Chair Yoga for Strength & Recovery
The movement trains both phases of strength: eccentric control as you lower, and concentric effort as you rise. It works through the legs, hips, and core in a way that builds capacity for other poses as recovery improves.
Raising the arms makes it far more effective. You’re no longer just changing height; you’re asking the shoulders, deep abdominal muscles, and spinal muscles to join the work. This turns the action into whole-body, functional strength - the kind that supports everyday tasks, not just exercise.
Practised consistently, this gentle sequence helps prepare the body for lifting its own weight off the floor, a skill increasingly recognised as a marker of long-term strength and independence.
Sitting down and standing up may look simple, but it is, in fact, an essential strength exercise. In chair yoga, we treat it as a dynamic pose. When you move with the breath, it becomes especially valuable for anyone rebuilding stamina after illness - and just as useful for those already well.
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