Free chair yoga and chair Pilates for seniors
By the TrueMe team · Last checked
For a first chair session, try Yes2Next’s 20-minute chair Pilates: it has chapters, and a mother-and-daughter pair demonstrate side by side. If you cannot stand at all, Dartmouth Health’s 10-minute seated routine never leaves the chair.
Start with ours
Our free gentle Wall Pilates for over-50s
If you can stand with a hand on the wall, this voice-guided session works strength and balance with support. It plays right here, with an easier version of every move.
- 1.Best first chair Pilates sessionYes2Next · 22:35
- 2.Best if you can’t standDartmouth Health · 9:43
- 3.Best longer chair PilatesSeniorShape Fitness · 28:14
- 4.Best short chair PilatesLottie Murphy · 12:13
- 5.Best chair yoga for beginnersYoga with Kassandra · 18:06
- 6.Best for postureYoga With Adriene · 17:24
- 7.From the NHSNHS · 31:05
01
Best first chair Pilates session
“20-Minute Chair Pilates for Seniors | Stronger Core & Better Posture” · Yes2Next
- Length
- 22:35
- Level
- Gentle
- Position
- Seated, with sit-to-stands near the end
- You need
- A sturdy chair without wheels
- Who teaches it
- ACE-certified personal trainer and yoga teacher, teaching with her mother · As stated on their channel.
- Who it suits
- Seniors and beginners who want a full, steady seated session.
- What we like
- Chapters for every exercise, and a mother and daughter demonstrate side by side, so it never feels like a class for someone else.
- Watch out for
- Sit-to-stands come in at 19:03; stay seated and keep breathing if standing is not safe for you.
Pair it with: Our gentle Wall Pilates for over-50s
Watch on YouTube02
Best if you can’t stand
“Seated Exercises for Older Adults” · Dartmouth Health
- Length
- 9:43
- Level
- Gentle
- Position
- Seated throughout
- You need
- A chair; ankle weights and a resistance band are optional
- Who teaches it
- Dartmouth Health’s Aging Resource Center (New Hampshire academic health system) · As stated on their channel.
- Who it suits
- Older adults who cannot stand, or who need support to stand.
- What we like
- Made by a hospital system, with each exercise and its repetitions written on screen. It is plain, slow and easy to follow.
- Watch out for
- Filmed in 2012 and it looks it. The last part uses a resistance band; skip it or use a towel if you have none.
Pair it with: Our 5-minute morning mobility
Watch on YouTube03
Best longer chair Pilates
“Chair Pilates for Seniors & Beginners || Gentle Pilates Workout with Stretching” · SeniorShape Fitness
- Length
- 28:14
- Level
- Gentle
- Position
- Seated, with a short supported lunge beside the chair
- You need
- A sturdy chair without arms (not a sofa)
- Who teaches it
- ACE-certified fitness instructor with a senior-fitness specialization · As stated on their channel.
- Who it suits
- Seniors who want close to half an hour of posture and core work from a chair.
- What we like
- Well paced, with lots of arm and wide-leg work that keeps it from feeling repetitive.
- Watch out for
- Around 22:20 it steps into a lunge holding the chair; stay seated if that feels unsteady.
Pair it with: Our Wall Pilates stretch
Watch on YouTube04
Best short chair Pilates
“CHAIR Pilates for Seniors - 10 Minutes GENTLE MOBILITY | Lottie Murphy Pilates” · Lottie Murphy
- Length
- 12:13
- Level
- Gentle
- Position
- Seated, with a kneeling lunge at the end
- You need
- A chair
- Who teaches it
- Pilates teacher for 13+ years · As stated on their channel.
- Who it suits
- Anyone who wants ten calm minutes of spine and shoulder mobility.
- What we like
- Beautifully clear, with close-ups for the trickier movements. A good daily habit.
- Watch out for
- At about 10:25 it moves to a kneeling lunge beside the chair; skip that part if kneeling is hard for you.
Pair it with: Our 5-minute morning mobility
Watch on YouTube05
Best chair yoga for beginners
“Gentle Chair Yoga for Beginners and Seniors” · Yoga with Kassandra
- Length
- 18:06
- Level
- Gentle
- Position
- Seated, with lunge shapes sitting on the edge of the chair
- You need
- A chair without arms, with a back
- Who teaches it
- Yoga teacher with a mat Pilates certification · As stated on their channel.
- Who it suits
- Beginners and seniors who want a stretch-focused yoga session.
- What we like
- A steady sequence of twists, side bends and supported lunge shapes that works through the spine and hips.
- Watch out for
- It is yoga rather than Pilates, so expect more stretching than strengthening. Put the chair where it cannot slide.
Pair it with: Our Wall Pilates stretch
Watch on YouTube06
Best for posture
“Chair Yoga | Yoga With Adriene” · Yoga With Adriene
- Length
- 17:24
- Level
- Gentle
- Position
- Seated, standing at the end
- You need
- A chair
- Who teaches it
- Yoga teacher · As stated on their channel.
- Who it suits
- Desk workers and seniors who want to sit taller.
- What we like
- Built around the line of the spine and sitting tall, and short enough to repeat a few times a week.
- Watch out for
- Around 14:30 she stands for a forward fold with hands on the chair; stay seated if standing is a problem.
Pair it with: Our arms and posture session
Watch on YouTube07
From the NHS
“Pilates – standing and chair-based exercises | NHS” · NHS
Watch on YouTube The creator plays this video only on YouTube.
- Length
- 31:05
- Level
- Gentle
- Position
- Standing with a chair for support, then seated, then standing again
- You need
- A chair with a firm seat and back
- Who teaches it
- Published by the NHS; class filmed by InstructorLive · As stated on their channel.
- Who it suits
- People who find getting to the floor hard but can stand with a chair to hold.
- What we like
- A full 30-minute Pilates class from the UK’s national health service, with chair-only options for people who cannot stand.
- Watch out for
- The NHS has switched off playing this video on other sites, so it opens on YouTube. About half of it is standing.
Pair it with: Our gentle Wall Pilates for over-50s
How we chose these
- Free to watch on YouTube, and the creator allows it to be played on other sites.
- Taught by someone who states a teaching or clinical background on their channel.
- Clear enough to follow at home without a teacher watching.
- No promise of fast weight loss or of treating a medical condition.
- Mostly or entirely seated, and we say exactly when a video asks you to stand or kneel.
Credentials are as each creator states them on their own channel. We don’t verify them independently. Nobody pays to be listed, and we don’t earn anything from these links. Videos load from YouTube in privacy-enhanced mode, and only when you press play. Until then you see the video’s thumbnail.