Chair Yoga: Total Chair Situation

About This Class

Dan Ward guides students through an inventive 32-minute chair yoga sequence that transforms an ordinary chair into a full yoga prop. The class opens on the floor with Viparita Karani — legs resting up on the chair — to decompress the spine and reverse leg fatigue, then moves through gentle core curls and bridge-style hip lifts. Students return to standing for crescent lunge variations using the chair seat for support, followed by seated hip openers, a half-lotus forward fold, and twists. The session then ventures into more dynamic territory: chair-assisted backbends culminating in a supported Urdhva Dhanurasana, and a bolster-supported shoulder stand with the chair seat as the platform. The class closes back on the floor with Viparita Karani and supine twists as a Savasana substitute. Throughout, Dan emphasizes working within personal range, avoiding knee hyperextension, protecting the low back around the chair edge, and using cushioning as needed — making the class accessible while still offering genuine challenge for experienced practitioners.