Ben Smith Practicing Sitting Positions

How To Make Sitting Part Of Your Movement Practice

Sitting has been called the new smoking. But the reality is that sitting isn’t actually bad for you. What is bad for you is too much sitting in the same position. So it’s really lack of movement that’s bad for you. Today I’m going to explain how you can make sitting part of your movement practice.

Sitting Can Be Beneficial

Despite the recent alarms against sitting, it can actually be beneficial. There are a few things to keep in mind if you want to make sitting a part of your movement practice.

The first is to avoid chairs. Chairs put us into a fixed position and encourage us to use the chair to support our bodies. By sitting on the floor you have many more options for sitting positions. If the floor is problematic, you can use cushions to help bolster your body. And if you have to use something like a chair, a bar stool is a much better option.

If you have a hard time getting up from the floor, check out this video on getting up from the floor I did a while back. It offers some different techniques you can practice to make sitting on the floor more manageable.

Next, you need to vary your position. Like I said above, sitting isn’t bad for you. It’s long-term non-movement or holding the same position for and extended period. The great thing about the floor is that it doesn’t restrict your position the same way a chair does. Try to change your position every few minutes. The floor is also more likely to make you want to change your position than the floor.

And last, move around while you’re sitting. Explore your range of motion from different seated positions. Rotate your torso left and right, up and down. Move your arms. How far can you reach in all directions. I have personally found this to be a great way to unlock tight hips and back.

Sitting doesn’t have to lock you into one position for hours and hours. You can make it work for you. Start thinking beyond sitting in a chair and make sitting a valuable part of your movement practice!