Chair Yoga Poses for Beginners: The Root Chakra

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Chair Yoga For Grounding: The Root Chakra

You may or may not have heard about Chakras. Or, maybe you have heard someone say that their Chakra is blocked. But what exactly is it and is it really a thing? Keep reading for an introduction to Chakras and chair yoga for grounding poses that are great for beginners. This is part of a series where we will take a look at each of the Chakras and get some tips and resources to help us become more balanced in all areas of our lives.

In Sanskrit the word Chakra means “disc” or “wheel” and is used to refer to energy centers in the body. They refer to spinning discs of energy. These are related to  certain bundles of nerves and organs. They also correspond to areas of our energetic body that affect our emotional and physical well being. We ideally want to keep them open and aligned. There are 7 main Chakras and each has a number, name, color, and specific area of the spine-as well as a focus on a particular area of health. 

The 7 main Chakras are: the Root Chakra, Sacral Chakra, Solar Plexus Chakra, Heart Chakra, Throat Chakra, Third Eye Chakra, and the Crown Chakra. The idea is that when all of your Chakras are open and aligned – you will have harmony in your spirit, mind, and physical body. While there is no scientific evidence regarding the physical existence of the Chakras- it may be beneficial to look at them in the sense of a healing energy. Take a look here if you would like a quick read about Chakras and science:

The Science Behind Your Chakras

The Psychology of Ordinary Beliefs

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Whether you would like to explore Chakras in a more in depth manner is up to you. It may or may not resonate with you. But, I think that at the very least it is beneficial in the sense that we are taking stock of different areas in our lives – in our spirit, mind, and bodies. Assessing them, taking some time for reflection, moving our body, and thinking in a positive manner. Moving our body in ways that are beneficial is always a good thing! Practicing some simple chair yoga poses for grounding can be an easy way to get started.

So that being said-let’s take a look at the Root Chakra. The Root Chakra-or Muladhara- is the first Chakra and it is located at the base of the spine in the tailbone area. Mula means root and adhara means support or base. It is associated with the color red and the Earth Element. Without even exploring more in depth, you may already see that if the Root Chakra is out of balance – all the others will be as well. It gives us our sense of grounding.

It pertains to whatever gives us a sense of stability in life- basic needs like food, water, shelter, safety, as well as the emotional needs that you require to feel safe. If you want more information about what manifests itself when this Chakra is out of balance, check here: The Root Chakra:Muladhara

If you are interested in learning more in depth, here is a book that is great for beginners and simple to follow: Chakra Healing: A Beginner’s Guide

For our purposes, we will explore some chair yoga poses for grounding that are associated with the Root Chakra. We will take a look at 5 chair yoga poses for grounding that are great for beginners. If you are not that interested in the concept, that is most certainly fine. You may still choose to use this time to reflect on how you feel when it comes to the idea of grounding in your life- whatever that means to you. These 5 poses can still help us strengthen, move our body, and give us a few moments of reflection and grounding so that we can move forward with other things in life!

If you are interested in further reflection, I also really like the journals from Promptly Journals as they offer many different styles for various stages of life. You may be interested in the Gratitude Journal or the Healing Journals

As always, do what is right for you today. Always consult with your healthcare provider before starting this or any exercise program. Stop immediately if you experience pain, shortness of breath, or dizziness. Never force or strain and be aware that poses will not look the same on everybody. Focus more on how the poses feels than how it looks.

5 Chair Yoga Poses for Grounding: For Beginners

1. Hands to Heart Center

We have looked at this pose before-Hands to Heart Pose– and it seems very simple. But, it is a great place to start when it comes to chair yoga poses for grounding. In this posture we are rooted through both feet, the thighs, the pelvis, and the base of the spine. The shoulders are relaxed down. Hands are at the heart center and all you have to do is be present, feel the support of the chair and the earth, and breathe- a great way to begin a grounding practice.

A woman seated in a chair near a window with palms together and hands at her chest for chair yoga pose, hands to heart pose.

  • Begin in a supported sitting position (you may need to add a small pillow to the low back or some yoga blocks or books under the feet to feel supported)
  • Sit tall with a long spine, feet and thighs are parallel
  • Feel the ground evenly on both feet
  • Take 3-4 deep breaths here (Or as many as you like) as you check in with how you feel- you may choose to close the eyes here

2. Mountain Pose With Arms Raised

Here we will maintain our grounding through the feet, thighs, and pelvis as we begin to move the arms. Notice how this changes the connection in your feet and thighs. There are many yoga poses for grounding and this pose has many variations that we can take, but here we will keep it simple.

A woman seated in a chair near a window with an upright posture with her arms by her sides in chair yoga Mountain Pose

A woman seated in a chair near a window with both arms raised above her head for chair yoga pose, mountain pose with arms extended.

