5 Ocean Yoga Poses Using a Chair (+ Printable Poster)

Welcome back to our chair yoga poses series! This month’s theme features ocean yoga poses!

These five ocean-themed yoga poses could be done:

during a transition time in the classroom
during a subject change in your homeschool classroom
at home when you’re stuck indoors
when you would like to practice yoga in a small space

Begin your pretend visit to the ocean with Maria Explores the Ocean, a yoga book for young children featuring ocean animals. Imagine all the things you’ll see and do in the Pacific Ocean. Engage the children’s five senses as they bring the ocean to life with their minds and bodies.

Clear the space, grab a chair, practice barefoot, and unleash your imagination!

5 Ocean Yoga Poses Using a Chair

1. Warrior 3 Pose – Pretend to be a manta ray: 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. Pretend to be a manta ray gliding through the ocean. Switch sides and repeat the steps.
2. Forward Bend – Pretend to be a jellyfish: 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. Pretend your arms are a jellyfish’s dangling tentacles.
3. Cobra Pose – Pretend to be a whale: 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. Pretend to be a whale coming up for air.
4. Reverse Table Top Pose – Pretend to be a crab: 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. Pretend to be crab scuttling through the sand.
5. Child’s Pose – Pretend to be a sea urchin: 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. Pretend to be a sea urchin with a spiny back.

Buy chair yoga cards for kids here >>
Buy the chair yoga images here >>
See more yoga pose descriptions here >>

Download the Ocean Chair Yoga Poster

Ocean Yoga Book for Toddlers: Maria Explores the Ocean

Dive in to learn about Pacific Ocean animals through ocean yoga poses for kids!

Join Maria as she explores the ocean with her granddad. Glide like a manta ray, float like a jellyfish, and cruise like a parrotfish. Learn what’s under the water, act out ocean animals, and practice colors!

Kids Yoga Stories introduce you to engaging characters who will get your child laughing, moving, and creating. Reading is good for the mind AND body! The story links several yoga poses in a specific sequence to create a coherent and meaningful story.

This yoga book for toddlers and preschoolers (ages 2 to 5) is more than a storybook—it’s also a unique experience for children.

“Another great book by Giselle Shardlow!! Fun, energetic & colorful. Wonderful additions to children’s yoga classes. Love her series of books that mix yoga & great stories!” – Mara M.

Purchase your copy of Maria Explores the Ocean in paperback here, or PDF here.

Sample pages from Maria Explores the Ocean

Collection of Chair Yoga Ideas for Kids

Are you looking for easy chair yoga themes for your classroom or homeschool? Click below to see a list of ideas from our chair yoga series:

Collection of Chair Yoga Ideas for Kids

Get Updates from Kids Yoga Stories

To find out about other thematic yoga sequences, join our weekly Kids Yoga Stories newsletter by adding your name and email to the box at the top of the page.