About This Chair Stretching Routine
You don’t need a mat or a patch of floor to stretch well. This chair stretching routine moves your whole body from a seated position, so it works at your desk, at the kitchen table, or anywhere getting down to the floor isn’t an option.
What This Routine Targets
Long hours of sitting stiffen the same places again and again: the upper back rounds, the chest tightens, and the hips and lower back lock up. This routine works through each of those in order, starting with gentle movement to warm you up and finishing with a slow forward fold.
What’s Included
Eight seated moves in six minutes. You’ll march and circle your arms to get the blood moving, flow through a seated cat-cow for your spine, open your chest and the back of your shoulders, twist through your torso, and finish by releasing your hips and lower back.
Who Should Try This
Anyone who sits a lot, anyone who’d rather not get down on the floor, and anyone easing back into movement. All you need is a sturdy chair without wheels.
Tips for Best Results
Sit toward the front of the seat with both feet flat on the floor. Move slowly and breathe through every stretch. If something pinches, make the movement smaller rather than pushing through it.
Seated Marching
Duration: 0:30
March in place from your chair to warm up your hips and get your blood moving.
Difficulty: Beginner
Instructions
- Sit tall near the front of a sturdy chair, holding the sides of the seat.
- Lift one knee toward your chest, then lower your foot softly to the floor.
- Lift the other knee, and keep alternating at a steady, comfortable pace.
Tips
- Keep your back tall rather than leaning back as your knee lifts.
Adjustments
- Make the lifts smaller, or simply raise your heels, if lifting the knee feels like too much.
Seated Arm Circles
Duration: 0:30
Circle your arms from a chair to bring warmth and easy movement into your shoulders.
Difficulty: Beginner
Instructions
- Sit tall near the front of a sturdy chair with your feet flat on the floor.
- Extend your arms out to the sides at shoulder height with your palms facing down.
- Draw small forward circles, gradually making them bigger as your shoulders warm up.
- After several reps, reverse the direction.
Tips
- Keep your shoulders relaxed away from your ears.
Adjustments
- Lower your arms slightly or keep the circles small if your shoulders feel tight.
Seated Cat-Cow
Duration: 1:00
Flow through cat and cow right from your chair to wake up a stiff spine one breath at a time.
Difficulty: Beginner
Instructions
- Sit tall near the front of a sturdy chair with your feet flat on the floor and your hands resting on your knees.
- Inhale as you arch your back, lift your chest forward, and gently draw your shoulders back.
- Exhale as you round your spine, tuck your chin, and draw your belly toward your back.
- Keep flowing between the two shapes in rhythm with your breath.
Tips
- Let your breath lead the movement rather than rushing through it.
Adjustments
- Keep your head more neutral if your neck prefers a smaller range of motion.
Seated Chest Opener
Duration: 0:30
Draw your shoulders back from your chair to open your chest and undo the slump of sitting.
Difficulty: Beginner
Instructions
- Sit tall near the front of a sturdy chair with your feet flat on the floor.
- Reach your arms behind you and clasp your hands, or hold the sides of the backrest.
- Draw your shoulder blades together and gently lift your chest forward and up.
- Hold for a few breaths, keeping your chin level and your neck relaxed.
Tips
- Lift your chest rather than pulling your arms back hard.
Adjustments
- Hold a towel or strap between your hands if they do not reach each other.
Seated Cross-Body Shoulder Stretch
Duration: 1:00
Draw one arm across your chest from your chair to release tension in the back of your shoulder.
Difficulty: Beginner
Instructions
- Sit tall near the front of a sturdy chair with your feet flat on the floor.
- Bring one arm straight across the front of your chest at shoulder height.
- Use your other hand to hug the arm closer to your chest just above the elbow.
- Hold for a few breaths, then release and switch sides.
Tips
- Keep the shoulder of the stretching arm down and away from your ear.
Adjustments
- Hold the arm lower, near the forearm, if pressure above the elbow feels uncomfortable.
Trunk Rotation
Duration: 1:00
Twist through your trunk from a seated position to mobilize your spine and hips.
Difficulty: Beginner
Instructions
- Sit tall with arms relaxed, then cross one leg over the other.
- Rotate your torso, placing the opposite hand on the outside of the top knee.
- Place your other hand on the back of your chair and turn your head to look behind you while you breathe.
Tips
- Lengthen your spine before deepening the twist.
Adjustments
- Keep both feet flat on the floor if crossing your legs feels uncomfortable.
Seated Knee-to-Chest
Duration: 1:00
Hug one knee in toward your chest from your chair to release your hip and lower back.
Difficulty: Beginner
Instructions
- Sit tall near the front of a sturdy chair with your feet flat on the floor.
- Lift one knee and wrap your hands around your shin or the back of your thigh.
- Gently hug the knee toward your chest while keeping your back tall.
- Hold for a few breaths, then lower the foot and switch sides.
Tips
- Bring your knee toward your chest rather than rounding down to meet it.
Adjustments
- Hold behind your thigh instead of your shin if your knee feels tight.
Seated Forward Fold
Duration: 0:30
Fold gently over your legs from a chair to release your lower back and let your upper body hang heavy.
Difficulty: Beginner
Instructions
- Sit tall near the front of a sturdy chair with your feet flat on the floor and knees hip-width apart.
- Lengthen your spine, then hinge forward from your hips, sliding your hands down your shins.
- Let your chest rest toward your thighs and your arms and head hang heavy toward the floor.
- Breathe slowly, then roll up one vertebra at a time with your head coming up last.
Tips
- Keep your neck relaxed and let gravity do the work.
Adjustments
- Rest your forearms on your thighs if folding all the way down feels like too much.
Make It a Habit
Roll up slowly from the fold and notice how much taller you sit. Pair this routine with something you already do every day, like your morning coffee or your lunch break, and it’ll stick.
