Yoga is all about different asanas that help you achieve holistic health. Every asana affects a particular part of the body. While some asanas can be done standing, some can be done while lying down and some can be performed seated.

The following 10 seated asanas can be done anywhere, anytime and they will help you enhance your health too. Stretch a bit while seated and these sitting yoga positions can help you tone your muscles, make your spine flexible, relieve stress and anxiety, and massage the abdomen.

These sitting yoga poses are ideal if you don’t want to engage in strenuous activities while exercising.

How are sitting yoga poses beneficial?

1. Great for beginners as these are simple yoga asanas.

2. Beneficial for people who find standing an ordeal, as they can be seated while doing the yoga poses. For instance, for those who get dizzy spells or have problems in the leg, back, etc.

3. Low-risk as you don’t have to concentrate too much on balance.

4. Stretches and strengthens the lower back, thighs, and abdomen region.

5. Great for increasing your stamina while remaining seated.

6. Easy to regulate breathing, as you gradually stay in each pose for a longer time in these seated yoga poses.

7. Relaxes you and relieves you of stress and anxiety.

8. Space utilization is optimal with seated yoga poses. A small corner of a room is sufficient.

Padmasana or Lotus position is a cross-legged yoga posture which helps deepen meditation by calming the mind and alleviating various physical ailments. A regular practice of this posture aids in overall blossoming of the practitioner, just like a lotus; and hence the name Padmasana. In Chinese and Tibetan Buddhism, the Lotus pose is also known as Valera position.

1) How to do Padmasana (Lotus Position)

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1. Sit on the floor or on a mat with legs stretched out in front of you while keeping the spine erect.
2. Bend the right knee and place it on the left thigh. Make sure that the sole of the feet point upward and the heel is close to the abdomen.
3. Now, repeat the same step with the other leg.
4. With both the legs crossed and feet placed on opposite thighs, place your hands on the knees in mudra position.
5. Keep the head straight and spine erect.
6. Hold and continue with gentle long breaths in and out.

Padmasana (Lotus Position) for Beginners

If you have problem overlapping both your legs and sitting in Padmasana, you may also sit in Ardha – Padmasana (Half – Lotus pose) by placing any one leg on the opposite thigh. Continue doing so till you feel flexible enough to progress to Padmasana.

5 Benefits of the Padmasana (Lotus Position)

1. Improves digestion
2. Reduces muscular tension and brings blood pressure under control
3. Relaxes the mind
4. Helps pregnant ladies during childbirth
5. Reduces menstrual discomfort

2) How to do Child Pose (Shishuasana)

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• Sit on your heels. Keeping your hips on the heels, bend forward, and lower your forehead to the floor.
• Keep the arms alongside your body with hands on the floor, palms facing up. (If this is not comfortable, you can place one fist on top of another and rest your forehead on them.)
• Gently press your chest on the thighs.
• Hold.
• Slowly come up to sit on the heels, uncurling vertebra by vertebra and relax.

Benefits of the Child Pose (Shishuasana)

• Deeply relaxing for the back.
• Relieves constipation.
• Calms down the nervous system.

Contraindications of the Child Pose (Shishuasana)

• In case of serious back or knee injuries avoid this pose.
• Pregnant women should avoid doing this pose.
• Avoid this pose if you suffering from are or had recently suffered from diarrhea.

3) How to do One-Legged Forward Bend (Janu Shirasasana)

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• Sit up with the legs stretched out straight in front of you, keeping the spine erect.
• Bend the left knee and place the left foot against the right thigh, keeping the left knee on the floor.
• Breathing in, raise both arms above your head and stretch up, and twist a little to the right from the waist.
• Breathing out, bend forward from the hip joints keeping the spine straight, directing your chin to the toes.
• If you can, hold on to your big toes and, pointing your elbows to the ground, move forward as you pull on your toes.
• Hold. Keep breathing.
• Breathing in, come up and breathing out, bring the arms down to the sides.
• Repeat on the other side.

4) How to do Sitting Half Spinal Twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana)

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• Sit up with the legs stretched out straight in front of you, keeping the feet together and the spine erect.
• Bend the left leg and place the heal of the left foot beside the right hip (optionally, you can keep the left leg straight).
• Take the right leg over the left knee.
• Place the left hand on the right knee and the right hand behind you.
• Twist the waist, shoulders and neck in this sequence to the right and look over the right shoulder.
• Keep the spine erect.
• Hold and continue with gentle long breaths in and out.
• Breathing out, release the right hand first (the hand behind you), release the waist, then chest,lastly the neck and sit up relaxed yet straight.
• Repeat to the other side.
• Breathing out, come back to the front and relax.

