Chair Yoga: Seated Sun Salutation Variation

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Chair Yoga Asanas: A Seated Sun Salutation Variation

There are so many wonderful chair yoga asanas (poses) that we can practice right at home. Let’s take a look at one of the Sun Salutations today, Sun Salutation A (Surya Namaskara A). We will practice a modified version of this seated Sun Salutation variation. We will explore Sun Salutation B at another time. Sun Salutations are a great way to help us connect our breath to our movement. We can work to practice it in the one breath-one movement style. This means we will inhale as we come into a pose, and exhale as we come into the next- one right after another.

But, if we are just starting out, let us take our time. This is meant to be a gentle introduction to the Sun Salutation. If you are already familiar, you can further practice moving with the breath. There is always something new to explore with yoga. The chair yoga asanas in the Sun Salutations can also be a great way to warm up the body, get the breath moving, and bring some awareness to the core and to our body mechanics. We also get a lot of shoulder mobility here. 

In Sanskrit, Surya means sun and Namaskara means “salutations or bowing down”. Traditionally, it was performed facing the sun. Take a look here for a quick read if you are interested in some history. As you can see there is some disagreement here. You can also see why there are so many variations. Take a look here if you would like to see what this looks like in standing.

Although it can be considered a warm up for the body, you may want to perform a few easy movements before beginning this. It also serves to stimulate the brain as we move from one pose to the next. You may find many variations, but here I am adapting the classic 11 poses to the chair. I am modifying the forward fold on this series to eliminate the seated spinal flexion  I am adding a slight bow of the head instead. You should always do what is right for you.

We will be in our hip hinge (or seated chair pose) for a majority of the time as we change up the arm positions. Thus, the core is most definitely working here. There are so many variations to this – we can always find a way that works for us. The sun salutations are often repeated several times. If you would like a quick video tutorial, scroll down to the bottom. As with this or any exercise, stop immediately if you experience pain, shortness of breath, or dizziness.

Chair Yoga Asanas To Help Move With The Breath

We begin in our Mountain Pose (Tadasana) with our Hands to Heart Center (Samasthiti).

  • Take a few breaths here if you like, keep the shoulders down and away from the ears.
  • Keep the spine long throughout and the core engaged.
  • Then, release the arms down by your sides.

A woman seated in a chair near a window practicing chair yoga hands to heart pose with her dog next to her.

We then inhale our arms up to Mountain Pose with Arms Raised (Utthita Hastasana).

  • Be sure to only raise the arms as high as is comfortable- do not strain here.
  • Lengthen through the sides of the body.

A woman seated in a chair next to a window practicing mountain pose with arms raised over her head with her dog next to her.

Exhale to Modified Forward Fold (Uttanasana).

  • We will hinge forward at the hips here as we keep the spine long- arms come down by your sides.
  • We add some neck flexion here as we bring the chin towards the chest.

A woman seated in a chair next to a window with her dog next to her practicing a modified forward fold pose in a hinge position with neck slightly flexed.

Inhale to Halfway Lift (Ardha Uttanasana).

  • Here we will return the neck to neutral as we bring the hands to the thighs.
  • Engage the core as you lengthen through the spine.

A woman seated in a chair next to a window with her dog near her practicing a chair yoga pose half way lift.

Exhale to Low Push Up (Chaturanga Dandasana).

  • We keep the hip hinge and the core engaged as we bend the elbows and bring the hands back by the low ribs.
  • Option to extend the wrists as shown by bringing the fingers back towards the body.

A woman seated in a chair next to a window with her dog near her practicing a chair yoga pose of modified low push up with her elbows bent near her sides and the wrists extended.

Inhale to Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana).

  • We keep our hip hinge as we straighten the elbows and slightly arch the low back.
  • Option to keep the wrists extended here as well, or return to a neutral position.

A woman seated near a window with her dog next to her practicing chair yoga pose modified upward facing dog.

Exhale to Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana).

  • We keep the spine long and the core engaged as we raise the arms overhead.
  • Rotate the shoulders so the palms are facing toward the body as you raise the arms up as high as is comfortable.
  • Option to rotate the palms down and extend the wrists as shown once arms are raised.

A woman seated in a chair near a window with her dog next to her practicing a modified downward facing dog with her arms raised in front of the body and her wrists extended.

Inhale to Halfway Lift (Ardha Uttanasana).

  • Gently lower the arms to rest on the thighs and lengthen the spine from the tailbone to the crown of the head.

A woman seated in a chair next to a window with her dog near her practicing a chair yoga pose half way lift.

Exhale to Forward Fold (Uttanasana).

  • Gently release the arms by your sides and slightly lower the chin toward the chest.

A woman seated in a chair next to a window with her dog next to her practicing a modified forward fold pose in a hinge position with neck slightly flexed.

Inhale to Mountain Pose with Arms Raised (Utthita Hastasana).

  • Gently return the neck to neutral, hinge at the hips and return to center as you raise your arms up overhead, or as high as is comfortable.
  • Lengthen once again through the sides of the body.

A woman seated in a chair next to a window practicing mountain pose with arms raised over her head with her dog next to her.

Exhale back to Hands to Heart Center ( Samasthiti).

  • Release the arms down, bring the hands together at the heart and take a deep breath.
  • Repeat the sequence as desired.

A woman seated in a chair near a window practicing chair yoga hands to heart pose with her dog next to her.

If you would like, take a look at the video as we move through the sequence. We start with a Half Sun Salutation to serve as a warm up. I have chosen to keep the knees bent in the Downward Facing Dog for accessibility. However, you can choose to straighten both knees out in front of you with the heels on the floor. I have intentionally slowed it down here.

If you find that you like this movement, keep practicing it as you work to move with your breath. This can serve you in your daily life as you can add this flow during the day to help move the breath, energize you, or help connect the body, mind, and spirit: Modified Seated Sun Salutation Variation

You can most certainly do a search on YouTube for Chair Yoga Sun Salutations and find several variations. As always, be mindful of any movements or postures that are not right for you. I hope that you enjoyed this brief introduction to the Sun Salutations.

Want More Chair Yoga Asanas?

Take a look at Is Chair Yoga Right for You? if you are new to chair yoga.

You may be interested in the Chair Yoga and Chakra series, you can start here: Chair Yoga And The Root Chakra

I invite you to take a look at Breathing for Better Mobility if you would like to learn more about the breath.

You may be interested in Chair Yoga for the Brain for some simple poses to help challenge the brain.

For a gentle introduction to chair yoga, try the Chair Yoga Challenge

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

You may be interested in my Daily Gratitude Notebook

Visit The Peaceful Chair Etsy Shop for more health and wellness related printable pages and more,

And I invite you to subscribe to the Monthly Email Newsletter to help you stay up to date on the latest blog posts and videos.

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.