Watch the full workout video above and follow along at your own pace.
If you sometimes feel unsteady when turning, getting up from a chair, or walking on uneven ground, this chair yoga for balance workout can help you build strength, stability, mobility, posture, coordination, and body awareness so you can move through everyday life with greater confidence.
And you don't have to stand on one leg to work on balance.
In this 35-minute chair yoga workout for better balance, Mom and I use gentle seated yoga movements to work on several of the things that contribute to good balance, including strength, stability, mobility, posture, coordination, and body awareness.
This workout is especially appropriate for seniors, beginner exercisers, and anyone who prefers the support and stability of a chair.
Even better, we're practicing two complete sequences—Grounded Power and Strength & Stability—from my book, 10-Minute Chair Yoga Exercises for Seniors.
So grab a sturdy chair, give yourself plenty of room to move, and let's get started!
Can Chair Yoga for Balance Help Improve Stability?
Yes. Balance involves much more than simply being able to stand on one foot.
Your ability to stay steady as you move depends on multiple systems working together, including your muscles, joints, vision, inner ear, nervous system, and awareness of where your body is in space.
Strength and mobility also matter.
Your core helps stabilize your trunk. Your hips and legs help support you as you move. Good mobility allows your body to adjust to changes in position, and body awareness helps you recognize those changes and respond to them.
That's why chair yoga can be a useful way to work on many of the building blocks of better balance—even while seated.
Why Is Balance Important as We Get Older?
Good balance plays an important role in maintaining independence as we age.
Think about how often you use balance during an ordinary day.
You need it when you:
- Get out of a chair
- Walk across a room
- Turn around
- Step over an obstacle
- Navigate uneven ground
- Reach for something
- Climb stairs
- Get in and out of a car
- Carry groceries
- Travel
We often don't think about balance until something begins to feel more difficult.
That's one reason I believe it's so important to practice it regularly.
The goal isn't to achieve perfect balance.
It's to help your body become stronger, more mobile, and better prepared to respond when you move.
What Is the Best Chair Yoga Workout for Better Balance?
A good chair yoga workout for balance should include more than stretching.
Ideally, it should combine mobility, strength, core stability, posture, coordination, and controlled movement.
That's exactly what we're working on in today's 35-minute workout.
We're using two sequences from my book, 10-Minute Chair Yoga Exercises for Seniors.
Sequence 1: Grounded Power
Our first sequence is Grounded Power:
Seated Windshield Wiper → Seated Spinal Twist → Seated Revolved Chair → Seated Bridge
This sequence combines mobility and controlled movement with strengthening exercises that help create a stable foundation.
Seated Windshield Wiper
Seated Windshield Wipers gently move the hips through rotation.
Hip mobility is important for comfortable movement and can help with everyday activities that require turning and changing direction.
Move only within a comfortable range and avoid forcing your knees toward the floor.
Seated Spinal Twist
The Seated Spinal Twist introduces gentle rotation through the upper body.
Being able to rotate comfortably is useful when turning to look behind you, reaching for something beside you, and changing direction.
Sit tall before beginning the rotation and move slowly.
Seated Revolved Chair
Seated Revolved Chair adds another challenge by combining posture, core engagement, and rotation.
Rather than thinking about how far you can twist, focus on maintaining a long spine and moving with control.
When we're training for better balance, control is more important than range of motion.
Seated Bridge
Seated Bridge helps activate the muscles involved in supporting and stabilizing the body.
Strong muscles around the hips and lower body are important for everyday activities such as getting up from a chair, walking, and climbing stairs.
And don't worry about trying to make your movement look exactly like mine or Mom's.
Your comfortable range is the right place to start.
Chair Yoga Exercises for Strength & Stability
After establishing our foundation, we move into our second chair yoga sequence: Strength & Stability.
This sequence includes:
Seated Chair → Seated Boat → Seated Goddess → Seated Pigeon
Here we're continuing to work on mobility while placing more emphasis on the muscles that help stabilize the body.
Seated Chair
Seated Chair encourages good posture while engaging the muscles that support the lower body and core.
Think tall rather than rigid.
Keep breathing and allow your shoulders to relax away from your ears.
Seated Boat
Seated Boat brings additional attention to your core.
Your core does much more than help you perform abdominal exercises. It helps stabilize your trunk as you sit, stand, walk, reach, and change direction.
That's one reason core strength is an important part of balance training.
Remember that you can always make the movement smaller.
A smaller movement performed with control can be far more useful than a larger movement that causes you to lose good posture.
Seated Goddess
Seated Goddess helps us work the hips and legs while maintaining a strong, upright posture.
