Chair Pose

About This Pose

Chair Pose is humbling. It looks like a simple squat with the arms raised, and in a flow sequence it goes by quickly. Held for five to eight breaths, it reveals exactly where your thighs are relative to where they need to be. Stand with feet hip-width apart or together. Inhale, lift the arms overhead. Exhale, sit back and down as if lowering toward an invisible chair behind you. The weight goes into the heels. The knees stay behind the toes. The torso leans slightly forward to counterbalance. The arms ideally reach alongside the ears. If the shoulders are tight or the lower back arches when the arms go fully overhead, keep a slight bend at the elbows or lower the arms to shoulder height. The depth of the squat depends on your strength and hip flexion range. Thighs parallel to the floor is the full expression. Getting halfway there and holding it is more honest and more useful than collapsing lower than you can control. Heels stay on the floor. If they rise, either the ankles are tight or the body is shifting forward. Focus the weight back. Chair Pose shows up in standing sequences, as a transition into forward folds and twists, and as a strength builder in its own right. People who do it consistently develop noticeably stronger thighs and a more stable pelvis.

How to Practice

1. 1

   Stand in Mountain Pose with feet together or hip-width apart.

2. 2

   On an inhale, sweep the arms overhead alongside the ears, palms facing each other.

3. 3

   On an exhale, bend the knees and lower the hips as if sitting back into an invisible chair.

4. 4

   Keep the knees tracking over the second toes — do not let them collapse inward.

5. 5

   Shift weight into the heels and keep the torso as upright as possible.

6. 6

   Hold for 5–10 breaths. To release, inhale to straighten the legs, then exhale and lower the arms.

Benefits

• Strengthens thighs, glutes, and core
• builds heat