11-Minute Chair Yoga | SilverSneakers

Whether you're looking to improve your flexibility, reduce stress, or simply enjoy some gentle movement, chair yoga offers a wonderful opportunity for everyone, no matter your fitness level. And for an amazing variety of classes available every day, visit SilverSneakers.com and check your eligibility for Silver Sneakers Live. There you will find classes focused on improving your strength, cardio, flexibility, and balance from beginner to advanced and everything in between. Visit SilverSneakers.com today. We are seated in a comfortable and supportive chair. Water nearby for any time you want to take a sip of water. Feel support by that chair and feel your feet pressing down into the floor. Feet are about hip distance apart. A little wider is also great Arms resting down by our sides. Palms forward. Lift the shoulders up by the ears. Peel them back and lower down gently. Find length through the spine and the neck while we engage through the belly. Mountain pose. Let's move into extended mountain pose. Inhale. Lift the arms to shoulder height or higher. So listen to those shoulders. Extend the arms up higher if you would like. Bending the elbows if needed or straightening long through the arms. And the hands fall down right towards your heart and lift your chest towards your thumbs. Shoulders back. Elbows squeezing in like they're hugging into your sides. Hands rest down on the thighs. Keeping a straight spine and your shoulders and elbows peeling back. Hinge forward leading with the chest. And from here let's move into a more relaxed pose into a forward fold. Seated forward fold. So let your shoulders come forward. Maybe come down to your forearms. Turn your eye gaze towards the floor and a little rounding through the back. Moving into a halfway lift. So our hands are going to either come below or above the knees. I'm going to take mine below the knees. Press and straighten the arms once again. Elbows peeling in. Find that strength and length along the spine. Lifting shoulders over hips. Arms follow along. Reaching up and let's step or toe heel your right foot out to the side. Open through the knee. Create some space. Space between the inside of the right knee and the inside of the left. Let's see how much space we can make here. Reaching that right knee back. Arms out to the sides. And if you would like you can keep your eye gaze forward or you can slowly turn and look out over your right hand. It is up to you. Shoulders stacked over hips. Inhale breathing in. And as we exhale toe heel or take a big step forward with your right foot and come back to mountain pose. Adjust as needed and let's begin again. Extended mountain pose. Big breath in. Reaching up. Lifting up. Hands connect if you can and then exhale. Hands fall down right in front of that heart space. Hinge forward maybe keeping the hands in front of the chest for a little bit here. Hinge forward and then place the hands down on the thighs. Forward fold. Come down to forearms. Eye gaze towards the floor. Shoulders relax down. Create a little rounding through the back and let's find that energy. Hands below or above the knees. Energize and lift to our halfway lift. Shoulders come up over hips. Arms lift and step the left foot out to the side. Warrior two. Knee is reaching back. Shoulders back as well. Eye gaze out along the arm line right past the fingers or you can look straight. A nice time to check in with our breathing. Inhaling through the nose if you can and exhale out. Toe heel or step forward. Left foot mountain pose. Let's add on to those movements. Inhale. Great big breath in. Nice long breath out. Hinge forward. Hands to thighs. Elbows by your sides. Let's turn and look to the right side. Stretching a little more through the neck and then eye gaze towards the floor. Forward fold. Halfway lift. Energize once again. Elbow squeezing in. Find that length from the tailbone out through the crown of the head. Shoulders lift up. Arms lift up as well. Step the foot out to the side. Warrior two. Let's add on. Extended warrior. Let's turn. Look over the right arm. Turn your right palm to the sky and just windmill the arms back. So reach back. Stretch back. You can hold that left hand on your hip. Maybe hold the chair or let the left arm reach down and create that c-shape through the spine. Looking up towards the hand or looking straight ahead. Come back to warrior two. Extended warrior. Reach. Lengthen through the ribs. Hand or forearm and that left arm can come up towards the sky or again find a c-shape this time with the arm and let your wrist relax. Feel the stretch along the side right down to your hip and then come back to warrior two. Step or toe heel your right foot and come back to our mountain pose once again. Inhale lifting up. Exhale hands lower. Hinge forward. Hands to thighs. Looking to the left. Stretch. Breathe. Eye gaze towards the floor and our forward fold and into our halfway lift. Find that energy once again. Belly button pulling gently towards spine. Shoulders over hips. Arms energize up and step the left foot out this time to our warrior two. Maybe finding a little more space in the hips. Turn and look over that left hand. Our reverse warrior or peaceful warrior. Reach back. Stretch back. Again c-shape through the spine and remember each side feels different so give yourself space and time to find what feels good on this side. Come back to warrior two when you're ready. Extended warrior. Lengthen. Hand or forearm and if you want lift that arm up and c-shape once again. Relax through the wrist. Let the fingertips drape down. Inhale and exhale. Come back to warrior two. Step or toe heel forward. Mountain pose. Lift your shoulders up, back, and down. Let's take our feet closer together. Let your right knee open and let your right foot slide in and connect with the inside of your left. We're moving into a seated half lotus. So this is a great variation. You can stay right here. You can also cross a little bit more over the foot keeping that knee opening down into the side. Next variation if you would like we're going to lift that foot up and place it on top of the thigh. You can keep your knee lifting towards the chest keeping your shoulders back and your chest lifted or you can allow your knee to drop down gently creating more space. Soft in the hands. Relax through the shoulders. Inhale through the nose and exhale out. Let's add a small gentle twist or a neck stretch. So turn and look to the left side and if you want let your arms follow along twisting away from that right knee. Left shoulders peeling back. Find the stretch that works for you and gently and slowly unwind and uncross. Left knee opens to the side. Find some space. Find that posture. Slide your foot in. Let your knee drop away. You can also cross. You can also lift that foot up hugging the knee in close or letting the knee drop down making sure to keep your foot flexed. Shoulders back. Hands soft. Neck stretch. Turn and look to the right side and if you want take those arms and let them follow along. Right shoulder reaches back adding that gentle twist and gently and slowly unwind and uncross. Feet hip distance apart. A little wider is okay. Coming to mountain pose. Inhale lifting up. Exhale hands lower down right in front of your heart space. Let's do that one more time together. Breathing in and a nice long exhale out. Thank you for joining me today. I hope you had a wonderful time. I know I did. I hope to see you again soon.