How To Do the Chair Pose

  • December 5, 2007
  • 7,756 Views

joekulak from Joe Kulak (and 10 others)

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Remember how there was always one joker in school who pretended to sit on an invisible chair? That joker might just make an excellent yoga practitioner.

You Will Need

  • Comfortable clothing suitable for stretching and moving
  • A calm place where you won't be distracted or disturbed
  • A yoga mat or folded blanket
How To Do the Chair Pose: Stand at mat

Step 1: Stand at mat

Stand at the front of your mat with your feet hip-width apart and your weight evenly distributed between them, your spine erect, and your arms at your sides.

You may also start this pose with your feet and knees together for added support.

How To Do the Chair Pose: Transfer weight & reach up

Step 2: Transfer weight & reach up

Inhale, slowly sitting back as if sitting down in a chair, transferring your weight back into your hips and heels, while reaching your arms up overhead with your palms pressed together.

If it’s uncomfortable to keep your palms together overhead, keep your arms parallel to each other instead, with your palms facing in.

How To Do the Chair Pose: Expand chest

Step 3: Expand chest

Breathe evenly, sitting down further with each inhale, and lifting your chin to expand your chest and deepen your stretch.

How To Do the Chair Pose: Hold pose

Step 4: Hold pose

Hold the pose for 30 seconds to a minute, or as long as you can.

How To Do the Chair Pose: Release pose

Step 5: Release pose

Release the pose on an inhale by slowly straightening your legs and lowering your arms. Now the next time somebody tells you to ‘pull up a chair,’ you know what to do…

Also known as the Awkward Pose (for obvious reasons), this posture is beneficial to the arms, legs, and cardiovascular system.

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Comments (1)

qqieman

These are all rather odd. Why would you INHALE while deepening? Lengthen on the inhale, deepen on the exhale.

about 1 year ago by qqieman

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