Get the benefits of yoga without getting overheated or even leaving your home.
Whether you can’t easily get down to the floor or you simply prefer the comfort of being seated on a chair, chair yoga is a great way to get the stretching, strengthening, and relaxation benefits of a yoga practice.
Chair yoga can be done in any home or office chair or in a wheelchair, and it’s especially valuable for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) because not only does it reduce stress, but it also allows you to exercise without overheating or getting fatigued, says Leslie Kazadi, a certified yoga therapist who teaches around Los Angeles and online.
Kazadi developed this six-pose practice (which she models) for Everyday Health expressly for people with MS. You can do the whole series in one session or pick one pose each day. (A video class of the series, with additional poses, is also available on the subscription website YogisAnonymous.)
You don’t have to do a pose perfectly to get its benefits. You can also rest between poses by sliding back in your chair until your spine is supported by it.
Cat/Cow Pose
Begin by sitting on a chair with your buttocks far enough forward on the seat so your thighs are off the chair. Keep your back straight and your feet hip distance apart, heels directly under your knees with your toes pointing forward. Place your hands on the tops of your thighs.
Inhale and press your hands into your thighs.
Exhale and slide your hands toward your knees while you press your navel back toward your spine. Let your head and shoulders drop forward, rounding your spine. (This is the cat.)
Inhale, press your feet into the floor, and lift your chest and eyes to the sky, slightly arching your back. (This is the cow.) For more stability, you can shift your hands before starting this inhale to the sides of the chair, next to your body, and then squeeze the chair seat as you inhale.
Exhale, returning to the cat position.
Continue for five rounds. Then sit in stillness for five additional breaths to feel the effects of the pose.
Rising Chair Pose
Roll up a towel and place it between your thighs. Slide your hips as far forward on the chair as possible while keeping your heels firmly on the floor. Raise your arms in front of you until they are at shoulder height. Keep your spine neutral and lean your torso forward from the hips, putting a little weight on your feet.
Inhale and press your feet strongly into the floor while you lift your hips a few inches off the chair, keeping the towel in position. (If you can’t get off the chair, simply place your hands on your thighs and press down on them as you slightly raise your hips.)
Exhale, hugging the towel with your inner thighs, and slowly sit back into the chair. Relax your hips so that you sit tall with a neutral spine.
Continue for five rounds. Then sit in stillness for five additional breaths.
If you want a greater challenge, try lifting your arms overhead instead of out front. When you inhale, come all the way to a standing position
Maintain a neutral spine throughout this exercise (avoid rounding your back). Begin by holding the chair seat on both sides of your hips.
Inhale and press both feet into the floor as you lift your chest.
- As you exhale, grasp the back of one thigh with both hands and lift the foot a few inches off the floor (as if you’re marching).
Inhale and return the foot to the floor and hands to the chair or to your thighs.
Repeat with the other leg and continue by alternating legs for five rounds. Then sit in stillness for five additional breaths.
If you want more of a challenge, once your leg is lifted, inhale and extend the foot forward without dropping the knee. Exhale and bend it back. Then inhale and return the foot to the floor.
Extended Side Angle Pose
Grasp the sides of the chair seat for stability. Keeping your left knee bent, walk your left foot along the floor to the left of the left chair leg, as far as you comfortably can, keeping your ankle under your knee and your knee facing the same direction as your toes.
Then move your right leg to the right, straightening it as much as possible and turning your right foot slightly to the left for stability. Keep your right foot pressed firmly into the floor. (If this is too uncomfortable for your hip, keep the right leg in front of you, foot facing forward.)
Lean your torso toward your bent left knee, keeping both sides of your waist long. Place your left hand (or, if you are more flexible, your left forearm) on your left thigh. Place your right hand on the outside of your right leg.
Inhale and sweep your right arm in a semicircle toward the floor, across your chest, and up over your head. Reach through your right fingertips as you stretch your right side, imagining a line of energy running from your leg to your fingers.
Exhale, reversing the arm sweep until your right hand returns to your leg. Gently pull your navel back and slightly raise your chest upward.
Continue for three rounds, and then change sides and repeat the sequence. Sit in stillness for five additional breaths.
