Chair yoga can be an excellent way to reap the benefits of floor- or mat-based yoga, whether you’re recovering from cancer treatment and have physical limitations or are sitting at your desk and want to add some movement to your day.

“Chair yoga is almost identical to yoga with standing and floor poses,” says Mary Beth Kealy, MSN, APNC, CCIT, E-RYT, a yoga instructor at Cancer Wellness at Piedmont. “Yoga is nearly all mental. The difference in physical movements doesn’t change the positive effects of a yoga practice.”

Chair yoga poses

“In chair yoga, we use a chair for seated poses and for stability and balance when moving into standing poses,” says Kealy.

Any yoga posture can be reconfigured to work in a chair. One of her favorite postures is seated pigeon, which stretches the hip muscles. In seated pigeon, you cross one ankle over the thigh of your other leg into a figure-four position. With a long spine, ease your body forward to feel a stretch in your hip.

“We also do a flowing posture sequence with vinyasa and can really get a cardio effect,” says Kealy. “We’ll flow through warrior II, reverse warrior, triangle and side angle pose, all while seated.”

Chair yoga also utilizes a chair for standing poses.

“We sometimes do upward- and downward-facing dog poses standing behind the chair with the chair anchored against a wall and a yoga mat underneath the chair for stability,” she says. “This allows us to bend at the hips to get a spine and hip stretch.”

Chair yoga can be as relaxing or challenging as you’d like it to be. Some participants use it only for relaxation, while others move more quickly to get a cardiovascular workout. 

Who is a good candidate for chair yoga?

Chair yoga is for everyone, emphasizes Kealy. But it’s particularly beneficial for cancer survivors or people in treatment because it provides modifications for issues that come up during the cancer journey, such as:

• Neuropathy (numbness or tingling) in the hands and feet

• High or low blood pressure

• Scar tissue

• Pain from surgery or other treatments

• Fatigue

• Insomnia

Be sure to get the OK from your oncologist before starting a yoga practice or any new form of exercise.

“Chair yoga takes away the balance concerns that come with neuropathy,” she says. “If you can’t feel your feet, it can be hard to balance. In yoga, we do all kinds of movements with the arms and torso, but if you’re not steady on your feet, you won’t get anything out of it other than tension. Yoga is all about release and relaxation, connecting to your mind, body and spirit. Chair yoga helps with that.”

Chair yoga also takes pressure off post-surgical areas, such as the chest and shoulders.

“If you have scar tissue in your chest and shoulders, you probably don’t want to be on your hands and knees doing cat/cow pose if your body is hurting,” says Kealy. “Chair yoga allows you to receive all the rewards of yoga practice in comfort.”

The practice also removes the fear factor that prevents participants from enjoying yoga.

“It gives you the confidence to practice yoga without the concern for physical limitations,” she says. “It gives you a chance to deep-dive into the self-exploration that yoga is all about.”

Kealy tells her class participants, “Even if you can’t do something right now, just visualize yourself doing the pose. It still has benefits. Your mind and body are still connecting to the movement even if you’re not physically doing it.”

The mind-body benefits of chair yoga

As with other forms of yoga, the benefits of chair yoga are multifaceted. Here are a few Kealy describes:

• Practicing yoga allows you to tune into your mental and physical needs and develop a more positive relationship with yourself.

• The practice is completely individualized for you at that moment in time.

• Yoga has a culture of nonjudgment and noncompetition. It allows you to turn off your inner critic and experience the here and now.

• Yoga allows self-awareness to grow. She finds it often inspires people to live a more healthful lifestyle.

• It’s a chance to step away from the stressors of the outside world.

• Chair yoga classes provide a sense of community.

“I’ve been teaching yoga for more than 10 years and chair yoga is one of my favorite classes to teach,” she says. “Chair yoga is great to do with other yoga practices as well. You don’t have to do only chair or floor yoga. All sessions focus on breathwork, movement and relaxation.”

See more fun, feel-good ways to get moving.