Hi and Welcome to your Journey into Yoga! I’m Avery Rich and am so happy to have you along for the ride! 

Although today’s episode will mark the final chair pose in this series, don’t worry - I promise we will re-visit many more poses that involve a chair in the future.  My hope is that in this little chair series I have given you a tool box of postures that you can use whenever and wherever you may need them.

Downward dog to a chair - what fun!  Today we will continue to use a chair for our posture but we will not be sitting in it - we will use it more as a prop for our pose. 

In episode 5 we had our downward dog introduction, where we learned about what downward dog can bring to both the body and the mind.  As an inversion pose, it bares repeating that downward dog helps to stimulate the circulation of blood and oxygen in the body.  Inversions also help to bring new and fresh perspective into the emotional body allowing us to see things and tackles issues with a new set of eyes.

ON a physical level downward dog to the chair can also stretch the entire body, especially upper body, arms, shoulders, abdomen and legs. It can help to stretch the back body, the ankles, calves, hamstrings and the spine. 

When we work into a DD to the chair, we are essentially coming into a DD only for this variation our hands will be chair seat high - think of the chair seat as replacing the floor as we work into our posture today. 

One of the bonuses of using a chair to support this pose is that it helps our heels to release to the ground.  Often in downward dog traditional style our heels are lifted away from the floor because of tight hamstrings.  when we use a chair, we take some of the pressure off of the hamstrings allowing the heels to rest onto the ground - a lovely bonus!

So not only do we get all of the benefits of the inversion but we also get happy hamstrings - what could be better??!

As you will naturally require a chair for this pose, if possible I would recommend bracing the chair into a wall - this just gives us the security that the chair isn’t going to move away on us.  If you don’t have a wall space to use I wouldn’t worry too much about it you should be fine.  From here, standing in front  of your chair with your feet hip width apart, rest your hands on the chair seat.  Walk your feet back until your body is at about a 45-degree angle to the floor. Your hands should be shoulder-width apart and your fingers pointing forward.  You are also welcome to hold onto the sides of the chair if that’s your preference.  Your hips will be lifted so that your back body comes into a V-shape. Your head and neck should be relaxed, with your gaze in a downward direction.  You have arrived in chair supported DD - lets hold for 10 breaths.  Of course if coming out earlier makes sense in your body please do. 

As you inhale, look forward towards the chair and walk forward.

Slowly peel yourself back up to standing and pause standing for 2-3 breaths.

IF a shavasana or chair shavasana is calling to you move into that now, otherwise take your fresh perspective off of your mat and into your regular lives and let it work for you! Namaste