Have you practised yoga before? You might think that you need to be super flexible to do yoga, but that isn’t true. Yoga is truly for everyone!
Everyday life can cause our bodies to become tight and stressed. Doing yoga poses is a great way to release this tension. It can also help promote the production of feel-good brain chemicals such as serotonin, endorphins and dopamine.
Chair yoga is a wonderful way to practise yoga poses. This makes it more accessible to a wide range of people. It is an excellent activity you can do almost anywhere: at school, at your desk while working, or even while travelling.
Remember that while doing yoga, you should always prioritise comfort over intensity. Only stretch as far as feels comfortable to you, and remember that yoga poses should never cause pain or discomfort to your body. As you hold each pose, take about five deep breaths to allow yourself to settle into the stretch.
When doing chair yoga, begin by sitting tall at the edge of your seat. The soles of your feet should be resting on the ground and spaced comfortably apart.
5 easy, kid-friendly yoga poses to keep you cool, calm and balanced in summer
Cat/Cow pose
This pose focuses on stretching your spine. Place your hands, palm down, on your thighs. As you breathe in, slide your hands back, bend your elbows towards your body and arch your spine as you look upwards to get into a cow pose.
As you breathe out, slide your hands forward, round your spine (this will feel like you are pulling your belly button in) and tuck your chin towards your chest for the cat pose. Focus on the movement of your spine as you do both poses and move slowly. Repeat this sequence as many times as it feels good for your body.
Seated forward fold
This is a great pose to stretch your lower back and send some fresh blood to the brain, giving you a nice boost of energy. Push your chair away from the table so that you have some space, and then bend forward slowly, resting your chest against your thighs. You can let your arms dangle or hold on to your legs or opposite elbows.
Pigeon pose
This is a stretch for your hips. Hug one of your knees in towards your chest and place the outside of the ankle on the opposite thigh. It can be placed higher or lower on your thigh, depending on what feels best for you. You may have sat like this before without realising that it’s also a yoga pose!
You can stay seated upright if you already feel enough stretch in this position or bend forward as far as feels comfortable for a deeper stretch, letting your arms dangle. Repeat with your other leg.
Tree pose
This pose is great for practising balance and focus. It is also an opportunity to stand up from your chair, but we will still use the chair for support.
Stand at the side of your chair. Bend the knee of the leg on the outside (the one furthest away from the chair) and place the sole of the foot on the inside of the other leg. Anywhere along the leg is fine. Use the hand closest to the chair to hold on to the back for support. You can also try this move without holding the chair. Repeat with your other leg.
You can practise these poses in order or make up your own to form a short yoga sequence. Either way, you’ll be giving yourself a movement break that’s great for both your mind and body.
