CHAIR YOGA POSES FOR SENIORS OR PERSON UNABLE TO SEAT ON THE FLOOR

Yoga offers many benefits, from reduced stress to improved strength and flexibility. But it can also be intimidating to some people. You might feel that you just "don't bend that way" or might not be able to keep up with others in a class, or have physical limitations that prevent you from easily moving up from and down to the floor or standing for a full hour. Chair yoga is a gentle style of yoga you can do from a seated position that also incorporates the breathing and mind-body benefits of a traditional class.

Chair yoga is a general term for practices that modify yoga poses so that they can be done while seated in a chair. These modifications make yoga accessible to people who cannot stand or lack the mobility to move easily from standing to seated to supine positions. Many of the basic body mechanics of the individual postures are retained, no matter the stance of the practitioner. While seated on chairs, students can do versions of twists, hip stretches, forward bends, and mild backbends.In addition to a good stretch, chair yoga participants can also enjoy other health benefits of yoga, including improved muscle tone, better breathing habits, reduction of stress, better sleep, and a sense of well-being.

Who Can Do Chair Yoga?

Chair yoga is mostly for senior citizens, obese people and people with neurological diseases. 

What's In a Chair?

Since chair yoga is all about adaptability, it should come as no surprise that the particular chair you use is not important; you don't have to run out and buy a specialized yoga chair. Chairs with wheels are not ideal since they are unstable, but almost any other chair will do. If you are short, put blocks or a folded yoga mat under your feet to give yourself a firm foundation.

CHAIR YOGA ASANAS (POSES)

1. Seated Mountain (Tadasana)

This is a great pose to simply engage your core, check in with your posture, and focus on your breath. Come to this pose after each of the poses below.

1. Take a deep breath and sit up straight, extending your spine.
2. As you exhale, root down into the chair with your sitz bones (the lowest part of your tailbone, or the two points that take the weight when you sit).
3. Your legs should be at 90-degree angles, knees directly over your ankles. You want to have a little room between your knees. Typically, your fist should fit between your knees, though your skeletal structure may require more room than this.
4. Take a deep breath and as you exhale, roll your shoulders down your back, pull your bellybutton in toward your spine, and relax your arms down at your sides. If your chair has armrests, you may need to have them out to the front just a little or a bit wider, to clear the armrests.
5. Engage your legs by lifting your toes and pressing firmly into all four corners of your feet.

2. 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 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.

3. CHAIR URDHVA HASTASANA

On an inhalation, raise your arms toward the ceiling.

Allow your shoulder blades to slide down your back as you reach upwards with your fingertips. Anchor your sit bones in your chair seat and reach up from there.

4. Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottana)

1. Inhale in Moutain, focusing on extending your spine, and simply fold over your legs. You can start with your hands resting on your thighs and slide them down your legs as you fold for a little extra support, or you can keep them at your sides as you work toward laying your torso on your thighs.
2. Take 5 or more even breaths in this pose. It massages your intestines, helping with digestion, as well as passively lengthening your spine and stretching your back muscles.
3. When ready, inhale as you lift your torso back to an upright position.

5. CHAIR 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 to 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.

For a more intense twist, bring the left fingertips to the outside of the right foot before twisting.

Do the same position with the right arm down and the left arm up.

6. CHAIR EKA PADA RAJAKOPOTASANA

Come back up to sit.

Bring your right ankle to rest on your left thigh, keeping the knee in line with your ankle as much as possible. 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 up.

7. CHAIR GARUDASANA

This pose relaxes your shoulders and upper back as it stabilizes and flexes your shoulder joint.

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 and bring your palms to touch. 

Lift the elbows while dropping the shoulders away from the ears. Hold three to five breaths.

Repeat on the other side.

8. CHAIR ARDHA MATSYANDRASANA

Come to sit sideways on the chair, facing to the left.

Twist your torso toward the left, holding onto the back of the chair, for a spinal twist.

Lengthen your spine on each inhale 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.

9. CHAIR VIRABHADRASANA I (HERO POSE I)

Now keep the right leg in position over the side of the chair while you swing the left leg behind you.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 three breaths.

10. CHAIR VIRABHADRASANA II (HERO POSE II)

On an exhale, open up the arms with the right arm coming forward 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.

11. CHAIR REVERSE WARRIOR POSE

Let the left arm come down the left leg and lift the right arm up to the ceiling on an inhale for reverse warrior. Hold for three breaths.

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.

11. CHAIR JANUSIRSASANA (SINGLE ELG STRETCH)

1. Sitting up tall, stretch your right leg out, resting your heel on the floor, toes pointing up — the closer to the edge of your seat you are, the straighter your leg can get, but again, be mindful of how supported you are before folding forward.
2. Rest both hands on your outstretched leg, and as you inhale, raise up through your spine, and as you exhale, begin to bend over your right leg, sliding your hands down your leg as you go.
3. Take this stretch as far as you like while not straining or forcing anything and still feeling supported, both by the chair and by your hands. If you are able to reach lower on your leg, consider grasping the back of your calf or your ankle.
4. Inhale and exhale slowly and evenly 5 times in this position, gently going deeper each time, and then release the pose by using an inhale to help you rise. Repeat this pose with your left leg outstretched, double-checking how supported your body is on the edge of the chair and realigning your right leg knee over ankle before you bend over.

Precautions

Do not practice any Asana OR Pranayama in which you don’t feel comfortable.
Do not over do the exercises if you feel pain in your body.
Start exercises mildly and then increase the repetitions as per your capacity.
People suffering from Back pain, Slip disc OR chronic disease should only practice Yoga and other exercises under the expert supervision otherwise do not do it.

Pregnant women should only practice Yoga under the supervision of an expert, otherwise do not practice any exercise by watching videos or website material.