Chair Yoga for Strengthening the Outer Hips

About This Class

This approachable chair yoga class with Angie Maguire centers on strengthening and stabilizing the outer hips — what she colorfully calls the "painter's loop" — while balancing that effort with mobility and range-of-motion work. Using a block squeezed between the thighs and a resistance strap (TheraBand), students systematically activate the hip abductors in seated, standing, and transitional positions. The class opens with mindful breathwork and neck/shoulder release, moves through seated twists, side lunges on the chair, cat-cow, and spinal flow sequences, then progresses to standing work including chair pose with block, Warrior One, Warrior Two, and triangle pose. A closing seated forward fold over each leg with the heel elevated on a block stretches the hamstrings and lateral back. Throughout, Angie weaves in reminders about the mind-body connection, the importance of smooth deep nasal breathing, and self-accommodation for individual anatomy. The session closes with a standing mountain pose, eyes closed, and a brief gratitude meditation.