  • Release the hands to your sides with the palms facing the body
  • Maintain your nice long spine-ground through the base of the spine
  • Inhale as raise your arms forward and up (lead with the thumbs) toward the sky
  • Raise the arms as high as is comfortable
  • Stretch through the sides of the body as you ground through the feet, thighs, and pelvis
  • Exhale as you lower the arms back down
  • Repeat 5-6 times – or as desired

3. Staff Pose

Here, we will ground through the thighs and pelvis as we unweight the feet. Maintain your nice long spine here and continue to pay attention to your breath. Your hands can stay at the heart center, rest on your thighs, or you may choose to let them hang by your sides. There is also an option to add the arms as shown.

A woman seated in a chair near a window to practice chair yoga pose, staff pose, with both knees extended and toes pointed toward the sky.

A woman seated in a chair near a window practicing chair yoga pose, staff pose, with both knees extended and arms extended forward at shoulder height.

  • Begin to shift your awareness to one foot
  • Inhale as you straighten through the opposite knee (thigh stays grounded on the chair)
  • Exhale as you feel the contraction in your thigh
  • Inhale as you straighten the opposite knee
  • Exhale as you feel the contraction in the thigh
  • Point the toes toward the sky- feel the stretch in the calf muscles
  • Stay here for 3-4 breaths- or as many as you like
  • (You may choose to add some arm movement here as you raise the arms forward or overhead)
  • Exhale to release both feet to the ground and repeat as desired

4. Goddess Pose

Even though our knees and ankles are not bearing weight, as we engage the upper body we need to actively engage the muscles in the thighs and foot/ankle complex to stabilize and maintain our grounding. If actively engaging the upper and lower body is too much today- try practicing the movements separately until you can combine them.

A woman seated in a chair near a window practicing chair yoga pose, goddess pose with her arms in cactus arms and both hips externally rotated and planted on the floor.

  • Inhale as you lengthen from the base of the spine to the crown of the head
  • Hands are by your sides with palms facing forward
  • Exhale as you bring the thighs apart (you can move them at the same time or separately)
  • Slightly turn the toes out to the sides of the room as you place them on the ground
  • Inhale as you raise the arms out to the sides
  • Exhale as you bend the elbows
  • Actively feel you muscles working in both the upper and lower body as you take 3-5 breaths
  • (You may choose to open and close the arms here)
  • On an exhale, bring the thighs back to center and release the arms back by your sides
  • Repeat 2-3 times or as desired

5.  Chair Pose

Here we will return to our center as we ground through the feet, thighs, and base of spine. We take a breath here and then shift our weight forward as we root through the feet. Take the version that works for you- stay in your hip hinge or rise up off the seat.

A woman seated in a chair next to a window practicing chair yoga pose, the hip hinge.

A woman seated in a chair near a window practicing chair yoga pose modified chair pose as she performs a hip hinge with both arms extended in front of the body.

A woman in a room near a window practicing chair yoga chair pose with her arms extended in front of her and her hips lifted off the seat of the chair.

  • Begin seated with a long spine, feet are planted firmly on the ground
  • Rest the hands on the thighs or by your sides
  • Inhale to lengthen through the spine
  • Exhale as you hinge forward at the hips – keep the spine long- feel the weight through the feet
  • Stay here, add a reach with the arms, or rise up off the seat
  • Take 2-3 breaths wherever you are
  • On an exhale (if you have lifted off the seat, return the hips and thighs to the chair) hinge at the hips, and return to center
  • Repeat 2-3 times or as desired

I hope that you enjoyed this brief introduction to the Chakras and these 5 chair yoga poses for grounding. You can choose to repeat the sequence as desired. If you would like to follow along to a short video sequence of these 5 poses, take a look at the video. We will be adding in a few variations to each pose: Chair Yoga: The Root Chakra

And, if you would like to keep reading in this series, you can take a look at the Sacral Chakra. Here, we will look at some simple ways to add creativity into our daily life, as well as a few chair yoga poses that can help us tap into our creative side: Chair Yoga For Sacral Chakra

Want More Chair Yoga Poses For Grounding And Beginners?

If you are new to chair yoga and would like more information on chair yoga poses for beginners, take a look at Is Chair Yoga Right for You?

Take a look at Chair Yoga for Healing if you are interested in ways chair yoga can help with stress.

Or, take a look at Tips For Reducing Stress With Rest.

If you would like more information on the Staff Pose, take a look here.

For more information on the Chair Pose, take a look at Chair Yoga to Boost Your Mobility.

You can find more chair yoga videos at The Peaceful Chair YouTube Channel

Visit The Peaceful Chair Etsy Shop for health and wellness related printables

You may also be interested in my simple Daily Gratitude Notebook

Finally, I invite you to sign up for the Monthly Email Newsletter to stay up to date on the latest blog posts.

Namaste!

Disclaimer: The Peaceful Chair and thepeacefulchair.com strongly recommends that you consult with your physician before starting this or any exercise program.The information provided on this website is for informational purposes only and is not to be used in place of medical advice or information from your healthcare provider. Neither The Peaceful Chair, the peacefulchair.com, nor any of its contributors shall be held liable for any improper or incorrect use of the information described and/or contained herein and assumes no responsibility for anyone’s use of the information contained in any links, videos, or any content on this website.