These are important areas to strengthen because your lower body provides the foundation for so many everyday movements.
Keep both feet grounded and notice how your body feels as you move.
Seated Pigeon
We finish the sequence with Seated Pigeon, giving the hips an opportunity for gentle mobility and stretching.
You may notice that one side feels different from the other.
That's normal.
Rather than judging the difference, simply notice it. Body awareness is itself an important part of learning to move with greater control.
Why Do We Repeat the Chair Yoga Sequences?
Repeating a movement gives you another opportunity to practice it.
During the first round, you may be thinking:
"Where should my feet go?"
"How should I position my arms?"
"Am I doing this correctly?"
When you return to the sequence, your body already has some familiarity with the movements.
That gives you an opportunity to focus on other things:
Your breathing.
Your posture.
Your control.
Your range of motion.
And how the movement actually feels.
You don't necessarily need to make the second round bigger or harder.
Sometimes progress simply means performing the same movement with a little more confidence and control.
Can You Improve Balance While Sitting in a Chair?
Seated exercise can help train several physical qualities that contribute to balance, including core strength, lower-body strength, mobility, posture, coordination, and body awareness.
However, seated balance exercises and standing balance exercises aren't identical.
If you're able to safely perform standing exercises, standing balance practice can provide additional challenges that seated exercise cannot fully reproduce.
But chair yoga can provide an accessible place to begin—and it can also be a valuable part of a broader exercise routine.
The important thing is to choose exercise that is appropriate for your abilities and allows you to move safely and consistently.
How Often Should Seniors Practice Balance Exercises?
Consistency matters more than perfection.
Rather than thinking that one long workout will transform your balance, think about creating regular opportunities to challenge the systems that help keep you steady.
That might include a combination of:
- Chair yoga
- Strength training
- Walking
- Standing balance exercises when appropriate
- Mobility exercises
- Functional movements
The best routine is one you can perform safely and consistently.
And remember: resting or modifying an exercise doesn't mean you've failed the workout.
It means you're listening to your body.
Who Is This Chair Yoga Workout For?
This workout may be a good option for:
- Older adults
- Seniors
- Beginner exercisers
- People who prefer seated exercise
- People looking for gentle balance exercises
- Anyone interested in improving strength and mobility
- People who want to add chair yoga to their exercise routine
Everyone's abilities and health circumstances are different, so check with your healthcare provider before beginning a new exercise program if you have questions or concerns about whether these movements are appropriate for you.
Stop if you experience pain, dizziness, or feel unwell.
Want More Chair Yoga?
The Grounded Power and Strength & Stability sequences featured in today's workout come from my book, 10-Minute Chair Yoga Exercises for Seniors.
The book includes 40 chair yoga poses designed to make yoga accessible from a chair, along with sequences that make it easy to incorporate gentle movement into your day.
You can use the book on its own or alongside our Yes2Next chair yoga videos.
My book 10-Minute Chair Yoga Exercises for Seniors is available on Amazon and anywhere books are sold.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chair Yoga and Balance
Is chair yoga good for seniors?
Chair yoga can be an accessible form of movement for older adults because a chair provides support while allowing you to work on mobility, flexibility, posture, strength, breathing, and body awareness.
Can chair yoga improve balance without standing?
Chair yoga can work on several components that contribute to good balance, including core and lower-body strength, mobility, posture, coordination, and body awareness. If standing exercise is appropriate for you, standing balance practice can complement seated training.
Do I need yoga experience for this workout?
No. This workout is designed to be approachable for beginners. Follow the cues, move within a comfortable range, and modify or rest whenever needed.
What equipment do I need?
All you need is a sturdy chair that allows you to sit comfortably with your feet supported on the floor. Avoid using a chair that could easily slide or roll.
Is 35 minutes of chair yoga enough exercise?
A 35-minute chair yoga session can be a valuable part of an active lifestyle, but a well-rounded fitness routine generally includes different types of movement, including cardiovascular activity, strength training, balance work, and flexibility or mobility exercises.
Enjoyed today's workout?
Here are a few more ways to keep moving with us:
📱 Looking for a complete exercise program? Join the Get Moving 50+ App, where you'll find guided workout plans, monthly calendars, and the encouragement to help you build healthy habits and stay consistent.
🎥 Want another workout? Explore our growing library of Yes2Next workouts to continue building strength, balance, mobility, and confidence.
📖 If you enjoy gentle movement and flexibility, my book, 10-Minute Chair Yoga Exercises for Seniors, is available on Amazon and anywhere books are sold.
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Thank you for spending part of your day with Mom and me.
Keep moving. Stay strong.