5 Ocean Yoga Poses Using a Chair

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

For additional movement ideas, try these ocean gross motor activities to complement your ocean theme, or create a hands-on sensory experience with this Ocean Playdough Tray for quiet time after your yoga practice.

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

How to practice 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. Pretend to be a manta ray gliding through the ocean. Switch sides and repeat the steps.

Warrior 3 Pose with a chair | Kids Yoga Stories — Warrior 3 Pose

2. Forward Bend – Pretend to be a jellyfish

How to practice 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. Pretend your arms are a jellyfish’s dangling tentacles.

Seated forward Bend | Kids Yoga Stories — Forward Bend Pose

3. Cobra Pose – Pretend to be a whale

How to practice 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. Pretend to be a whale coming up for air.

chair yoga poses for kids | Kids Yoga Poses — Cobra Pose

4. Reverse Table Top Pose – Pretend to be a crab

How to practice 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. Pretend to be crab scuttling through the sand.

Reverse Table Top Pose with a chair | Kids Yoga Stories — Reverse Table Top Pose

5. Child’s Pose – Pretend to be a sea urchin

How to practice 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. Pretend to be a sea urchin with a spiny back.