Below is a list of basic chair yoga poses, which are ancient yoga poses that have been adapted to practice using a chair. These chair yoga poses could be used in your classroom, homeschool, or in a small space for transitions, movement breaks, or for introducing a new topic. The postures serve as an inspiration guide, but please encourage the children’s creativity.
Find all these chair yoga poses in our Chair Yoga Card Decks here. You can choose either the instantly-downloadable digital or physical version.
Yoga poses for kids often mimic our natural surroundings and may be interpreted in different ways that will integrate into your curriculum to build meaningful learning connections for your students. Practice the yoga poses to stretch their bodies after sitting for a long time or to energize their minds and bodies for learning. Some things to consider when you are practicing chair yoga with your children:
- Feel free to adapt or change the chair yoga poses to suit your needs.
- Focus on having fun with movement, not on practicing perfectly aligned poses.
- Engage the children. Follow their passions and interests.
- Create authentic, meaningful experiences.
- Cater to their energy levels and different learning styles.
- Be creative and enjoy yourselves, but please be safe.
- Ensure that the chairs are firm and steady so that the poses are safe to practice.
- Gently introduce the idea of linking breath to movement.
- Add breathing techniques that suit your needs.
- Finish each chair yoga session in a resting pose to allow time for peace and quiet.
Our Kids Yoga Stories characters, Sophia, Luke, Elizabeth, Baraka, Pablo, Mai, and Anamika, demonstrate the chair yoga poses in the list below, proceeded by the yoga pose name and descriptions.
GET 3 YOGA POSTERS HERE:
A List of 40 Chair Yoga Poses for Kids:
Boat Pose:
Balance on your buttocks with your arms and legs straight out in front of you in a V shape, grasping the sides of the chair for balance. Keep a straight spine and open chest.
Camel Pose:
Come to a sitting position, with your feet flat on the ground and your legs together. Lift your head, open your chest, squeeze your shoulders, and place your hands on your back of the chair. Gently press your hips forward while shifting your shoulders back, slowly arching your back. Look up, keeping your spine neutral.
Cat Pose:
From a sitting position with your feet flat on the ground, round your back and tuck your chin into your chest, stretching your back.
Chair Pose:
In front of your seat, stand tall in Mountain Pose with your feet hip-width apart, bend your knees, and keep a straight spine. Take your straight arms up in front of you, look up, and try sinking a little deeper into your knees as if you’re about to sit back down in the chair.
Child’s Pose:
Sit back on your chair, slowly bend your upper body to rest on your thighs, rest your arms down towards the floor, and take a few deep breaths.
Cobbler’s Pose:
Come to sit in your seat. Bring your legs up on the front of the chair, with the soles of your feet together. Keep a tall spine.
Cobra Pose:
Come to sit at the front of your chair. Open your chest, squeeze your shoulder blades together, look up, and bring your hands to the back of the chair. Arch into a baby back bend.
Cow Pose:
Sit at the front of your chair, with your feet flat on the ground. Place your palms on your knees and take a deep breath to neutralize your spine. Then look up slightly, arch your back, and open your chest.
Crescent Moon Pose:
Sit comfortably on your chair with your feet firmly planted on the ground. Reach your arms up high over your head, bringing your palms together. Tilt your upper body to one side. Come back to center. Tilt your body to the other side.
Dancer’s Pose:
Stand tall in Mountain Pose behind your chair. Then grab the back of your chair with your right hand, stand on your right leg, reach your left leg out behind you, and place the outside of your left foot into your left hand. Bend your torso forward, with your right hand on the chair for balance, and arch your leg up behind you. Switch sides and repeat the steps.
Downward-Facing Dog Pose:
Come to standing just in front of your chair, facing the chair. Place your hands flat on the front of the chair and slowly step back so that your arms are stretched out straight in front of you. Straighten your spine, ensure your legs are hip-width distance apart, and look down between your legs.
Eagle Pose:
Come to sitting up tall on your chair with your feet firmly planted on the ground. Wrap your left leg around your right. Bring your bent arms out in front of you, wrap your right arm around your left arm, and bend your knees slightly. Switch sides and repeat the steps.
Easy Pose:
Sit cross-legged on your chair and rest your palms on your knees. Close your eyes, if you are comfortable doing so.
Extended Mountain Pose:
Sit comfortably on your chair with your feet flat on the ground, look up, take your arms straight up to the sky, and touch your palms together.
Extended Side Angle Pose:
Sit towards the front of your chair with your feet flat on the ground with your legs and feet together. Tilt your upper body forward, then twist to the right, rest your left elbow on your right knee, lengthening your left hand towards the ground. Look up and reach your right arm straight up to the sky. Repeat on the other side.
Flower Pose:
Come to sit on your buttocks with a tall spine on the chair. Lift your bent legs, balance on your sitting bones, and weave your arms under your legs with your palms facing up.
Forward Bend:
Perch at the front of your chair with your legs stretched out in front of you. Place your feet hip-width apart, and flex your feet to rest your heels on the ground. Slowly bend your upper body (ensuring that your chair is stable and reach for your toes. Keep a straight spine and look down at your toes.
