In a world where people spend an awful amount of time staring at screens and having poor posture for hours together, simply getting down on the yoga mat is quite meaningful. And, while getting someone with a sedentary lifestyle to exercise more may seem like a huge task, seated yoga poses are a great place to start.
Generally, people with an ‘all-or-nothing’ attitude towards exercising scornfully dismiss sitting yoga poses, thinking it is too low-impact and ineffective for weight loss, cardiac health, or overall fitness. However, some studies show that yoga poses in seated postures, whether in combination with or without standing yoga postures offer numerous health benefits (1), (2), (3).
Falling under the realm of seated yoga is chair yoga, which is a modified form of yoga to accommodate older adults (senior citizens) and people with health conditions such as arthritis and joint pains. Such exercises can also cater to individuals who spend a lot of time working, seated on a chair, to invigorate their muscles and joints without having to stand up. Studies demonstrate the impressive benefits of such seated yoga for people who are not fully capable of practicing more traditional, high-impact exercises (4), (5).
Let’s read ahead to further understand the positives of sitting yoga poses, learn about some effective and beneficial poses that you can incorporate into your fitness regime, and understand the risks and downsides of such poses
Benefits of Seated Yoga Poses And Why You Must Incorporate Them in Your Routine
The following are a few benefits:
1. Great for Beginners
Whether it is about elevating your yoga routine or starting yoga as a beginner, seated asanas are a point of leverage that helps increase one’s range of motion gradually. The idea here is that someone completely new to yoga shouldn’t start with an overly challenging standing asana as that may come with a risk of injury and loss of balance. Sitting yoga asanas make one feel more grounded and allow one to work in harmony with gravity, and not against it.
2. Improves Flexibility
While standing yoga poses target balance, common seated yoga poses, such as janu sirsasana and rajakapotasana, aim at stretching target areas of the body. This enhances the range of motion of the body, thereby boosting flexibility, which is an important parameter in physical fitness (6).
3. Targets the Abdominal Region
Whether the sitting yoga asana comprises a forward stretch or a backward fold, the core is always the area which one leverages strength from. Hence, in a way, all seated asanas are directly or indirectly targeted at the core. Be it core-stretch exercises such as ustrasana or balance exercises such as navasana, they all show numerous benefits in boosting core stability, flexibility, and balance (7), (8).
4. Reduces Muscle And Back Ache
By practicing carefully choreographed seated yoga sequences, one can alleviate and reduce muscle soreness and back pains (especially, in the lower back) (9).
5. Fewer Risks
Jumping to standing yoga poses, without preparing the body with seated yoga stretches or floor yoga poses can risk injury and a loss of balance in individuals (10). Hence, practicing sitting yoga first is all the more essential. Besides, some relaxing seated yoga postures help alleviate joint and knee pains that other standing or squatting exercises may not be able to.