Skip to main content Tom's Guide Tom's Guide Search Tom's Guide View Profile Newsletters Best Picks Entertainment OpenAI announcement Switch 2 Restock Galaxy Z Fold 7 iPhone 17 Air Best laptops Wordle Today Best Mattress Recommended reading Sit at a desk all day? Try these 6 exercises to regain your posture I'm a personal trainer who loves yoga — these are the 3 moves I stole to build stronger abs and upper body muscles Tight hips? This 15-minute yoga flow features deep hip openers to reduce stiffness and boost flexibility Forget running and swimming — this chair workout boosts your metabolism and builds cardiovascular fitness I’ve been doing this 7-minute Pilates routine for tight hips at the end of the day — and I'm hooked Forget regular walks or 10,000 steps — use this 'walking yoga' workout to build strength and flexibility Neck pain from your 'silly little emails job'? Here's 3 things I do every day after work According to research, this 4-minute chair yoga for beginners class can help rid neck pain, stiff shoulders and desk-related strain Becks Shepherd 21 July 2025 If a busy working week has left your neck and surrounding muscles feeling tight, give this quick seated stretch a go When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Shutterstock) Yoga has the amazing ability to reduce stress, improve mental wellbeing, and increase flexibility. And when you practice this mind-body exercise on a chair, you can feel all of these benefits without even having to leave your desk. But chair yoga—AKA the type of yoga that is performed while perched on a chair or using a seat for support—not only makes sense for office workers who have spent the past eight hours glued to their screens. This accessible practice can also do wonders for those who have balance or mobility issues, as it makes this form of exercise more attainable for anyone who struggles to get up from and down to the floor. Another upside to chair yoga is that relief from tightness and tension is only ever just moments away. For example, this yoga stretch, designed by yoga teacher Hye Yeon Lee, aims to rid neck, upper back pain, alleviate stiff shoulders, and help with desk-related strain—and it takes just four minutes. You may like Sit at a desk all day? Try these 6 exercises to regain your posture I'm a personal trainer who loves yoga — these are the 3 moves I stole to build stronger abs and upper body muscles Tight hips? This 15-minute yoga flow features deep hip openers to reduce stiffness and boost flexibility While you won’t need to meet the yogi on the mat, if you can steal five minutes away from your desk, it’s a good idea to roll out one of the best yoga mats and pop it underneath your chair. This will help provide some extra grip during your seated workout and help cushion your feet. Watch how to do this four-minute chair yoga stretch for neck and upper back pain 4 Mins Neck & Upper Back Pain Relief | Chair Yoga for Beginners & Seniors - YouTube “This is a short and effective chair yoga class to release tension around your neck and upper back,” Lee tells her YouTube subscribers. In this quick stretch, Lee demonstrates how to complete each seated stretch and adds in a voice-over explaining how to master the moves, too. The class includes exercises like arm circles, a c-shape back stretch, and slow side rocks, which will help to increase the movement in your spine and neck. Sign up to get the BEST of Tom's Guide direct to your inbox. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Seated cat/cows are also thrown in, which will help to boost the flexibility in your upper body by taking your spine through spinal flexion (the bending forward or curving of the spine) and extension (the backward arching movement of the spine). To end, Lee includes a side bend right and a side bend left, which are two other fundamental movement patterns needed for maintaining a healthy spine. Does chair yoga really work? Yes, chair yoga really does work, and it brings with it many physical and mental benefits. According to research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, an eight-week chair yoga program can help in the reduction of pain, fatigue and improvement in gait speed, in those who have osteoarthritis and are unable to take part in standing exercise. A 2023 study, which looked at the effect that chair yoga has on those with knee osteoarthritis, also found that this low-impact type of exercise could improve functional fitness, boost daily life activity scores, and help with healthy ageing. While another study, which tasked 20 office workers to complete 15 minutes of chair-based yoga and guided meditation, could “acutely improve” several physiological and psychological markers of stress by reducing respiration rate. Lastly, chair yoga can be a blessing in disguise for newbies as they can try out many of the best yoga stretches for beginners from a seated position, and build their confidence and form before taking on a harder standing class. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. More from Tom's Guide Forget squats — this 20-minute chair yoga routine sculpts stronger legs and core muscles without weights Ditch neck pain! This 10-minute abs workout sculpts and strengthens your core (no sit-ups needed) Forget dumbbells — this chair workout builds full-body strength in just 15 minutes Today's best Yoga Mats deals $14.17View See all prices We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Becks Shepherd Becks is a lifestyle journalist who specializes in writing about wellness and home products, from mattresses to weighted blankets and cooling comforters. She has tested a number of mattresses for Tom's Guide, putting them through their paces to see if they stand up to the brand's claims, and offering recommendations as to the type of sleeper they will (and won't) suit. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Sit at a desk all day? Try these 6 exercises to regain your posture I'm a personal trainer who loves yoga — these are the 3 moves I stole to build stronger abs and upper body muscles Tight hips? This 15-minute yoga flow features deep hip openers to reduce stiffness and boost flexibility Forget running and swimming — this chair workout boosts your metabolism and builds cardiovascular fitness I’ve been doing this 7-minute Pilates routine for tight hips at the end of the day — and I'm hooked Forget regular walks or 10,000 steps — use this 'walking yoga' workout to build strength and flexibility Latest in Fitness Forget Prime Day — You can still save on these 21 running shoe deals on Brooks, Skechers, Asics and more at Amazon I'm a personal trainer — 2 things you shouldn't do when lifting heavy during squats Huge Hoka sale live from $25 — here's 11 sneaker and apparel deals worth shopping now Forget 10,000 steps — study suggests doing this to your daily walk could boost your physical health and help you lose fat New study says these workouts don't just build strength — they improve your sleep, too Runners, you need to read this — study suggests a simple training tip could be the key to avoiding injury Latest in Features I drove the Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 EV for a week — and it’s the epitome of luxury driving I put the Galaxy Z Flip 7 vs. Galaxy Z Flip 6 through a 10-round photo shootout — here’s the winner We benchmarked Cyberpunk 2077 on Mac M1 to M4 — the numbers don’t lie 90% of women who have sleep apnea don't know it — here’s what to look out for GPT-5 will be here soon — here's why I'll be using it over Claude, Gemini and Grok I tested this sub-$40 Bluetooth speaker that can do it all — it blasts my favorite tunes, clips on my bag, and even takes showers LATEST ARTICLES Forget Prime Day — You can still save on these 21 running shoe deals on Brooks, Skechers, Asics and more at Amazon Netflix top 10 movies — here’s the 3 worth watching right now I tested this sub-$40 Bluetooth speaker that can do it all — it blasts my favorite tunes, clips on my bag, and even takes showers This mind-bending movie on Tubi blew my mind — hurry up and stream it now before it leaves I can't think of anything worse than letting AI run my life from my phone — here's why Tom's Guide is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. Terms and conditions Contact Future's experts Privacy policy Cookies policy Accessibility Statement Advertise with us Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, Please login or signup to comment Please wait...