The classic claim is that anyone can do yoga, and this is 100% accurate. All yoga poses have modifications and people with inflexibility, injuries, or limited mobility can all engage in specific yoga poses. In fact, you can perform a wide variety of yoga poses straight from a chair.

Everyone gets something out of yoga, but the people who benefit most are seniors. The reason for this is because elderly people use the brain’s two hemispheres more equally than younger people do. Why does this matter? This ability to use the brain’s two hemispheres equally helps establish a better mind-body connection, which is one of the focal points of yoga.

Now, every elderly person is not incapable of movement. Many seniors are in great physical shape and can practice intermediate to advanced yoga poses. When you cannot do those poses, chair yoga is greatly beneficial. Chair yoga is beneficial if:

• you want to start at the very beginner level
• you have balance issues
• you don’t want to hurt yourself with more advanced poses
• you have limited mobility

The following chair yoga poses offer the same benefits of regular yoga: reduced stress, pain, and improved flexibility. Try to practice the following chair poses for 15 minutes a day. Make sure to take gentle breaths throughout the sequence.

Chair Yoga Exercises

Seated Mountain Pose

During this pose, you must engage your core for it to be worth your while. You can come to this pose after each of the poses in this sequence to help re-center yourself. Sit up straight on your chair, plant your feet on the floor, and elongate your spine, trying to reach the crown of your head toward the ceiling. Take a deep breath in, hold for a few seconds, and then fully release your breath. Make sure your thighs are at a 90-degree angle, parallel to the floor. Hold in and tighten your lower abdominal muscles as you complete four more breaths.

Seated Cat-Cow Pose

This pose helps to loosen the spine and establish rhythmic breathing to control your flow. Sit upright in a chair and plant your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands either on your knees or on the sides of the chair by your hips. Inhale deeply and arch your spine while rolling your shoulders down and back. Try to touch your shoulder blades together before exhaling and rounding your spine, curling forward. Move back and forth between these two positions for five breaths.

Seated Child’s Pose

Child’s pose is a wonderfully relaxing pose, but it can be tough on your knees or ankles if you have any sort of pain in those joints. Doing child’s pose in the chair gets rid of that potential pain. Sit up straight and make sure your butt is all the way at the back of the seat. Slowly bend forward and wrap your arms under your hamstrings. You are essentially giving yourself a hug, cradling your face between your knees. Hold this pose for five deep breaths.

Seated Side Angle Pose

This pose helps you open up your shoulders and stretch your pectoral muscles. When you reach your arm up to the ceiling, fully extend through your fingers to get the most out of this pose. From the seated child’s pose, remain in the folded position and drop both of your palms to the floor. If you cannot do that, you can use yoga blocks for support. Widen your legs, open up to the right side, and extend your right arm up, reaching your towards the ceiling. Try your best to direct your gaze up as well. Hold this pose for three deep breaths and then repeat on the other side.

Seated Warrior II Pose

If you cannot support yourself in regular Warrior II pose, this is a great modification that offers the same benefits. Sit sideways on the chair so that your right side is touching the back of the chair. Keep your right foot planted on the ground while you swing your left leg around back, planting the sole of your foot on the ground. Inhale as you raise both arms above your head, and then exhale as you lower them so they are in line with your shoulders (see above photo). Direct your gaze toward your right hand and take three deep breaths. Repeat on the other side.

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With all the stress we dump on ourselves, in addition to sedentary lifestyles and the regular wear and tear of everyday life, our bodies become achy, tight, and sore. The average person deals with it, avoiding proper recovery methods that work to increase mobility and decrease tension. Yoga is one of the most readily available techniques to increase flexibility and give the body a break from being overworked. How many people take advantage of yoga, though?

When you think about yoga, the image that sticks in your mind is a beautiful, physically fit woman in tight clothing performing tree pose or downward dog. Advertisements, yoga tutorials, and more have made it abundantly clear that yoga is for fit women with perfect bodies, but buying into that nonsense is why most plus-size women avoid yoga classes. The beauty of yoga is that anyone, no matter the gender, shape, age, or size, can participate because there are modifications for each pose. Not every pose is about contorting your body into a pretzel.

Sure, it can be intimidating to enter a yoga class filled with these fit yoga goddesses in skin-tight athletic attire, but yoga is an individual experience, despite the group setting. Only do what you are comfortable doing, and don’t push the body into pain just to keep up with the others in the class. Statistically, more people are likely to injure themselves when they attempt yoga poses that they aren’t ready to perform. Doing a yoga pose incorrectly is one of the easiest ways to cause more damage to the body.

If you are a plus size woman who is hesitant about trying a yoga class, don’t be. Mainstream representation of “the ideal yoga body” is not a correct one because anyone can do yoga. Nonetheless, if you are shy about your curves, many online videos or classes exist. Follow along with these classes, or start with the five poses below. Don’t be afraid to reduce stress, tension, and pain in the body.

Standing Forward Bend

This is a great warm-up pose that helps to stretch out the hamstrings and lower back. Stand up straight with your feet hip-distance apart. Slowly bend forward, hinging at the hips, keeping your back as straight as possible. If you can reach the floor, fantastic! If you can’t reach the floor, do not worry because you can use a yoga block or chair to support yourself. Always remember to keep the back straight for maximum the hamstring stretch.

Pigeon Pose

Tight hips can lead to sharp pains at different areas in the body, and they are a common concern for many people who enter yoga classes. Pigeon pose is a great remedy for this, but it can be challenging on the front knee. Begin on the hands and knees, and slowly bend your right foot and bring it forward through your hands. Lean the outside of your leg on the ground and extend the left leg backward, toes facing down. If you are a beginner, place a chair in front of you, lean forward, and rest in this position for a few breaths. You can put a pillow under your right knee if it isn’t touching the floor. Repeat with the other leg.

Tree Pose

Increase your balance by practicing tree pose. Because tree pose can be difficult to do for beginners, and hard for people with knee pain, modify the position by standing straight up with your back against the wall, feet hip-distance apart. Bend your right knee slightly and bring your heel to touch the inside of your ankle, the ball of your right foot still on the mat. Your foot is almost like a kickstand in this position. Take a few breaths and then repeat with the other foot. Standing in this position gets you used to it, and you’ll be placing your entire foot on your inner calf and standing freely before you know it.

Camel Pose

Need to eliminate some back pain? Stretch out your chest and back by practicing camel pose. Start with your knees on the ground, about hip-distance apart, with your back straight. Slowly bend backward and grab your right ankle with your right hand before grabbing your left ankle with your left hand. Lift your chest towards the sky, arching your back and supporting yourself with your hands on your ankles. Take few breaths in this pose before returning to the starting position.

Reclined Big Toe

Start this pose by laying flat on your back. Bend your right knee toward your chest, leaving the left leg extended. Grab a towel or stretching band and strap it around the center of your right foot, holding onto either end of the band or towel. Slowly straighten your right leg towards the ceiling, keeping the bottom of your foot facing up. Pull on the towel or band to stretch your calf and hamstring. Remain in this position for a few breaths before returning to the starting position and repeating with the other leg.

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