5) How to Practice the Upward Plank Pose (Poorvottanasana)

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• Sit up with the legs stretched out straight in front of you, keeping the feet together and the spine erect. .
• Place the palms on the floor around the waist or at shoulder level, fingertips pointing away from you. Do not bend the arms. .
• Lean back and support the weight of your body with your hands. .
• Breathing in, raise the pelvis up, keeping the whole body straight. .
• Keep your knees straight and bring the feet flat to the floor. Place the toes on the ground and the sole will then tend to be on the ground. Let the head fall back towards the floor. .
• Hold the pose and continue breathing. .
• As you exhale, come back to a sitting position and relax. .
• Repeat the posture with your fingers pointing in the opposite direction.

Sitting can be hardest of a task when your prime role is to handle information and records, mailing and maintaining the daily ins and outs at your office. You are more vulnerable to have bad posture that even lead to ill effects on your physical wellness.

Besides curing the pain and physical stress, Sitting Yoga Pose and their Benefits are to provide you with maximum flexibility and strength. Beneficial during pregnancy, some of these Easy Sitting Yoga Pose are also known for their efficacy.

People from different professions are drawn to Yoga and its diversified forms to get a better outcome and alleviate their career further. With a limitless spectrum of purposes, the ancient techniques of Yoga are now emerging as a vital source of healing, curing, strengthening, and shaping humans.

Lifestyle Today:

Lifestyle today is unquestionably demanding, with stressful work hours. You stay seated at your desk filling customer data. Handling queries and emailing information is a bit of a challenging task as there is zero or no mobility at all.

Time is shifting rapidly that there is barely moments for you to look at the rights and wrongs about your posture. It is in human nature we pay less attention to it unless it becomes severe.

In the rush of the hours, many of us fail to notice whether we sit in the right pose or not. It is time to improvise further and look at Sitting Benefits of Yoga. Most important is How to Improve Posture through Yoga.

Scope of Sitting Yoga Pose:

Sitting Yoga is most beneficial for office-goers Athletes, and Choreographers, and is effective for women during pregnancy. Overall posture is retained to an optimum level and vulnerability to develop back and joint pains are reduced to almost zero.

These Asana Pose benefits in maintaining flexibility and muscles and bones remain in action throughout the course. These aren’t just to provide strength to your spine, but also form the backbone of Yoga.

1) Sukhsana (Easy Yoga Pose)

It is known for bringing peace and joy to the practitioner as the main motive of performing this posture is to attain calmness and rid the stress. It is considered the foundation of all the Sitting Yoga Pose on which other Seated Asanas are based. This posture is easiest of all the 8 Best Sitting Pose of Yoga to strengthen your spine and cure anxiety.

• To practice Easy Yoga Pose, sit down crossed legs and slip your feet under the opposite knee.
• You must sit with an erect spine in such a way that your thighs and crossed legs should form a triangle.
• Your tailbone and pubic bone must be balanced in a manner that they stay equidistant from each other.
• Place your hands on the knees with palms facing down and inhale and exhale with eyes closed.
• Repeat inhaling and exhaling and keep in the same position for about 10 to 15 minutes.

2) Vajrasana (The Diamond Pose)

This Sitting Yoga Pose can be practiced moment after one finishes meals. It is best known for emulsifying the process of digestion. Performed for stronger spine and neck, this asana helps keep you stronger and healthier.

• You can start this pose by sitting on the floor and with legs folded.
• Keep your spine straight neck with the face at 90 degrees.
• Place the right palm at the right knee and left palm of the left knee.
• Inhale and exhale and repeat for about five to ten minutes initially.

The Diamond Pose keeps the mind stable, calms the digestion system and gets rid of constipation and gas troubles. Varanasi is known for clearing urinary tract and boosts functioning in reproductive organs. Vajrasana cures bloating and since thighs and knees are also in action, this pose strengthens the limbs and thighs.

