Lower back, hips, knees and ankles

Chair Pose: Wall

A wall sit that strengthens your thighs, hips and knees while the wall holds your back, so you build leg strength with no balance to worry about.

How to do it

1. 1

   Stand with your back against a wall

   Walk your feet about a foot forward, hip width apart, so your back can slide down the wall while your heels stay on the floor.

2. 2

   Slide down into a shallow sit

   Bend your knees and let your back glide down the wall. Stop well before your thighs are level with the floor the first time.

3. 3

   Line your knees up over your feet

   Knees point the same way as your toes, weight spread through the whole foot. Hands can rest on your thighs.

4. 4

   Hold and breathe, then slide back up

   Stay for 30 to 90 seconds, then press through your feet to stand. Sitting less deep is always a good option.

What to watch for

Sitting deeper than your knees are happy with, or a pinch at the front of the ankle. Slide a little higher, or step the feet slightly further from the wall, and the effort stays in the thighs.

Ways to adjust it

• Sit less deep
• Feet a little further from the wall

If this one is too much today

Try the gentler version instead. It asks less of you and does much the same work.

• Chair Pose: Dynamic Sit-to-Stand

Other ways to do this movement

Every version below is the same movement set up differently, so one of them usually suits.

• Chair Pose: Block Between Thighs
• Chair Pose: Classic
• Chair Pose: Dynamic Sit-to-Stand
• Chair Pose: Hands Pressing Raised Block
• Chair Pose: Shallow

Before you try it

Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.

From the clinically authored Vinys movement library.