Search icon

Sponsored

08th Apr 2020

This chair yoga is great for those of us who spend a lot of time at a desk

Brian Dillon

Pilates teacher Caoimhe O'Dwyer showing us her simple chair yoga routine

If you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk, then we would definitely recommend this quick chair yoga routine.

Even when we’re not working from home, many of us spend eight to ten hours per day sitting at a desk. So it’s no surprise that it can have some lasting damaging effects on our bodies.

We have once again teamed up with VITHIT to bring you another fab home workout. This time, it’s chair yoga.

VITHIT is a low sugar, low calorie health drink filled with 100% RDA of your daily vitamins and health boosting teas.

Pilates instructor Caoimhe O’Dwyer shows us exactly how it’s done.

Sit up nice and tall. Tuck your tailbone under, tilting the pelvis backwards to get a nice lengthening in the lower back.

Sit tall again, tilting your pelvis forwards, creating an arch in the lower back.  Repeat that a couple more times to bring a bit of movement into the lumbar spine.

From there, begin to create circles. Make sure this movement is coming from the pelvis. The repeat in the opposite direction.

Let your left arm drop down and bring your right arm up to sit tall and move into a side bend. Your neck should move freely while doing this. Switch sides, exhaling as you bend. Go for a couple more of these.

Pilates teacher Caoimhe O'Dwyer showing us her simple chair yoga routine

Pilates teacher Caoimhe O'Dwyer showing us her simple chair yoga routine

Next in this chair yoga, you’re going to turn your body and bring your left hand onto the right side of the chair and your right hand on the back. Then repeat on the opposite side, looking behind you. Do two more of these.

Pilates instructor turning around on a chair during chair yoga

Pilates instructor turning around on a chair during chair yoga

Stand up and place your left foot up onto your chair. Tuck your tailbone under and squeeze your back glute. Imagine there’s a string in front of your pelvis pulling you forward slightly. Come in and out of that movement ten times to release tension in the hip flexors.

Then, go for ten on the other side.

Caoimhe O'Dwyer stretching her leg on a chair during chair yoga

Caoimhe O'Dwyer stretching her leg on a chair during chair yoga

For the last stretch in this chair yoga routine, you’re going to place your hands on the back of the chair and walk out and open up through the hamstrings and the back. Allow your belly button and your ribs to fall to the floor but keeping your neck nice and long with your nose parallel to the floor.

Begin the repeated movement of arching your back then letting your stomach drop to the floor, keeping your legs nice and straight. If you don’t have the mobility, you can bend through the knees slightly.

Caoimhe O'Dwyer stretching to finish off her chair yoga routine

Caoimhe O'Dwyer stretching to finish off her chair yoga routine

This chair yoga quick routine is super effective when done a couple of times a day.

We have teamed up VITHIT to bring you a whole series of great home workouts like this one.

For a class couple’s workout you can do when at home with bar, head here. Or, for a super simple and high-intensity workout to work up a sweat at home, head here.

READ NEXT: Here’s a quick pilates routine to do when taking a break from your desk

Topics: