During Yoga Teacher Training I have spent a lot of time sitting on the floor for morning meditation (or ‘sitting practice’ as my first meditation teacher called it with characteristic non-attachment to results!), listening to lectures, having discussions etc. I’m relatively comfortable here (delicate hamstring aside), but it was interesting watching bodies around me trying to find positions of ease — usually with their back supported with a couple of bolsters, or an elaborate nest of blankest and blocks, or even leaning against the wall until they were gently rebuked for this by the teacher.
At home I could see Hubby staring at me (from his place on a sofa!) and wondering at how much lower to the ground my knees are now when I sit in Sukhasana. It is interesting to note how this difference just arises from a change in habit (Hmmm, what habits in my asana practice could I change…?)
Now that I’m in the office for a couple of weeks between training sessions I’m finding it difficult to adjust back to chairs, especially office chairs and a good typing position. I’ve spent a week fiddling with every conceivable adjustment to my chair, but I still can’t find a way of sitting that isn’t bothering some part of my anatomy. I’m begging to be given a standing desk again (I had one on almost permanent loan), but meantime while my boss tries to find the budget for this extravagance I have found a spare kneeling chair. This is supposed to be great for the spine, although the compromise is that it’s bad for the knees…
What I’d most like to do is sit on the floor. Now I wonder if the network cable for my laptop will reach that far…
I can sit on a small block on the floor cross-legged for a while. My hips are open enough that my knees comfortably fall to the floor. But my knees are no longer happy for a long time here (aging body!). So I’m one of those folks who has to shift endlessly from kneeling to squatting to sitting to leaning back to propping in various ways if I’m to stay for hours sitting on the floor! So I totally understand your fellow trainees looking for ease. I discovered a kneeling bench with a slanted seat that works well for me in sitting practice – keeping my knees happy and preserving my natural spinal curves.
: )
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oh yes those meditation benches are pretty good!
I didn’t mean any judgment on my fellow students (of course! 🙂 ) — it’s just interesting to observe where/how we each find ease in the body, and the personal balance between fidgeting to find comfort and sitting with a degree of discomfort. I’ve never spent so much time observing other bodies before — it’s fascinating!
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Hehe you should totally sit on the floor! The standing desk would be amazing though. I’ve been trying to pace while I do phone calls at work otherwise I sit down almost all day, which is quite a change from my previous waitressing job!
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The ergonomic chair is great. I have two at home and one for work. They relieve my back.
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