Your Ultimate Guide to Sitting On the Floor- Floor Sitting 101

After the pandemic hit the world hard, the scenario of working in the office changed drastically. People are more oriented towards working from home rather than working in the office. Companies are looking for new ways to attract their employees to return to offices. 

Amidst all these people are looking for ways to improve their home office experience. Offices are equipped with multiple accessories like comfortable chairs, desk, and sofas, which is not available at home. To remain productive and healthy at the same time while working for prolonged hours take a bit of doing.

Workers are moving towards furniture-free living or leaving the traditional way of using furniture.

As someone said ‘’Seating is the new Smoking’’. Seating for long hours without any movements is harmful to our bodies.

Instead of relying on external things like chairs, and desks to help our bodies, we must trust our bodies to do the work.

Floor sitting or sitting on the floor is a new trend amongst office-goers as it gives more freedom of movement.

Why Do We Sit On The Floor? 

It is important to know why should we sit on the floor. Our modern lifestyle is influenced by ‘’Computer and Couch’’ and ‘’Grab and Go’’ philosophy. We don’t have time for ourselves or eventually our bodies.

This leads to a lot of bodily injuries in our lifetime and which can be avoided by adjusting some of the ways we work and believe.

Working sitting on the floor is the new trend, this is more applicable at home because of the access to things we require for floor sitting. But why should we sit on the floor and are there any benefits associated with it? Let’s get into the details,

1. Body Designed for Movement- 
   • The number one reason is that our body is designed to move constantly not sit on a  chair or bench for 8-10 hours at a stretch. If you look at ancient pictures you will find people were more inclined toward sitting on the floor rather than on chairs. Our body is designed to seat on the floor, not on chairs.
2. Increases Flexibility
   • Seating on the floor increases the flexibility in our ankles, hips, knees, and other joints. As it allows us to have a full range of motion, it improves the movement of all our important joints. As we get up and get down our knee joints are more lubricated keeping them healthy for a longer period.
3. Increases Strength
   • Seating on the floor increases our strength. As more muscles are involved in the process they get strengthened in the due course of time. Our core muscles, hand, and back muscles are used in a natural way.
4. Better Longevity
   • Seating on the floor improves the quality and quantity of life. If you look at Asian and Japanese culture then seating on the floor is very much prevalent and they live longer. Our grandparents used to spend less time on chairs than on their feet. 
5. Feel Good
   • It is fun and after a few weeks of practice, you will feel a lot better from inside and outside. You can have numerous ways to seat and work and your body will thank you for this.

How sitting on the floor can improve your health?

There is a saying ‘’The problem is not how we seat but the real problem is how little we move.’’

Sitting on the floor can improve your health to great extent. It allows you to have more freedom to move thus more body workouts, muscle workouts, and joints moving, and all of these lead to a flexible body. So when the body muscles work out regularly it improves the strength of those muscles. 

Sitting on the floor does not restrict your blood flow so it keeps the pressure regulated. It does not lead to stress and anxiety which we may feel with reduced blood circulation.

When we get up from the ground and also sit on the ground our joints like hips, ankles, knee, shoulder, and even wrists all came into play. These continuous joint movements keep our joints lubricated.

A happy body leads to a happy state of mind.

How to seat comfortably and pain-free?

Seating comfortable not only improves the way your body feels but also improves your productivity at work. Because a happy mind can think and do well. But seating on a chair for long hours can not be comfortable after all. But there are ways which can help you have a comfortable experience while you seat on a chair or work on a couch.

1. Set Reminders

Set reminders of 25-30 minutes on your smartphone to get up from the chair. Do not sit on the chair for more than 30 minutes at a stretch. After every 30 minutes get up and grand a coffee/tea, glass of water or wash your face. Take a 5 minutes break move around and then come back to your desk.

2. Explore New Ways to Work

Stop using the usual methods of seating and working in the office. There are new ways to try like setting on the floor, using an exercise ball, or using a standing desk. By adopting these new methods you break the monotony of seating in a chair where there is a very limited scope of movement. You can adopt a seat and stand approach where you work in your chair for some time and some part standing on a desk.

3. Listen to your Body

It is important that you listen to your body. When your body tells you to need a break then get it, it is your responsibility. You must constantly move or shift to new positions while you work. 

