In various parts of the world, sitting cross-legged or in the Indian style is a traditional way of sitting. This posture is believed to offer several benefits, including improving blood flow, inducing relaxation, and aiding in concentration. Do you ever wonder if sitting cross-legged has any health benefits, or is it just a comfortable way to sit?
Whether you’re sitting cross-legged at home, at work, in the park, or while doing yoga, you should know how sitting cross legged affects you
What is Cross-Legged or Indian Style Sitting?
The Indian style, sometimes called “the lotus posture” is a highly effective way to reduce stress, increase focus and boost productivity.
Many Americans sit in this position while watching TV. It’s not uncommon for someone to sit cross-legged on the floor while using a laptop or tablet computer. It’s becoming a global trend now.
Cross-legged sitting is a meditation practice in the East. It is believed to be a way to achieve inner peace and balance. It is believed to release negative emotions that one may have towards other people.
But according to a study by the Journal of Physical Therapy Science, the right leg cross-sitting position can distort the posture and can be harmful to the pelvis.
Benefits of Sitting Cross Legged
There are many benefits to practicing this style:
- improve your flexibility and posture
- increase your strength and endurance
- help improve your circulation
- combat stress and fatigue
- aid in weight loss
Cross-Legged Sitting also helps maintain strength and endurance. When you are sitting in this position, you are using more muscles in your body.
Moreover, it helps improve your circulation. When you are sitting in this position, your blood flow regulates and heart function improves. You use more calories and this can aid you to shed those extra pounds. Additionally, it has a positive impact on your sleep habits.
However, there is a lack of scientific data to support this belief. Overall, practicing Indian Style Sitting is a great way to improve your flexibility, posture, strength, endurance, circulation, and sleep habits.
Why is it Bad to Sit Cross-legged or Indian style?
If you’re like most people, you spend a large portion of your day seated. Whether at your desk, in your car, or on the couch, you’re likely to experience some adverse effects of prolonged sitting.
These include back pain, obesity, and even heart disease. As a result, many people have been switching to more ergonomic office chairs.
There are many reasons why is it harmful to sit Indian style:
- First, sitting in a cross legged position puts pressure on your back and can cause problems such as hernia, disc slip, and sciatica.
- Second, it keeps your spine in a flexed or hyperextended position, leading to backache.
- Finally, your hips and knees are not aligned at a right angle, which puts pressure on the pelvis causing joint pain, and discomfort.
Understanding the Correct Sitting Posture
When we sit down, our bodies naturally assume an upright position with our heads in line with our spine. However, sitting in this position for long periods is not recommended. Try out these tips on sitting posture:
Practice Neutral Spine
The practice of a neutral spine is an effective way to reduce your tension and release stress in your back, neck, and shoulders. It’s an effective and safe approach to improving posture.
Get a backrest or back-brace
Avoid lifting or bending over for more than 20 minutes, if you can. Support your spine with an ergonomic backrest.
Adjust the screen to Eye Level
The computer screen must be at least 20 inches away from your face. It should be at your eye level to avoid slouching or bending of the neck.
Take breaks from Sitting
Don’t sit for too long. People who sit continuously for more than 6hrs are at a higher risk of gaining weight.
How effective are the cross-legged office chairs?
Sitting in a traditional chair all day can be pretty unpleasant. People are gaining awareness about healthier and ergonomic ways of sitting. For this reason, cross-legged office chairs, kneeling chairs, saddle stools, and yoga ball chairs are trending in the market.
First of all, cross-legged office chairs are great for people with back or neck problems. They support active sitting posture and keep your spine in a neutral position.
Cross-Legged Chairs for Indian Style Sitting
A few ergonomic chairs for Indian-style sitting are:
- Pipersong Meditation Chair, Home Office Desk Chair, Cross-Legged Chair with Lumbar Support
- BIRDROCK home, Memory Foam Floor Chair – Comfy for Meditating
- Trico-op Cross-Legged Ergonomic Chair, Meditation Seat
- The Ikaria Design Company created an active sitting chair
The soul seat help relieves stress. It’s comfortable and made of high-quality materials. It is ideal for use at the home, office, and even outdoors. Its design is flexible and comfortable.
Bottom Line
According to BBC sitting in cross legged position is not bad if done for short time. Other reports suggests that cross legged sitting improves circulation and reduces stress while promoting concentration and productivity. So it’s not bad to sit this way but not for long.
Indian style is a unique form of sitting that is both comfortable and distinctive and can provide a sense of peace and tranquility. Hopefully, you’ve got the answer to “how does sitting cross legged affect you.”
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Does sitting cross-legged have any benefits?
It can help relieve stress, lower blood pressure, and improve circulation. It also helps with back pain, as it takes the pressure off the spine.
2. How does crossing your legs affect your spine?
Prolonged sitting can impact negatively.
3. Does crossing your legs restrict blood flow?
Continuous sitting might cause this problem, one solution is to take regular breaks from sitting.
4. How long can you sit cross-legged?
You should be able to sit for 30 minutes.
5. How does sitting on a cross-legged stool affect your posture?
It will help your posture if you don’t sit for too long.
6. How do you sit cross-legged?
Sit cross-legged by crossing your legs in front of you and resting your hands on your knees.
