Chair yoga is for everyone

Chair yoga looks like a workout for older adults with mobility issues, but experts say anyone can benefit. Divya Balakrishnan, a yoga instructor in New York City, says it meets you where you are.

“It is a practice that meets you where you are.”

How chair yoga started

A yoga teacher named Lakshmi Voelker first adapted yoga poses to a chair in 1982 to help a student with arthritis. Since then, instructors have found ways to adapt many traditional yoga movements.

What chair yoga looks like

Some chair yoga classes are done entirely seated, moving through modified yoga sequences. Others transition between sitting and standing while holding the chair back for balance, or do poses like downward dog with hands on…

The chair as a yoga prop

Jessica Pate, a Boston-based yoga teacher, says the chair works like a strap or blocks to increase accessible range of motion.

“Just like you would use a strap or blocks to increase the accessible range of motion or bring different awareness to the body, the chair can be used in a similar way.”

Physical benefits for older adults

Research on seated chair yoga found that practitioners improve their functional fitness and experience a decrease in how much pain interferes with daily life. Most research has focused on older adults with lower baseline fitness.

New benefits for experienced yogis

For experienced yogis, chair yoga offers new ways to explore familiar movements. When sitting, body weight distributes differently, making muscles engage in new ways. Jessica Pate says this brings fresh awareness to the body.

“For example, with Warrior 2, having the chair underneath my pelvis, I'm able to feel where my sit bones are.”

Chair yoga for desk workers

One group that might particularly benefit is people stuck sitting at a computer all day.Divya Balakrishnan says chair yoga is a lifesaver for desk workers.

“For anyone who works at a desk, it is a lifesaver.”

Why people love chair yoga

Chair yoga requires less commitment than traditional practice. You don't need to roll out a mat or get blocks. The low-key movement stretches tense muscles and gets blood flowing without feeling like a formal workout.

“You don't have that mental barrier of, 'Okay, let me get out of my chair, go roll out my yoga mat, go get my blocks.'”

Benefits across all fitness levels

Seated chair yoga may not build Olympic athlete-level strength and agility, but experts agree it offers plenty to anyone regardless of age or fitness level.Jules Mitchell says we all benefit from calming down and stretching.

“We all can benefit from calming down, observing our sensations in our body, and getting in a little bit of stretching.”