StyleMyCube

Last week Crunch stopped by my work in hopes of signing up new members – smart move on their part as people are still reeling in New Year’s guilt. Part of their visit was a mini-yoga class as well as a chair yoga demonstration. Although I planned on attending, unfortunately I got caught up into something urgent (these words come out of my mouth way too often). Regardless, I was really intrigued by the idea of doing yoga while stuck in the cube, so I started looking online about this intriguing form of exercise.

Chair yoga (a.k.a. sitting yoga or office yoga) as it implies, is a gentle form of yoga that is practiced sitting in a chair, or standing using a chair for support. This form of yoga is really low-impact and is tremendously popular within seniors and those with disabilities. Just think if you try this out, maybe you’ll have something to rap to grandma about next Thanksgiving!

For those that have seen the mat before, standing postures, such as Triangle and Warrior variations, and flowing postures such as Salutations or Vinyasa, all can be practiced while sitting in a chair.

I researched this topic online for awhile and here are some of the best resources I found for anyone interested in getting a quick stretch without leaving the office

• Several youtube videos with demonstrations

• A nicely categorized link to a bunch of short .gifs displaying each stretch.

• Nice instructions for some of the real basics chair exercises.

While chair yoga is a great concept, it must be practiced cautiously. Cubes by definition don’t have much privacy, so try to practice when you know you wont get caught, or you’ll end up like this guy -