As our golden years roll around, we have time to enjoy the finer things in life. From exercise classes to catching up with friends, there are more opportunities to do what we love and try new things. We also get to focus more on our health.
Chair yoga for seniors is a great way to boost mobility and improve overall well being. While yoga may seem challenging, there are modifications you can make so that you can enjoy the benefits of stretching even if you’re a beginner. Here, we’ll show you the benefits of yoga for seniors and offer some of the best poses to get you started.
Health Benefits of Chair Yoga
Chair yoga offers a wide range of health benefits for seniors and anyone who has mobility issues. Whether you suffer from chronic pain, have a condition like arthritis, or are simply looking for ways to improve mobility, yoga is a great option. Gentle chair yoga and gentle yoga standing poses are low impact and can help strengthen your muscles and improve your mood.
The benefits of yoga include lower stress levels, reduced inflammation, and decreased pain. A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society examined the effects of chair yoga in seniors with osteoarthritis. The study consisted of 131 participants who attended chair yoga or a health education program. Participants that completed 45-minute chair yoga routines two times per week for eight weeks reported a significant reduction in pain and fatigue compared to a placebo group.
A small study published in the International Journal of Yoga also found that regular yoga practice may help to reduce falls in seniors. Researchers have also examined different yoga poses, known as asanas, to create a yoga program aimed at reducing falls and improving mobility.
As with most exercise routines, the benefits of yoga are most pronounced when it’s practiced regularly. Try to schedule time at least a few days per week to practice these chair yoga for seniors exercises.
What To Know Before Starting
You don’t have to be super flexible to get started with yoga. Chair yoga in particular is easy for beginners to grasp, and it tends to be less intense compared to more advanced standing yoga exercises. Here are a few things to keep in mind before joining a senior chair yoga class or practicing yoga poses at home.
Discuss It With Your Doctor
It’s always a good idea to consult your doctor before starting an exercise program. Your physician can help you determine if you should avoid particular exercises or modify movements for pain or joint disorders. In general, yoga is considered safe for most older adults, though it’s important to know your limits and discuss a program with your doctor before starting.
Work at Your Own Pace
It’s important to work at your own pace and within your limitations. If you join a yoga class, you’ll likely be in a group with people of different skill levels. It’s ok to push yourself a little, but be mindful not to hurt yourself. If you’re in a pose and start to feel pain, back out of it slowly until the pain subsides. Some days you may feel more flexible or strong than others, so keep this in mind even when practicing familiar poses.
Most yoga poses can be modified to take into account joint pain and skill levels. Ask the yoga teacher for help before class or during a session if you want tips on how to modify a pose that may be hard for you.
Be Mindful of Balance
For chair yoga, balance isn’t as important as standing poses. However, you may still experience dizziness or a loss of balance when practicing some chair yoga poses. You can try practicing balance exercises for seniors to improve your balance, and thus, your ability to do other yoga poses. You can also have a friend or family member with you when you attempt your first few chair yoga sessions to monitor your balance and prevent falls.
Make sure to use a sturdy chair when practicing chair yoga. Chairs that have arms on the side may be useful when you need to stand up and sit down, but the arms may also get in the way of some yoga poses. If you feel stable enough, try using a chair without arms. If not, be aware of the chair arms when moving in and out of yoga poses.
Decide How To Practice
Depending on where you live, you may be able to find senior chair yoga classes. In-person classes are a great way to socialize with friends and community members, and you can get one-on-one help with different yoga positions. Some senior centers and groups, like the Salvation Army, host senior exercise classes. Due to the current COVID pandemic, it’s a better idea to practice yoga at home and avoid group gatherings whenever possible. But once group exercise is safe again, you can call your local senior center or search online to find options in your area.
If you can’t find classes or prefer to stay home, you can do chair yoga poses in the comfort of your living room or bedroom. You can find phone and computer apps for chair yoga classes or search Youtube for chair yoga videos such as those from Yoga Vista Academy and Yoga With Adrienne.
Chair Yoga for Seniors: 7 Poses To Try
Whether you’re heading to a yoga class or trying some poses out at home, these yoga exercises are a great place to start. We begin with simple exercises and work up to more advanced poses, offering modifications along the way to help increase the stretch or reduce the difficulty level. Here are seven of the best chair yoga poses seniors should try.
1. Seated Mountain
Known as Tadasana, this is one of the beginning poses yoga students learn. It can be performed sitting down or standing up to add a degree of difficulty. Check out this Seated Mountain tutorial for a visual demonstration of how to do the exercise.
You'll start by sitting in a chair with your back straight and your feet planted on the floor. Take a deep breath in, focusing on lengthening your spine and extending your feet into the floor like the roots of a tree. As you exhale, draw your belly button in and roll your shoulders back and downward.
