Why?
I have been fascinated by Japanese culture for a very long time. One aspect that has always caught my attention is the longevity and overall health of Japanese people.
An interesting element of Japanese culture is that people spend a lot of time sitting on the floor. Most of you have probably seen scenes in Japanese movies where people sit on the floor around a low table.
This made me wonder whether sitting on the floor could be one of the factors contributing to their health and longevity, and whether I could apply this habit to my own life.
Every time you sit down on the floor and get back up, your body has to perform a physical movement. In a way, it is similar to doing a squat each time, and squats are very beneficial for the body. In addition, sitting in a meditation-like position encourages us to maintain better posture.
Since I had already been practicing meditation for a long time and owned a meditation cushion, I decided to run an experiment: I replaced the office chair I used for work with my meditation cushion.
I modified my desk so that its height would be suitable for working while sitting on the floor, and I began the experiment.
The First Month
The first month was much more difficult than I expected. After the first few days, I was already close to giving up. My knees and back hurt, and despite my experience with meditation, I did not feel comfortable sitting on the floor for such a long time.
It quickly became clear that sitting on the floor for eight hours a day was very different from meditating for thirty minutes.
Despite the initial difficulties, I decided to continue the experiment and give my body enough time to adapt.
After the first month, the pain in my knees and back disappeared, and I started to feel much more comfortable. I also noticed a slight improvement in my posture.
Two Years Later, I Still Work on the Floor
It has now been two years since I started this experiment, and I have no intention of going back to sitting in an office chair. I feel much better than I did before, my posture has improved significantly, and I can no longer imagine spending many hours sitting in a comfortable office chair—which, ironically, no longer feels comfortable to me at all.
I have also discovered that sitting on the floor allows us to use many different positions, which can also have a positive effect on the body. Spending the entire day in a single position is very unhealthy.
Yoga can be helpful here. Many asanas can be adapted to sitting and working at a computer, allowing us to regularly change the position in which we work.
What do you think about this kind of workspace? Would you consider replacing your chair with a floor setup? Or maybe you have your own unusual way of working at a computer that makes you feel more comfortable or helps you stay active?