4. Correct posture

Sitting in a correct posture is important otherwise it leads to body pain, headache, stress, anxiety, and more. You should move more while you are working on your office chair. The best posture is the next posture. The best posture while seating is the straight spine leaning on the back of the chair. Your nads should be on the desk while typing. Your elbow should be at a 90° angle when you are typing on the keyboard. Keep your legs horizontal to your hips. Keeping arms on the armrests helps support the shoulders.

5. Better Furniture

You need chairs that can help you move continuously within the seating position, that support your natural curves of the spine, and support your arms and head. An ergonomics chair that allows you to have 3-dimensional movement while you seat in the chair is a very good option. 

Standing desks or convertible standing desks are quite a good option because you can both work seating and standing. You can switch between a seating position to a standing position easily. A standing position allows you more room for movement. 

FLOOR SITTING GUIDE| HOW TO SIT COMFORTABLY, PAIN-FREE

Benefits of sitting on the floor

There are a number of benefits to sitting on the floor instead of on a chair or couch. For one, it is much better for your posture. Sitting on the floor forces you to sit up straighter, which is the proper way to sit. 

Additionally, sitting on the floor is much better for your back and spine. It takes the pressure off of your back and spine that is caused by sitting in a chair. Additionally, sitting on the floor is a great way to improve your balance and flexibility.

Medical Practitioners, and body healers, are now calling “Sitting is the new Smoking”. Confining yourself to a chair for long hours is detrimental to the body. It causes various types of body pains, increased anxiety, stress, and blood pressure.

Sitting on the floor is better in many ways and they are as follows

1. Sitting on the floor improves our joint flexibility and mobility. As we get up and down on the floor our joints like the knee, hip and ankle are more used. This improves the joint’s movement and overall flexibility. 
2. Sitting on the floor develops and strengthens our muscles over time. More muscles are used when we seat on the floor and get up from the floor. We have more room for movement while sitting on the floor so more muscle movement.
3. When you sit on the floor you have more room for movement than compared to sitting on a chair. The no of movement is unlimited while confining yourself to a chair has, limited movements. 
4. It allows one to sit in a more correct posture than sitting on a chair. When your body is in a comfortable shape the posture is correct.

Benefits of Sitting on Floor Part 2 and 3 Sitting Positions

Disadvantages of sitting on the floor

Sitting on the floor is a comfortable option but it may not be the case for everyone at the beginning. There are certain disadvantages associated with this and they are as follows

1. Sitting on the floor may not be for everyone. People sit on the ground for reading, eat, watch TV, play games, and work on laptops. But not everyone has the liberty to enjoy floor sitting as it may induce pain for the elderly, sick, or people with joint pain.
2. If you have a short hamstring hen sitting on the floor can be a painful experience. You may use foam pads underneath to increase your height to adjust the short length of a hamstring.
3. It takes time to practice seating on the floor. In the beginning, you can start sitting on the floor for 5 minutes and increase the time duration as you get more oriented to floor sitting. Increase it to 10,20 or 30 minutes when you feel comfortable in it.

What is ergonomic floor sitting?

Ergonomic floor sitting is a type of sitting that is designed to be more comfortable and efficient for the human body. This can be accomplished by sitting on a floor mat or using a special chair that is designed for floor sitting. Ergonomic floor sitting can also be done by using a pillow or other type of support to keep the spine in alignment.

Is sitting cross-legged on the floor bad for you?

It depends on a number of factors, such as your individual anatomy, flexibility, and the type of floor surface you are sitting on. However, generally speaking, sitting cross-legged on the floor is not considered to be bad for you. In fact, it can actually be quite beneficial for your health, as it helps to improve your posture and increase your flexibility.

Best sitting postures on the floor

One of the most important things about sitting on the floor is that you can try numerous postures and positions. Floor sitting allows full freedom for all kinds of movements. Some of the known postures or positions that people use while on the floor are

1. Sitting Cross Legged
   1. With Both legs crossed as we normally seat on the floor with our hips down.
2. Sitting with One Knee up and another one down on the Floor
3. Long Sitting- Sitting with both legs stretched to the front. 
4. Side Knees-
5. Both knees-up
6. In a Butterfly Position( if you have flexible muscles)
7. Corse Position
8. Corse with a prop
9. Stretched Legs
10. Cross twisted legs
11. Deep Squatting with your back Leaning against the wall
12. Sit down with your ass on the floor
13. Kneeling down

FLOOR SITTING | Why, How, What Props to Use | Making the Transition