Yes. It is a sad thing.
I sit as I type this. You are most likely sitting as you read this. Whoever you send this to will most likely be ‘sitting’ when they open up their email.
Whether eating, working, waiting, watching ‘screen’s of the many sorts and then the obvious planes trains and automobiles. We sit A LOT. Hard to argue this basic fact of Westernized life.
Here is the question:
Do you really know how to sit? Is there a ‘correct’ way? What is the best thing to sit on? What is the most optimal way to transfer your body weight when you move on a chair? Or when getting up to move around?
If you find yourself not knowing the answers to those questions, then you might consider learning about Moshe Feldenkrais’ classic awareness lesson titled “What is Good Posture”. Why? Because in this lesson the action of going from sitting to standing and back to sitting not only teaches you how to get up from a chair in the most efficient manner, it also teaches you how to find impeccable posture. It really does. Trust me on this one.
This little video clips gives a quick demo of Annalisa coming up to stand and then sit in two different ways. First have a watch and see if you can tell the difference between the first two movements and the second two movements. She is doing something VERY different.
Have a watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlEsXQGWC-I
Did you see the difference? (if you go into the youtube clip above I’ve written a little excerpt to explain the differences)
We are a culture that sits on chairs.
No ‘IF’s’, ‘AND’s’ or ‘BUT’s’
It just IS. Period.
Learning how to sit well and comfortably is actually incredible simple. It isn’t about the chair or the back support. It is about how you use the chair and how you use yourself. Your skeleton especially. It requires a little bit of learning. Attention to breath and ease. Worth learning about this if you are in it for the long haul of Westernized life. Trust me.
Thanks for reading, Irene.
