#CHAIR YOGA SEQUENCES FREE#

Sit in your chosen chair –– any chair will do. Similar to standing Tadasana, it not only provides you with a home base but is great for establishing improved posture.

#CHAIR YOGA SEQUENCES FREE#

These instructions are suggestions, feel free to adapt and modify as needed! As always, the poses should be adjusted to serve your unique body and circumstances, not the other way round.

This blog is dedicated to accessible and seated chair yoga poses and sequencing. You can invert, backbend and arm balance on chairs too! These distinctions are important, as not as all yoga with a chair is accessible. More recently, chair yoga has been integrated into and evolved to become a key aspect of Accessible Yoga, with Jivana Heyman being the most influential practitioner in this realm.Ĭhair yoga refers to a seated and accessible style of yoga, however, it is sometimes used to describe asana where a chair is incorporated, such as is the case with Iyengar yoga. Iyengar yoga is famed for its use of props, including chairs and stools, to deepen and develop asana. However, its origins most probably lie with yoga practitioner B. She began developing chair sequences and poses for students with limited mobility and for whom floor-based yoga asana were no longer possible. It’s never easy to get to the root of yoga styles and asana, but the term Chair Yoga was likely coined by Lakshmi Voelker-Binder in the US in the 1980s. Modules on our 300-hour program can be taken as stand-alone workshops, so keep an eye our calendar for the next Teaching Inclusive Asana module. If you are interested in Chair Yoga trainings, both our 300-hour program and 200-hour program include Chair and Accessible yoga modules. However, it has grown increasingly popular recently as a counterbalance to deskbound lifestyles. It is also excellent for joint mobility work and a gentle way to improve overall physical posture.Ĭhair yoga was originally popularised for older people, people who experience limited mobility, are physically disabled, and neurodiverse populations who benefit from the support, movements and sequencing unique to chair yoga. Traditional yoga asana, such as sun salutations, standing, seated and reclined poses, can all be adapted for chair yoga. If you would like more guidance on making this practice accessible, we have missed something, or you have any questions drop us a comment –– we love hearing from you and really do mean it when we say yoga is for everybody!Ĭhair yoga is yoga that is practiced primarily whilst seated in a chair, and is widely recognised for its accessibility. We were also pretty tired of all the generic teaching instructions and guides floating around the internet that aren’t inclusive, accessible or adaptable in any way. We were inspired to make these guides to support your own yoga practise and as a resource for teachers who want to make their classes more accessible. The good news is that there are a range of simple yoga poses you can do at home that target each of the four primary directions of hip movement, with modifications for all levels.This is part of Nourish’s Yoga Practise Guide Library. New York City-based yoga teacher Amanda McDonald agrees that tight hips are a widespread issue: “Hip openers are actually the most-requested moves in my yoga classes.” If you fail to move in certain directions that open up the hips, you’ll reduce your range of motion over time, she says.

“This combination negatively affects our ability to walk, maintain proper posture, and the stability of our spine.” In 2017, a study published in The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons found that hip joint injuries account for about 6% of all sports injuries-and they’re becoming more common by the year. “For people who sit a long time at work, the hip flexors and rotators become tight, and the gluteal muscles become weak,” Danoff says. Tight hips are a common issue, says Rob Danoff, director of family and emergency medicine residency programs at Aria Health in Philadelphia. If your toes point outward rather than straight ahead, your hip muscles are probably overworked and need to be stretched. Wondering if you have tight hips? Here's a simple test: Stand up and look down at your feet. Stiff hips can even shorten your stride, slowing your 5K goal time! But for some people, tight hips make themselves known all throughout the day, whether you’re walking to the bathroom, sitting on the couch, or climbing into bed. If you’re lucky, you won’t notice your hips are tight until you’re trying to do the Half Pigeon pose in your yoga class.

Chair yoga sequences