Hips, lower back, knees and ankles

Tree Pose: Foot on Chair

Resting your opposite foot on a chair gives you single-leg balance training with extra support, building hip stability and steadiness.

How to do it

1. 1

   Set a stable chair beside you

   Choose a chair that will not slide, and stand next to it with room to open your knee out to the side.

2. 2

   Rest one foot on the chair seat

   Turn that knee out and place the sole or the inner edge of the foot on the seat. The chair carries some of the leg's weight so you can concentrate on standing tall.

3. 3

   Adjust the height until the hips are level

   If one hip lifts, the support is too high. Use a lower seat, or move the foot closer to the near edge.

4. 4

   Stand up through the standing leg

   Both hip points face forward, the chest lifts, and a hand can rest on a wall if you want more steadiness.

5. 5

   Hold for twenty to forty-five seconds, then change sides

   Come out and reset the chair rather than hopping around it.

What to watch for

A seat that is too high, which tips the pelvis and hitches one hip up. Lower the support until both hip points sit level, and make sure the chair cannot slide away on a smooth floor.

Ways to adjust it

• Adjust chair height
• Hand on wall
• Chair support

If this one is too much today

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

• Tree Pose: Holding Chair

Other ways to do this movement

Every version below is the same movement set up differently, so one of them usually suits. See all Tree Pose versions in one place, ordered from gentlest to strongest.

• Tree Pose: At Wall
• Tree Pose: Classic
• Tree Pose: Holding Chair
• Tree Pose: Lift & Lower
• Tree Pose: Side-Lying
• Tree Pose: Toes on Floor

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.