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Yoga for veterans: a 25-minute class you can choose your way through, sitting, then standing at a chair, with a back block and an eyes-open finish

A 25-minute class you can do once or twice a week, sitting, then standing with a chair beside you, with an optional block for the lower back and a finish sitting up with your eyes open. Every pose is your choice: skip anything that doesn't feel right, and stop whenever you need to. It's an addition to care, not a treatment for PTSD or back pain, and it doesn't replace trauma-focused therapy, a pain programme or rehabilitation. The structure is our own and untested.

25 minBeginner15 movesBench or boxHip flexors · Back · Calves · Quads · Glutes · Hip abductors
Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Arrive, sitting (about 3 minutes)

  1. Slow breathing (6 breaths a minute)2 min
    Beginner · 3D demoFeet on the floor and eyes open; counting is optionalEasier: Breath reachHarder: Crocodile breathing (prone diaphragmatic breathing)
  2. Seated march1 min
    Beginner · Hip flexors, Quads, Abs · 3D demoAt whatever pace feels rightHarder: Standing march

Spine, sitting (about 4 minutes)

  1. Breath reach5 breaths
    Beginner · 3D demoArms rise as you breathe in and lower as you breathe outHarder: Slow breathing (6 breaths a minute)
  2. Seated overhead side bend2 each side, 10 to 20 s holds
    Beginner · Back, Abs · 3D demoBoth sitting bones stay on the chairHarder: Overhead lat stretch at a bench (elbows on the bench)
  3. Thoracic rotation5 each side
    Beginner · 3D demoSeated, arms crossed, turning smoothlyEasier: Side-lying open bookHarder: World's greatest stretch

Standing, chair beside you (about 7 minutes)

  1. Mountain pose (Tadasana)5 breaths
    Beginner · Calves, Back, Abs · 3D demoNotice your feet on the floor; a hand on the chair if you likeHarder: Tree pose (Vrksasana)
  2. Sit to stand from a chair8 slow reps
    Beginner · Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings · 3D demoA firm chair against a wall; breathe out as you standEasier: Sit to stand, pushing on the thighsHarder: Bodyweight squat
  3. Chair pose (Utkatasana)2 holds of 3 to 5 breaths
    Beginner · Quads, Glutes, Shoulders · 3D demoA shallow bend is fineHarder: Revolved chair pose (Parivrtta Utkatasana)
  4. Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)5 breaths each side
    Intermediate · Quads, Glutes, Adductors · 3D demoAs deep or as shallow as you likeEasier: Chair pose (Utkatasana)Harder: Extended side angle (Utthita Parsvakonasana)
  5. Tree pose (Vrksasana)5 breaths each side
    Beginner · Glutes, Hip abductors, Calves · 3D demoHand on the chair; keeping your toes on the floor is fineEasier: Mountain pose (Tadasana)Harder: Standing hand-to-big-toe pose (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana)

Lower back, lying or sitting: your choice (about 7 minutes)

  1. Pelvic tilt into bridge8 slow tilts
    Beginner · Glutes, Abs, Hamstrings · 3D demoLying with knees bent, or rocking your pelvis sitting tall on the chairHarder: Glute bridge
  2. Double knee-to-chest stretch3 holds of 20 to 30 s
    Beginner · Back, Glutes · 3D demoHold behind your thighs; sitting, hug one knee at a timeEasier: Single knee-to-chest stretchHarder: Overhead lat stretch at a bench (elbows on the bench)
  3. Hip windshield wipers10 slow passes
    Beginner · Glutes, Adductors · 3D demoKnees together, a small rangeEasier: Supine heel slideHarder: 90/90 switch
  4. Cat-cow6 rounds
    Beginner · Back, Abs · 3D demoOn all fours, or seated with your hands on your knees; skip all fours if it doesn't feel rightHarder: Half lord of the fishes (Ardha Matsyendrasana)

Finish, sitting up (2 minutes)

  1. Easy pose (Sukhasana)2 min
    Beginner · Hip flexors, Back · 3D demoOr sit on the chair. Eyes open: let your gaze rest on something in the room before you get upHarder: Pigeon preparation (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana prep)

Tips

  • Once or twice a week for about 12 weeks, as the veterans' trials did. Keep going with any therapy you have.
  • There's no right way to feel. If a pose or a memory feels like too much, stop, put your feet on the floor and look around the room, then tell your therapist.
  • Breathe slowly and gently, with no breath holds or fast breathing. If focusing on your breath feels worse, breathe normally and notice your feet instead.
  • Every pose is optional. Stay sitting or standing if lying down feels exposed, and nobody should touch you without asking first.
  • In a wheelchair, do the sitting blocks and the seated version of the back block. After an amputation, spinal cord injury, brain injury or stroke, ask your rehab team first.
  • No trial has tested this class as a whole; it follows our trauma-sensitive yoga practice with a back block added.

The doses are suggested starting points, not a prescription. Choose a range you can control and stop for sharp or increasing pain, numbness or tingling. Get individual advice after an injury or surgery, or if you are pregnant or managing a health condition.

Guides that recommend it

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Questions people ask

How long does the yoga for veterans: a 25-minute class you can choose your way through, sitting, then standing at a chair, with a back block and an eyes-open finish take?

About 25 minutes, including any warm-up and cool-down listed. Shorten it by doing fewer rounds; lengthen it by adding one.

What equipment do I need?

You need: A bench or box. Each move links to its guide, where you can find an alternative if you are missing something.

Is it suitable for beginners?

It is written for beginners. 7 of its 15 moves have an easier option listed beside them if you need one.

How do I make it easier or harder?

Use the easier or harder option listed under each move, change the number of rounds, or adjust the rest. Progress one change at a time.