A Comparison of Muscle Activation between Select Standing and Seated-Equivalent Yoga Poses among Healthy Adults

The purpose of this study was to determine muscle activation during four standing yoga poses and their chair equivalent versions.

The approval was obtained from the university's institutional review board committee. Twenty-six healthy adults, 7 males and 19 females, with an average age of 23.73 ± 1.64 years participated. Surface electromyographic was collected using the Noraxon TeleMyo 2400GT. Electrodes were placed over the muscle bellies of bilateral biceps femoris (BF), rectus femoris (RF), external obliques (EOs), and the erector spinae (ES) on the side of the nondominant leg. Subjects performed the 8 poses in random order and held each for 10 s with the dominant leg forward for the 3 asymmetrical poses.

Results of the nonparametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed that muscle activation was significantly greater during standing for all muscles except for the right EO during both extended side angle and goddess pose. Similarly, peaceful warrior demonstrated significantly more activation during standing for all muscles except for the left EO. Warrior I only demonstrated significant differences between left RF and left BF with standing having greater activation. Conversely, goddess pose demonstrated more activation of the left EO and left ES during sitting, P < 0.05.

Muscle activation was higher in the legs (BF and RF) during the standing poses, and core activation was higher during the seated poses (EO and ES).

This is the first study to compare muscle activation during standing and chair equivalent versions of select yoga poses.