3) Buddha konasana (Butterfly Pose)

This is another pose from the Best and Easy Sitting Asanas that helps women during menopause and childbirth with several other benefits. The butterfly pose amplifies blood circulation, strengthens knees and thigh muscles, and stimulates prostate glands and kidneys. This Sitting Yoga Pose is performed on an empty stomach.

• To practice this pose, sit straight with erect spine, knees bent and bring your feet as close as possible.
• Hold your feet-ends by your hands and respire with your elbows pressing against the thighs.
• Flap your thighs like a butterfly and repeat it for about five to fifteen minutes with constant inhaling and exhaling.

4) Balasana (Child’s Pose)

Balasana is one of the Easiest and Best Sitting Asana in Yoga which as mentioned is a childlike posture. This posture helps in improving back muscles and digestion. This Pose is performed to relieve back pain and is most recommended to the people suffering from such. It also helps in blood circulation and digestion.

• To perform Balasana, sit on your knees with hips touching your heels and place your hands on the respective thighs.
• Sit in straight pose and bring your hands down forward leaning your chest between your thighs.
• Breathe slowly and hold still in the same position for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Recoil to the initial position and repeat the same for about five to ten times.

5) Dandasana (The Staff Pose)

To get back muscles, chest, and spine in better shape Dandasana Pose is a perfect fit for people with ill posture. As the name suggests, “Dandasana” refers to a pose that is similar as Staff/Stick. Those with bad posture must practice it as an equal stretch is given to the spine and legs.

• To practice Dandasana, sit on the floor with erect spine and stretch your legs forth. Both the feet should be touching together with legs stretched straight.
• Bend your toes inward with your palms stretched straight and touching the ground without bending your Spine and head.
• Hold this position for 30 seconds and relax.
• Repeat this for about 5 to 10 minutes.

6) Simhasana (The Lion Pose)

This pose comes means to seat in a posture as of the king of the jungle. The body is seated as a roaring lion hence, gets its name ‘The Lion Pose’. While practising this pose, Platysma (a flat muscle at the front of the throat) is also stimulated. This posture is beneficial for body posture, face muscles, throat, and bad breath.

• To practice Simhasana, sit in the Varanasi position and spread your knees placing your palms in front of the respective knees.
• Tilt your face backwards and stretch out your tongue.
• While inhaling try to focus on your eyebrows and while exhaling, make a sound like a Lion’s Roar (“Haa”).
• Hold this pose for about 20 to 30 seconds minimum after producing the sound.
• Repeat this process for about 5 to 8 times.
• One should not inhale quickly and needs to keep the spine straight but relaxed.

7) Bhadrasana (Gracious Pose)

Bhadrasana is helpful for beginners and is also an effective asana to strengthen your legs hence providing them flexibility. Benefits of Gracious Pose also include strengthening the backbone, thighs, and immures us against fatigue.

This pose is proved to be helpful for digestion and developing brain power and calmness. For women, this pose is a blessing during childbirth as it eases the pain during contractions.

• To perform Bhardrasana, sit straight on the mat and stretch your legs outward. Fold the legs and bring them close to each other so that both the feet touch each other.
• Keeping your spine/neck/head straight, bring hold your toes with hands and rest the hips ad perineum flat on the floor.
• Keep taking a rhythmic breath and focus your eyes on your nose-tip.
• Keep up this posture for as long as it is possible.
• Once you feel tired eyes, take a break and repeat the process.

8) Paschimottanasana (Forward Bend Pose)

Derived from the Sanskrit language, Pashima refers to back, and Uttana means to stretch. So the asana is centred at your back more hence providing flexibility and strength to the legs, abdomen, and increases height. The Forward Bend Pose Benefits in balancing the menstrual cycle as well.

• To perform the Forward Bend Pose, sit on the mat with legs stretched out forward and straight.
• Inhale with spine, neck and head erect, bend your head and trunk towards so as to catch your toes without bending your knees.
• Exhale slowly and try to bend your elbows so they can touch the ground.
• Recoil after staying in this position for at least 30 seconds.
• Upon release, inhale again and repeat the steps 3 to 4 times.

Caution: This pose should not be practiced during pregnancy.

Practitioners can try any one or many from these Best Yoga Pose for Back Problems. Some of them may require prior consultation and guidance. Patients with Slip Disc and arthritis need to consult a Yoga Teacher prior to practising these Postures. The most vital benefit of performing these 8 Sitting Asana for Spine is you do not require to be any particular age to practice. Spread the love