Hi Friends! I hope you are well. I can’t believe it’s August already. My kiddo was in school late last year so I feel like we’re just hitting our summer stride, but it’s back to school time. In that vein, let’s break down one of my favorite yoga asanas today!

A lot of the poses I’ve covered in this series have been more advanced ones. Asanas that require a certain level of balance or trust in your own abilities to practice the standard pose. Chair pose is not that. It’s actually one of the more straightforward poses. There is some balance necessary, and it’s possible to amp that up, but it isn’t an undue amount. The strengthening benefits have a direct translation to our ability to age well, too.

Chair pose strengthens the entire lower body. It does this by forcing the body to hold steady in a seated posture without support other than the feet. The control necessary from the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes to maintain this position is huge. Additionally, there is a decent amount of input from the core, both the abdominals and back extensors, to keep the torso upright. The arms extended over the head also require strength from the shoulders.

Omitting the extended arms, the strength capabilities in the lower body can be a huge determinant of healthy aging. Getting up out of a seat and walking steadily are two of the biggest indicators of frailty. Both of these are directly influenced by leg strength and stamina. Getting up off the floor and walking up stairs add another dimension to this, which is where the core strength comes in. Long story short, if you want to assess someone’s lower body abilities, put them in Chair pose and check the time when they start to shake.

Steadier Base

I do find it amusing that the standard pose typically has the foot placement very close together. That’s a surefire way to make the pose more challenging balance wise. Depending on your individual anatomy, it can also shift the focus from the quads to the deep glutes and hip abductors which are smaller muscles. All of this to say, if you are worried about balance or feel this on the outside of your upper leg, open up your foot placement a bit.

You can also perform Chair pose against a wall. This is especially important if you have weak core muscles or balance issues. The wall essentially acts as a prop and because you can lean back, your center of mass will fall between your heels and the base of the wall making it much more stable.

Shoulder Options

I have TMJ and in many yoga poses where I am asked to extend my arms above my head, I can struggle. Some days I’m fine, other days, I can feel the tension in my shoulders and jaw. If you battle with anything similar, having different position options for your upper limbs is nice. You can bring your hands all the way in to prayer at your heart. You’ll get all the lower body benefits without pinching in your shoulders or neck. I like to open my arms out to the sides. It’s a nice middle ground, more challenging than prayer, but still keeps the tension off.

Lower Body Options

I’ve already covered taking a larger foot placement. If you want to practice holding the pose for time, you can also take a more shallow seat. Again, ideal placement is to get your thighs as close to parallel with the floor as possible. Most of us aren’t that flexible in the first place, and if we are, it does require strength to hold that for any length of time. A shallower bend at the knees will create less stress on the quads allowing you to hold the pose longer.

If you want to go ham and challenge balance and strength, you can rock a figure four Chair. Exhale down into the squat hold, then shift your weight slightly to one side. Pop the opposite foot on the base knee. Great for working towards pistol squats or Eagle pose. Or just looking really impressive.

Core Options

Again, Chair pose is fairly demanding for the core. If your core needs a bit more love, you can take the wall option. You can also practice by holding on to a chair, counter, or wall for balance.

If you’d like to challenge your core, you can add a rotation to the pose. Exhale and lower into the squat hold. Inhale and extend your arms out to the sides. Exhale and rotate so that your right hand reaches down to the floor and the left points to the ceiling. You can also replicate this in prayer by pointing your right elbow towards your right knee and left elbow to the sky. This is an option that you’ll need to practice twice (or split your time) so that both sides get the work.

Chair pose is a favorite for the dedicated work asked of your lower body. Again, the benefits for healthy aging speak for themselves. So next time you’ve got your mat out, spend a bit of time in Chair!

Until next time, move well friends!

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