How To Do Chair Pose

Chair strengthens the muscles in the legs and improves your posture. Chair is a standing pose that is for beginners and advanced yogis alike. While many yoga poses focus primarily on the stretching benefits, chair pose focuses in strengthening the muscles in the legs. If you are looking to tone your legs and improve your posture you should learn how to do Chair Pose.

Chair is a pose of strength. It is also a pose that teaches you better posture. The alignment of your back is an important part of the pose. When your back is kept long and straight, you improve your posture and strengthen your core. The deeper you sink, the more weight you want to put on your heels. This will help to focus the strength not only on the legs, but on the glutes as well.

There are many variations to Chair Pose. You can keep your arms reaching upward, as shown in our photo. You can bring your hands to prayer position and draw them to your chest. You can even practice balance and strengthen your calves by lifting your heels off the ground and practicing something called “Awkward Chair”. All variations of chair are excellent. Mix it up!

Here are the steps to performing Chair Pose:

1) Stand tall with legs together and inhale to reach arms straight up overhead.

2) As you exhale sit back over your heels until knees are at a 90 degree angle.

3) Pull hands in a prayer position into your chest as you slide your shoulder blades down. Hold 30 seconds, breathing.