Daily Mobility Exercises by Dr. Kelly Starrett › Forums › General › Sitting on the floor better?

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    • 01/10/2014 at 12:58 pm #70708
      AvatarAndrew Woodruff
      Participant

      Is it better to sit on the floor than to sit in a chair?
      I’m thinking mainly of sitting with knees externally rotated to the side, or with the knees pulled up to the chest in front of you.

    • 01/12/2014 at 9:51 pm #73765
      Avatar[email protected]
      Participant

      bump

    • 01/12/2014 at 11:39 pm #73768
      AvatarNathan Richer
      Participant

      personally i think the problem with sitting is concentrated in the back and the resulting posture.  if you cannot put yourself in a sitting position that results in a good posture, then i think it is bad as it risks back problems.

      sitting in a chair requires less hip mobility than sitting on the ground. most people can get to a place where their mobility allows them to tilt their pelvis forward and then stack their spine on top in neutral position.  thus it is similar to pistol squatting to perpendicular upper leg to lower leg, or you can let your legs go a little wider and have more room to tilt forward.
      if you sit with legs to each side, you still need to have enough mobility to be able to tilt your pelvis forward so that you are upright. if you sit with knees pulled up, then you’re doing something similar to the bottom position of the pistol squat which is the most challenging of squat positions.  if you cannot do either well, then you’ll inevitably start rounding your spine in order to stay upright which is bad.
    • 01/13/2014 at 6:24 pm #73772
      Avatar[email protected]
      Participant

      According to biomechanics scientist, Katy Bowman, sitting per se isn’t so bad as much as how much you sit in the same position. The issue (why it raises mortaility rates irrespective of exercise) has to do with restricting blood flow, which leads to plaque build up. Bowman’s advice is to minimize sitting, use a variety of positions, esp. those in hunter-gather societies.

      See this article for more: http://www.katysays.com/your-position-in-life/

      Plus, her book is boss.

      Hope this helps!

    • 01/13/2014 at 6:28 pm #73773
      Avatar[email protected]
      Participant

      Of course, it goes without saying that proper alignment (neutral pelvis and strong spit, one joint rule, etc) all apply to the seated positions…

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