Repeat three to four times or come back to this pose in between exercises if you need a break. For added stretch, you can twist and look over your right shoulder and left shoulder to loosen your back muscles.
2. Seated Forward Bend
To perform this yoga move, start again in Seated Mountain pose. You can follow along with this tutorial. Inhale and sit up tall, then exhale and slowly bend forward over your thighs.
Keep your arms at your sides to engage your core muscles for added difficulty or place your hands on your thighs and then shin bones as you bend forward. This will help make the movement easier and offer you greater control in case you need to take a break or back out of the pose. Stay in the forward bend position for three to five breaths and then slowly return to Seated Mountain pose.
3. Seated Eagle Pose
Eagle pose is a yoga move that can be performed standing or sitting. This Seated Eagle Pose tutorial will help guide you through or the chair yoga version.
Start again in Seated Mountain pose. Cross your right ankle over your left ankle. Bring your arms straight out to your sides and cross your left arm on top of your right arm. Bend your arms up so your hands are pointed at the ceiling.
You can keep the backs of your hands together or cross them so they are palm to palm for an added stretch. Hold the pose for a few moments, inhaling and exhaling deeply. Gently untangle your arms and hands and place them on your thighs to rest. Repeat the pose a few times to increase arm movement and loosen tight muscles.
4. Seated Cat-Cow Pose
The seated cat-cow stretch helps to reduce back pain and improve mobility. Like in this tutorial, you'll start in a seated position and exhale, gently rounding your back toward the back of the chair. To do this, focus on dropping back toward your tail bone rather than folding forwards like in a forward bend. Let your head drop and face toward your lap.
Enjoy the stretch for a few breaths and then breathe in and lengthen your spine, moving your head to gaze toward the ceiling. Your chest should move forward toward the wall in front of you, and you’ll feel your weight shift more to your thighs. Hold for a few seconds and repeat the sequence three to four times.
5. Seated Pigeon Pose
Seated pigeon pose helps to improve posture and can help relieve pain associated with sitting in one position for a long period of time. It helps to release tension in the hips and the lower back. Check out this Seated Pigeon Pose tutorial to master the move.
Take your right ankle and place it on top of your left knee. Keep your right foot flexed to protect your right knee. You can also place your right hand under your right knee to offer additional support.
Take a deep breath in and sit upright. Then exhale and gently lower your upper body over your legs. For an extra stretch, drop your head toward the floor. Hold the pose for three to five breaths, and then slowly release by coming back to an upright position and placing your feet on the floor. Repeat on the left side and do the sequence two or three times.
6. Warrior One Pose
This pose takes a Seated Mountain pose and adds in arm movement to get the blood flowing. This time, as you inhale, bring your arms out to the sides and straight them up over your head. Hold them here for five deep breaths. You can interlock your fingers for added support. Make sure to keep your head level with the ground and your eyes gazing forward, not up. Bring your arms back down to your sides as you exhale.
As you get more comfortable you can straddle the chair and move into a standing pose. You’ll still have most of your body weight on the chair so you can worry less about balance. Here’s a great tutorial that will help you progress through the warrior one chair yoga pose.
7. Seated Side Angle Pose
This is a more advanced chair yoga pose and should only be completed if you feel comfortable having half of your weight on the chair and half off. The pose sounds complicated, but this tutorial is a great aid when getting started.
For seated side angle pose, start with your right thigh and butt on the chair. You should be sitting sideways on the chair for this one. Your left leg should be at a 90-degree angle, not on the chair. Keep your right foot directly beneath your right knee. Your left knee can be over your right foot for the easiest way of doing this pose. For added difficulty, you can move your left leg straight out or even slightly behind you.
While your right leg is facing sideways, turn your hips so that they face the front of the chair. Bring your arms straight out to your sides and slowly lengthen directly over your right leg. Place your right elbow on your right thigh. Gently raise your left arm over your left ear pointing your left hand in the direction of your right leg but toward the ceiling. Look under your arm toward the ceiling and hold for a few breaths. Repeat on the other side and do the sequence three to four times.
Sit Back, Relax, and Enjoy Your Golden Years
While traditional yoga with its elaborate bends and conditions may be difficult for many seniors, chair yoga is a great alternative. Chair yoga is an excellent way for seniors to improve mobility and reduce pain in both the lower body and upper body. These exercises can be modified to make them easier or more challenging to suit a variety of fitness levels.
Regular exercise is only one part of your overall well-being. As we enter our golden years, it’s also important to stay connected. Taking local chair yoga for seniors classes in non-pandemic times is one way to make new friends and spend time with old friends. Looking for other ways to exercise? Check out our guides on core exercises, tai chi, and chair exercises for seniors.
Another great way to stay connected is to use Snug. The free daily check-in service is designed for people who live alone. The app checks in on you every day and offers motivational quotes to set the tone for your day. If you miss a checkin, the app will notify your emergency contacts so you can get help when you need it.