-first-century yoga to provide some extra support to the people who don’t want their physical constraints to limit their growth. Chair yoga poses often motivate the individual, facing certain medical problems related to twisting and turning of the bodies and act as a catalyst in their respective therapies.
Chair yoga for your office
Chair yoga is not only constrained to the therapy for seniors but also plays an important role in the life of young adults, spending approximately one-third of their day on the office chairs. It is important to keep ourselves energetic yet calm to compete in this fast-moving world. So here I’m discussing top 7 chair yoga poses that can be practiced at your home or office and are completely suitable for everyone.
- Seated twist
Seated twist is the most basic pose yet effective chair pose that instantly wakes you up after long hours of working. The pose creates tension in the spine, lower back and neck region, and suitable for the seniors who spend long no. hours sitting on their chairs.
Benefits of a seated twist pose
- Refresh the mood by stimulating the neck and shoulder region as the region has numerous no. of nerves connecting to the brain.
- Reduce boredom and stress levels in the body. You can also check 5 minutes of neck practices to minimize day to day stress.
- This gentle form of twist massage your abdominal area and improves digestive health.
Try this way
- Sit on a chair and place your elbow on the back of the chair. Sit with your spine erect with another hand on your knee and feet comfortably touching watch other. Now inhale and turn to look around to the extreme limit, take the support of your elbow, and stretch yourself. Now slowly exhale and come back to the initial position. Try the same with changing your hands and turn to the opposite side. This completes one cycle. Repeat the cycle up to 5 to 8 times.
- Try to hold the stretch as long as comfortable for you. Focus on your breath, and make sure you coordinate the movements of your body with the breath.
- Utthita parsvakonasana ( Chair extended side angle )
Extended side angle pose works on the turning of the waist and neck. The posture helps in opening the chest region and tones the arms.
Benefits of chair extended side angle
- Promotes blood circulation in the body
- Tones your abdomen region and improve digestive health
- Opens up the chest and shoulder region.
Try this way
- Sit on a chair with a spine erect and feets joining each other. Inhale and take your right arm up and twist from the waist such that the left palm touches the ground. If possible place the left palm on the ground completely in the side of your feet. And look towards the thumb of the right hand by creating a gentle twist in your neck.
- If placing the palm on the ground is not possible you can simply touch your fingers to the ground. Exhale and come back to the starting position. Now try the same thing again taking your left arm upwards.
- Virabhadrasana l (Chair warrior l )
This chair yoga pose is best for the women in their trimester as the pose helps them to open their pelvic region while providing them high support in the thigh area. It helps the practitioner to achieve perfection with zero chances of slipping or causing any damage to the body.
Benefits of chair warrior l pose
- This pose works best for the mom’s to be as it promotes flexibility in the pelvic region and strengthens the thighs. You can also read about the benefits of prenatal yoga here.
- Improves balance in the body
- It provides strength in the back and helps the practitioner to overcome back pain. You can read a complete guide of yoga for back pain.
Try this way
- Sit on a chair such that your right leg positions on the sideways with the knee in perpendicular to your ankles and left leg behind it stretched straight. Inhale and take your arms up in the sky and join them in a namaskar. Now you can choose to look upwards and focus on your thumbs or look straight focusing on a point in front of you.
- Exhale and bring your hands down, and come back to the normal sitting posture
- Vidarbha asana ll (Chair warrior ll )
Chair warrior ll is the modification in the chair warrior l pose
Benefits of chair warrior ll
- Encourage intellectual clarity and balance in mind
- Promotes strength and vitality in the system
- Lowers blood pressure
- It helps to relieve backaches, especially in the 2nd trimester.
Try this way
- Sit in the position same as chair warrior l and exhale and open up the arms wide open. And inhale and lift the arms in sideways.
- Always check the alignment of your hips and make sure your face won’t drop down and remain straight and forward.
- Reverse warrior chair pose
As the name says, the position of the legs in this pose is the same with your torso leaning backward. The pose is suitable for the women in their first and second trimester.
Benefits of the reverse warrior chair pose
- Strengthens hip and back muscles
- Open your chest area and generates a sense of freedom in the body.
- Improves flexibility
Try this way
- Sit in the same position as in warrior l pose and lean your torso backward with inhalation and place one hand on the leg while the raise the other in the sky and look towards it.
- Inhale and come back to the straight torso position and widely open your arms.
- Garudasana (Chair eagle pose )
Garudasana is one of the proficient balancings poses in modern-day yoga. This pose is named on the king of birds ( eagle ). This asymmetric yoga posture cultivates balance and strength in the body.
Benefits of chair eagle pose
- Cultivates focus and calmness in the mind.
- It helps the practitioner to attain balance and enhance mind-body coordination.
- Strengthens the core
Try this way
- Sit with your spine straight and cross your right thigh over the left, and wrap the foot on the way to the left calf. Now cross your left arm onto your right, and bend the elbows and try to touch your palms.
- Marjariasana (Cat cow chair yoga pose)
This pose is not new to anyone as it is the same as curving the back in the normal cat-cow pose. The chair helps the practitioner who is facing problems to lie down on the floor.
Benefits of cat-cow pose
- Movement in the spine encourages awareness in the system
- Eliminates stiffness in the back due to prolonged period of sitting
- Wake up the body and deep breathing ensures oxygen supply to the brain and hence calms the mind.
Try this way
- Sit on the front part of the chair with your torso comfortably erect, now exhale to the extreme limit and curve your back such that the front part of the body forms a concave. Make sure your legs are not crossing each other and you can place them comfortably apart.
- Now take a deep and long inhalation and fill the air in your lung, make a curve with the front part of the body making a convex shape to the extreme limit possible for you. You can repeat the process as many time as you want.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. Jugaadin.com does not claim responsibility for this information.