Yoga practiceYoga
Chair yoga for stiff mornings, ten minutes
Four seated movements to do before your tea, no mat, no floor, no getting down.
Morning stiffness is not a sign that you need to rest more. Joints are stiff in the morning because they have been still all night, and the fastest fix is gentle movement. This is the sequence I teach in the Monday, Wednesday and Friday chair class. It takes ten minutes and you can do it on the same chair you have your tea on.
1. Seated mountain
- Sit towards the front of a firm chair, feet flat and hip-width apart.
- Rest your hands on your thighs. Grow tall through the crown of your head.
- Breathe in and feel your ribs widen; breathe out and let your shoulders drop.
2. Seated cat and cow
- Hands on knees. Breathe in, lift your chest and look slightly up.
- Breathe out, round your back and tuck your chin.
- Move slowly. The movement should come from the middle of your back, not your neck.
3. Side bend
- Hold the side of the chair with your right hand.
- Breathe in and reach your left arm up; breathe out and lean gently to the right.
- Keep both sitting bones on the chair. Come back up on a breath in.
Stop if: You feel pins and needles in the arm. Lower the arm to shoulder height instead.
4. Ankle circles and heel raises
- Lift one foot slightly and draw slow circles with the toes, then the other foot.
- Feet flat. Lift both heels, hold for a second, lower with control.
Finish with three slow breaths, then get up for your tea using the nose-over-toes rule. The class adds standing work for those who want it, but these four alone will change how your mornings feel.