Chair yoga is a gentle way to try yoga class positions while seated. It suits seniors, people who are overweight or those with mobility problems. Chair yoga is also ideal if you have arthritis or joint injuries. Even if you're experienced in yoga training, chair yoga routines are a great way to train while working at your desk or during a lunch break.
Starter Exercise
Roberta Schine, yoga instructor at the Hospital for Special Surgery, suggests a simple chair yoga routine to get started. The idea is to relax into yoga positions and become aware of yourself and your surroundings. Sit in a chair in a dimly lit room. Breathe steadily and concentrate on different parts of your body. Focus on the air as your breathe. Imagine a large clock in front of you and look to the 12 o'clock position. Keep your head still, but move your eyes gradually round the face of the clock. Lift your arms, then lower them gently. Drop your chin to your chest and feel the stretch in your back. The exercise helps loosen your body and relax the mind.
Arm Movements
Using your arms in chair yoga helps stretch your back and sides, as Kristie Dahlia Home demonstrates on the University of California Television website. Breathe deeply and bring both arms up above your head. Arch your back, exhale and bring the arms back down by your sides. Repeat the movement, but leave your left arm by your side, holding the edge of the chair. Bring your right arm up over your head and continue to bend towards your left side. Don't bend too far or you could topple over. Repeat on the opposite side.
Cat Tilts
Cat tilts help you arch your back like a cat while in the chair. This yoga routine works best using a rigid straight-back chair; avoid using a soft chair or sofa. Place your hands on your knees and inhale and exhale steadily. Straighten your back as if trying to extend your body upward. Inhale and arch your back, pushing your chest out and up. Hold for a few seconds. Exhale and pull your chest in, round your shoulders and arch your back forward. Tuck your belly in. You should feel a stretching sensation along your back and shoulders.
Spinal Twists
Spinal twists help improve back flexibility. The twists also massage internal organs, such as the stomach, which can aid digestion and relieve constipation, according to ABC-of-Yoga.com. Edge forward on your seat a little. Cross your left leg over your right leg and out your right hand on your left knee. Lift your other arm and twist you body to the left side until your shoulder is pointing toward the chair back. Hold position and breathe for a few seconds. Do the same thing on the opposite side of your body.
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