Chair Core Exercise – Chair Pose 3 Ways
Today we have a wonderful chair core exercise to revisit. We have visited the Chair Pose before, you can take a look at some more info here: Chair Pose. There are so many wonderful benefits to this pose:
- It is a great pose to engage the core
- It is a functional movement that helps to protect the spine
- It is a great base pose in chair yoga for transitions including to Downward Facing Dog, Cobra, and Upward Facing Dog
- We can add upper body movements here to make it a full body exercise
- We can do it anytime!
We can of course progress this pose and come up out of the seat for a standing version. You may be interested in chair yoga to improve mobility. There are so many options for adding on to this pose right from our chair. The possibilities are endless. With our focus on chair core exercises, let’s take a look at 3 variations of chair pose that we can practice to further engage the muscles in the body, activate the core, and deepen our mind body connection.
This post contains affiliate links. I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that I may earn a commission should you choose to sign up for a program or make a purchase using my link. This is at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I truly believe are helpful. See our Privacy Policy and Disclosures page.
If you are interested in seeing what some standing chair yoga pose variations look like to give you an idea of the versatility, you may be interested in taking a look here: 7 Chair Pose Variations: Shape
For all of these variations, we will begin in Mountain Pose. As always, it is recommended to consult with your healthcare provider before starting this or any exercise program. Remember to do what is right for you today. Never force or strain any movements and always stop immediately if you experience pain, shortness of breath or dizziness.
Mountain Pose
- Begin seated with a long spine
- Sit forward in your seat or you may choose to sit all the way back in the chair
- Feet are planted firmly on the ground or in a supported position (or place yoga blocks or thick books under the feet)
- Knees are bent to 90 degrees and thighs and feet are parallel
- Ankles are in line with the knees
1. Chair Pose With Heels Elevated
The added movement of the heel raise may or may not feel subtle, but it adds another level of core engagement:
Begin in your Mountain Pose
Inhale to a long spine
Exhale to hinge forward at the hip- spine stays long and the core is engaged ( it may only be an inch or two)
On an inhale lift the heels and rise up onto the toes
You may choose to stay here for a few breaths or exhale to lower the heels and then repeat for your desired amount of repetitions
On an exhale, hinge at the hips and return to center
Repeat 1-2 times or as desired.
2. Chair Pose With Airplane Arms
We further engage the muscles in the upper back and core here as we add this arm movement. Really try to hug the low ribs in to tap into your core here:
Begin in your Mountain Pose
Inhale to a long spine
Exhale to hinge forward at the hip- spine stays long and the core is engaged
On an inhale, raise the arms forward and up to shoulder height as able
On an exhale, bring the arms down and back behind the body
If you do not have room to bring the arms behind the body, simply bring them down beside the body as able
You may choose to stay here for a few breaths, or to inhale to lift the arms forward and exhale to bring them back for your desired amount of repetitions
On an exhale release the arms and return to center
Repeat 1-2 times or as desired
3. One Legged Chair Pose Variation
Option to lift the toes up
Here we will try a one leg chair pose variation that will really engage the core, the hips, and help us to really tap into our sense of grounding. We will also challenge our ability to focus and let go of areas in the body where we can let go of tension. This is challenging. If the hip raise is too much, keep the heels on the ground and raise the toes up.
Begin in your Mountain Pose
Inhale to a long spine
Exhale to hinge forward at the hip- spine stays long and the core is engaged
Hands can be resting on the thighs or palms together at heart center
On an inhale, lift one knee up as you stabilize through the opposite foot (it may be a inch or two)
Stay here for a breath or two as desired, or gently release the foot back to the ground on your exhale.
Be sure to relax the muscles in the face and jay and keep the shoulders relaxed down and away from the ears
Practice this on the other side and repeat 1-2 more times or as desired
Modification: Keep the feet on the floor and raise the toes of one or both feet up in the air, leaving the heels on the ground.
I hope that you enjoyed trying these chair core exercises. Let me know what you thought, or if there are other chair yoga poses that you would like to see different versions of in the comments below!
Want More Chair Yoga Poses?
You may be interested in some more tips on Chair Yoga And The Core here
Take a look at the 7 Day Chair Yoga Challenge for a gentle introduction to chair yoga
You may be interested in these other chair yoga poses:
If you are looking for some simple Planner Notebooks to help you plan your activity, you may be interested in these notebooks:
Visit The Peaceful Chair YouTube Channel for seated chair yoga videos.
I invite you to sign up for the Monthly Email Newsletter to stay up to date on the latest blog posts and chair yoga 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, thepeacefulchair.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.
Leave A Comment