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Pose collection · 12 poses

Seated yoga poses, from Easy Pose to Boat

By the YogaPhilippines.com editorial teamUpdated 2 October 2026

Seated yoga poses are the shapes you do sitting on the floor: cross-legged seats like Easy Pose, kneeling seats like Hero and Thunderbolt, folds like Seated Forward Bend, twists, and core shapes like Boat. Sit on a folded blanket so the hips are higher than the knees, and keep the spine long.

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Beginner

A woman in a sage set sits cross-legged in Easy Pose on a folded blanket, hands on her knees and eyes closed.

Easy Pose

Sukhasana
Cross-legged on a cushion, knees below the hips. The seat for breathing and meditation.
A woman in a sage set sits upright in Staff Pose with legs straight, feet flexed and hands beside her hips.

Staff Pose

Dandasana
Legs straight out in front, hands by the hips, sit up tall. The base for the seated folds.
A man sits on a folded blanket and folds forward over straight legs, holding his feet, in a bright room with trees in the window.

Seated Forward Bend

Paschimottanasana
From Staff Pose, hinge forward with bent knees or a strap around the feet. Breathe, do not pull.
A woman in an espresso set sits tall in Butterfly Pose, soles together and knees open, hands around her feet, on a Manila condo rooftop.

Butterfly Pose

Baddha Konasana
Soles of the feet together, knees open. Cushions under the knees if they float high.
A woman sits on a folded blanket hugging her bent knee and twisting to look over her shoulder in a Seated Twist.

Seated Twist

Ardha Matsyendrasana
One knee bent and crossed over, turn from the ribs towards it. Five breaths each side.
A woman in an oat set kneels sitting back on her heels in Thunderbolt Pose, hands resting on her thighs, in soft window light.

Thunderbolt Pose

Vajrasana
Kneel and sit on the heels. A folded blanket under the ankles helps stiff feet.
A woman in a stone set sits upright on a cork block between her feet in Hero Pose, hands resting on her thighs.

Hero Pose

Virasana
Kneel with the feet just wider than the hips and sit on a block between them, never forcing the knees.
A woman kneels with hands on her knees, tongue out and eyes lifted in Lion's Breath, in a sunlit condo.

Lion Pose

Simhasana
From a kneel, breathe in, then breathe out through the mouth with the tongue out. Three rounds.

Intermediate

Seen from behind, a woman seated on a blanket clasps her hands between her shoulder blades in Cow Face Pose arms.

Cow Face Pose

Gomukhasana
Knees stacked, hands reaching to meet behind the back, or holding a strap between them.
A woman in a cream set sits tall on a blanket in Fire Log Pose, one shin stacked on the other, hands beside her hips.

Fire Log Pose

Agnistambhasana
Shins stacked like logs, one above the other. Keep the feet flexed to protect the knees.
A man balances in Boat Pose with legs lifted and arms reaching forward, in a BGC condo studio with towers in the window.

Boat Pose

Navasana
Balance on the sit bones with knees bent and shins level. A seated balance for the core.

Advanced

LOTUS POSEPadmasana

Lotus Pose

Padmasana
Each foot on the opposite thigh. Only when the hips open freely; Easy Pose does the same job.
Printable A4 chart: Seated yoga poses, from Easy Pose to Boat, 12 poses with English and Sanskrit names
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<a href="https://yogaphilippines.com/poses/seated-yoga-poses/"><img src="https://yogaphilippines.com/print/seated-yoga-poses.png" alt="Seated yoga poses, from Easy Pose to Boat by YogaPhilippines.com" width="620"></a><br>Chart: <a href="https://yogaphilippines.com/poses/seated-yoga-poses/">YogaPhilippines.com</a>

Seated yoga poses are where breathing practice, meditation and the quieter end of a class happen. They look still, but each one asks something of the hips, knees or spine, so the most important prop is what you sit on.

Sit on the front edge of a folded blanket or a firm cushion, high enough that the knees drop to the level of the hips or lower. The pelvis then tips forward a little and the spine can lift without effort. The guide to yoga bolsters and blankets explains what to use if you do not own props yet.

How do you order seated yoga poses?

Start upright and finish folded. A short seated practice might run Easy Pose for a minute of breathing, Staff Pose, then Butterfly, the Seated Twist on each side and a gentle Seated Forward Bend, with Thunderbolt or Hero as a kneeling break between. Boat Pose is the active one: place it in the middle, while you still have energy.

Hold each shape for five slow breaths, longer in the resting seats. If you want the first seat explained in detail, Easy Pose, Sukhasana has the full steps, and Seated Forward Bend, Paschimottanasana covers how to fold without rounding hard through the lower back. Folding over one leg at a time in Head to Knee Pose, Janu Sirsasana is a gentler step toward it.

Which seated poses should you leave for later?

Lotus Pose and deep kneeling seats ask a lot of the knees, and the knee is the joint that pays when the hips are not ready. Practise the cross-legged and supported versions for weeks or months first. Cow Face and Fire Log Pose sit in the middle: comfortable for some bodies on day one, not yet for others.

For more gentle shapes on the floor, see easy yoga poses for stiff bodies and slow days, and for the seated folds as part of a longer stretch, yoga poses for flexibility gathers them with the standing and lying shapes.

The printable card set on this page has one card per pose, English and Sanskrit names, to keep beside your mat.

Safety noteYoga is not medical care. Stop if anything feels sharp, pinching or numb, and see a doctor or physiotherapist about pain or an injury before you practise. Read the health and safety note.

Questions

Why do seated yoga poses hurt the knees?

Usually because the hips are tighter than the shape asks, so the knees take the strain. Sit higher on a folded blanket, support the knees with cushions, and skip Lotus and deep kneeling for now. If knee pain is sharp or lasts, see a doctor or physio.

Can you do seated yoga poses on a chair?

Several, yes. Sitting tall on a chair with both feet flat, you can twist, fold forward over the thighs and do the arm shapes of Cow Face Pose. The cross-legged and kneeling seats need the floor.

Which seated pose is best for breathing practice?

Whichever one you can sit in for several minutes without fidgeting. For most people that is Easy Pose on a high cushion, or Thunderbolt Pose with a block between the heels.

Keep reading

Easy PoseSukhasanaSeated Forward BendPaschimottanasanaYoga bolsters and blankets: what they do and what to use instead