Chair Yoga

About This Class

Bryan Kest leads an approachable, fully chair-based yoga sequence ideal for office workers, those with physical limitations, or anyone seeking a gentle seated practice. The class opens with grounding breath work and progresses through neck circles and lateral neck stretches targeting the trapezius, then moves into shoulder openers including a gomukhasana-style arm clasp and an interlaced-finger overhead reach. Spinal mobility is addressed through seated twists in both directions and a side-body lengthening sequence where the instructor emphasizes pulling the arm long rather than collapsing the torso. The class then transitions to a seated forward fold with a wing-arm variation to sink into the scapulas and deltoids, followed by a standing sequence initiated from the chair — rising onto the metatarsals with bent knees before pressing to standing. A modest backbend with interlaced hands behind the back and a standing forward fold round out the standing segment before returning to the chair for hip openers: knee lifts, straight-leg extensions, figure-four (ankle-on-knee) stretches, half lotus, and a bonus quad stretch with the top of the foot resting on the chair edge. Throughout, Bryan emphasizes a deep, smooth nasal breath as the single most important element of the practice, and consistently frames the work as gentle, sweet, and non-forceful.