Chair tree: how to do it
Stand like a tree: rooted through one foot, branches reaching up. Your support keeps you steady. Works: balance and legs.
How to do it
- Stand up slowly and take one breath. Step to the side of your chair and rest one hand on the top of the chair back, or on the wall.
- Shift your weight onto your left foot. Keep the knee soft.
- Rest the right toes on the floor, with the heel against your left ankle.
- Lift your free hand up like a branch. Your other hand stays on the support.
- Stay for 5 breaths. Put your foot down. Turn around slowly in small steps, one hand on the chair, so it is on your other side. Then repeat on the other side.
As you go
- Press your standing foot into the floor.
- Look at a spot ahead.
- If you wobble, put your foot down and hold on.
- Breathe out slowly; keep breathing.
What it works
- Works
- balance and legs
- Position
- Standing, with a hand on a support
- Have nearby
- a sturdy chair
- Effort
- Moderate
An easier and a harder version
Face the wall with both hands flat on it.
Stay for 8 breaths. Keep your hand firmly on the support.
Sit tall with one foot flat as the root. Rest the other foot against that ankle, toes down. Reach both arms up. Stay for 5 breaths and switch.
Take care
- Balance: hold on firmly. Choose the seated version on any unsteady day.
- Knees and hips: keep your foot at the ankle, never on the knee.
- Hip replacement: if you were told not to cross your legs, use the seated version with both feet flat and let one knee open gently to the side, or ask your surgeon or therapist first.
Where it is in the plans
In our chair plan: 3 of 28 days, first on day 23, Tree at the chair.
The plan's note that day: About 5 slow breaths each side. One hand on the chair back or the wall. Toes down, heel at your ankle.
| Plan | Days | First time | How much, that day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chair plan | 3 of 28 days: 23, 26 and 28 | Day 23, week 4: Tree at the chair | 2 min 50 s |
| Chair plan, round 2 | 7 of 28 days: 11, 15, 18, 22, 24, 26 and 28 | Day 11, week 2: Tree, twice | 4 min 10 s |
Chair tree: day 23 of a 28-day chair plan
Short daily sessions at home, a step harder as you get stronger.
What the guidelines say
Tai chi is a balance exercise. Have a sturdy chair or wall nearby.
National Institute on Aging (NIH), Three Types of Exercise
Stop if anything hurts, or if you feel dizzy, short of breath or chest pressure.
General information, not medical advice.