Happy Baby Pose:
Sit at the back of your seat and shift to balancing on your buttocks. Lift your legs up, hug your knees into your chest, and then grab the outer parts of each foot—right foot in right hand and left foot in left hand.
Hero Pose:
Come to rest upright on your seat with your palms resting on your knees. Close your eyes (if that’s comfortable). Breathe deeply.
Knee to Chest Pose:
Sit tall on your seat with your feet flat on the ground. Bend your right knee and hug it close to your chest. Then place it down again. Switch sides and repeat the steps.
Legs Up the Chair Pose:
Lie flat on your back in front of your chair. Then slowly lift your legs and place them on your seat. Keeping your legs together, flex your feet. Spread your arms out to either side and keep your neck in a neutral position. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.
Lotus Pose:
Sit with a tall spine at the back of your chair. Then, cross your legs, weave your feet to rest on top of opposite knees, and rest the palms of your hands on your knees. Relax and breathe.
Lunge Pose:
Stand in front of your chair, then bend over and grab the front of the chair with both hands. Step your right foot back into a lunge position. Keep a flat back and open your chest. Hold for a few breaths, then bring your right foot back up to meet the left foot. Switch sides and repeat the steps.
Mountain Pose:
Sit tall with your legs hip-width apart and feet facing forward. Take your arms straight alongside your body and imagine being a steady, tall mountain.
Pigeon Pose:
Sit tall with your feet flat on the ground. Bend your right leg and place your right ankle on your left knee. Place your left hand on your right foot and your right hand on your right knee. Switch sides and repeat the steps.
Plank Pose:
From Downward-Facing Dog Pose in a chair, come forward to balance on your palms and on your bent toes in a plank position. Keep your arms straight and your back long and flat.
Resting Pose:
Sit comfortably in your chair. Rest your forehead on your folded arms on your desk. Rest and breathe.
Reverse Plank Pose:
Sit at the front of your chair, look up, open your chest, and place your hands at the back of your chair. Ensuring that the chair is steady, slowly lift your buttocks to a reverse plank position with your legs and spine straight and feet flat on the ground.
Reverse Table Top Pose:
Sit at the front of your chair, look up, open your chest, and place your hands at the back of your chair. Ensuring that the chair is steady, slowly lift your buttocks to a reverse table top position with bent legs.
Seated Twist:
Sit upright in your chair. Check that your spine is straight and your feet are flat on the ground. Twist your upper body to the right. Take your left hand to your right knee and your right hand back behind the chair. Repeat on the other side.
Side Bend:
Sit tall on your chair with your feet flat on the ground and your palms on your knees. Then take your left arm straight up to the sky. Tilt your upper body to the right and place your right hand on the chair. Open your chest, look up, and feel the gentle stretch on your left side body. Come back to center. Switch sides and repeat the sides.
Squat Pose:
Come down to a squat in front of your chair with your knees apart and your arms between your knees.
Tree Pose:
Come to standing next to your chair. Holding on to the chair with one hand, shift your weight and balance on one leg. Bend the knee of the leg you are not standing on, place the sole of your foot on the opposite inner thigh or calf, and balance. Sway like a tree in the breeze. Switch sides and repeat the steps.
Triangle Forward Bend:
Stand tall with legs hip-width apart in front of your chair, feet facing forward, and straighten your arms alongside your body. Take your right foot back, keeping your ankle bent at a thirty-degree angle. Place your hands on the front of the chair, ensuring that your back is flat and that you are looking straight ahead. Then slowly bend forward as if your hips are a hinge, keeping a flat back and a long neck. Check that your spine is straight. Repeat on the other side.
Triangle Pose:
From a standing position in front of your chair, step one foot back, placing the foot facing slightly outwards. Take your arms up parallel to the ground, bend at your waist, and tilt your upper body to the side. Reach your front hand to gently rest on your chair behind you and reach your other arm straight up. Switch sides and repeat the steps.
Upward-Facing Dog Pose:
Stand in front of your chair. Bend down and grab the sides of your chair with your hands. Step your feet back so that your body is a long plank and you’re resting on your toes. Then straighten your arms and expand your chest. Look up, keeping your neck neutral, and feel a gentle back bend.
Warrior 1 Pose:
Stand tall with legs hip-width apart, feet facing forward, and straighten your arms alongside your body. Step one foot back, angling it slightly outward. Bend your front knee, bring your arms straight up toward the sky, and look up. Use the chair for support under your front leg if necessary. Repeat on the other side.
Warrior 2 Pose:
From standing position in front of your chair, step one foot back, placing the foot so that it is facing slightly outward. Take your arms up parallel to the ground, bend your front knee, and look forward. Switch sides and repeat the steps.
Warrior 3 Pose:
Stand on one leg with your arms straight out in front of you, holding the back of the chair. Extend the other leg behind you, flexing your foot. Bend your torso forward. Switch sides and repeat the steps.
Wide-Legged Forward Bend:
Stand tall with legs hip-width apart in front of your chair, feet facing forward, and straighten your arms alongside your body. Then, step your feet out wide, bend your upper body, and take your hands to the back of the chair. Bend your arms and rest your forehead on the front of your chair. Feel the gentle stretch in your legs.
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