Grab a sturdy chair and take a seat for these postures!

Postures 15-34

TO DO: Review each posture in the photos and then watch the respective video. Scroll down to view the postures.

Seated Postures

Easy Seated

• Lift and lengthen through torso
• Shoulders released down through ears
• Chest open
• Palms forward

Seated Upward Salute

• Feet flat on the floor
• Knees about hip distance
• Lift and lengthen, sweep arms overhead
• Fingers toward sky and gaze follows
• Release down
• Or keep elbows or arms down
• Sequence of three

Seated Torso Circles

• Feet hip distance
• Shift ribs to one side, rotating rib cage back and around in circular motions
• Reverse and rotate to other side
• Option to do slight rotation through the ribs

Seated Neck Rolls

• Bring chin to chest, pause for a couple of breaths
• Exhale rotate right ear to right shoulder, pause
• Rotate back down chin to chest, pause
• Rotate left ear to left shoulder, pause
• Shoulders down and relaxed, bringing ear to shoulder rather than should to ear
• Inhale chin to chest, exhaling from side to side, sinking movements to breath
• Hands on legs
• Rotation can be smaller as needed

Seated Neck Stretch

• Right ear over right shoulder, right hand on top of head
• Option to keep hands in lap and have ear drift to shoulder
• Opposite arm reach out, lengthen fingertips for deeper stretch
• Bring hands back to lap, chin to chest
• Invite chin to neutral, chin to sky to get stretch down front down to collar bone
• Move slowly as you come out of the pose

Shoulder Rolls

• Sit bones grounded on chair
• Shoulders up and back, back and down
• Rolling forward up and down, slower at first, 3 rotations up and back
• Add additional rolls at their own pace both up and back
• Option to keep rolls in a shallow position

Seated Foot and Ankle Stretch

• Spine tall, free from back of chair
• Right leg extended, foot flexed
• Option to lower leg as needed
• Hand can be planted on the chair for additional support
• Point and flex toes, and switch to other side
• Adding on ankle roll, one direction and then the other

Cat/Cow

• Come forward on chair but keep enough of sit bones on chair for support
• Inhale lift and lengthen, naval to spine, round shoulders in, pushing low back out
• Inhale lift and lengthen, belly forward, neck long, chest open, hinging from hips slightly

Cow Face

• Have tension band handy (option for towel, belt, strap)
• Place end of band in right hand, seated tall
• Both arms up overhead
• Drop hand with band behind hand, opposite arm comes around and holds bottom of band
• Right elbow comes back so chest is open
• Can hold, pulse, or pull hands away from one another
• Option to bring band in front of body, elbows in, tension on the band in front
• Top elbow can be more forward facing

Seated Single Leg Stretch

• Closer to edge of chair
• Left leg extended out
• Hands on chair for support
• Lift, forward fold, hinge at hips and keep a flat back
• Lead with the chest, long spine
• Hold, come up to reset, and repeat before switching legs
• Option to come into a more shallow forward fold
• Deep breath in and release, perhaps drawing torso down further toward legs
• Perhaps adding an additional chair in front for added support

Seated Hamstring Stretch

• With a strap or tension band
• Base leg is bent, foot flat
• Band to ball of opposite foot, grabbing hold at top of band
• Inhale, lift and lengthen, draw leg up
• Pulling band in toward you
• Naval to spine to secure low back
• Option to relax tension on prop, lowering the leg slightly or to floor, if foot is on floor student could bring themselves to a forward fold to find additional stretch down leg
• 3 sets rather than holding for a longer period of time

Seated Pigeon

• Option to offer Single Leg Stretch instead of this pose
• Or crossing at ankle or at knee and fold forward
• Bring ankle up top of thigh
• Forward fold, drop head down to comfortable position
• Hand holding knee for support, not pushing down
• Come up, reset, and repeat 3 on each side
• Before moving for the other side, ankle and hip roll, reset

Seated Twist

• Feet hip distance
• Inhale lift and lengthen, exhale turn toward left side
• Open chest, gaze toward left shoulder
• Back hand can come to back or seat of chair for support
• Find a focal point, pause, and then find a spot just outside of gaze toward left side, turn torso and neck to try to meet the new focal point to move deeper into pose
• Slowly unwinding, come to neutral, reset, move to other side
• Option to come into more shallow twist
• Or hands can come to hips and turn body to side

Seated Eagle

• Extend both arms out in front, palms up
• Cross one arm over the other at elbow
• Top arm to face, turn palms in to face one another, trying to make connection with palms
• Instead of twisting, arm over chest
• Or draw elbows down to chest height

Seated Cactus

• Chest open
• Invite into upward salute, draw arms down
• Elbows wide, and draw them back, at shoulder height
• Widening chest
• Palms forward
• Shoulders down and back
• Elbows can be brought down as needed
• Can bring palms together, exhale widen into cactus

Seated Goddess

• Similar to Cactus
• Legs greater than hip width
• Upward salute, draw arms to cactus, repeat sequence
• Option to move elbows down as needed
• Keeping chest open and drawing shoulders back

Seated Goddess Side Twist

• Keep right arm down, left forearm to thigh
• Draw right shoulder back and open up chest
• Option to draw arm to cactus or bring arm down
• Gaze to go up to fingertips or wherever most comfortable

Seated Goddess Angle

• Upward salute in Goddess sequence
• Left forearm on left thigh
• Right arm up and over, leaning to left
• Pulling fingertips out and down will help to move into deeper stretch rather than the amount of the lean
• Upper arm can come down, or hand can come to hip and move into side bend

Seated Shoulder Stretch

• Cross arm over the other, hugging arm across the chest
• Option to provide for Eagle
• Keep front arm down and hug opposite shoulder