5 Health Benefits of Sitting on Floor While Eating

Chairs are a rather recent invention, the use of which has become part and parcel of daily life for people across the globe. Not just while working, people nowadays are accustomed to sitting around the dining room table or even on the couch for their meals.But in the past, people sat or squatted on the floor while eating. Though not a common practice in Western countries, it continues even today in some cultures.

This ancient tradition has its roots in yoga and Ayurveda, and comes with science-backed health benefits, too.

* Offers Benefits of Seated Yoga Poses

When you’re sitting on the floor eating your food, you are actually doing a kind of yoga pose. It might be Sukhasana, Swastikasana or Siddhasana.Although these seated postures look simple and easy, practicing these poses with a clear intention offers many health benefits. n Sukhasana (Easy, Cross-Legged Pose), you sit with your legs relaxed while lifting your spine and opening your chest. Your shins are kept virtually parallel, and your feet are underneath the opposite knees. This is a very stable pose for doing upper body work, such as shoulder rolls and neck stretches.

* Improves Digestion

Sitting on the floor in a cross-legged position and eating your food is good for your digestive system. The back-and-forth movement of bending forward to eat and returning to your natural sitting position helps abdominal muscles secrete digestive juices, which are needed for quick and proper digestion.Plus, this sitting position allows the mind to calm down and applies pressure to the lower spine, which facilitates relaxation. Also, muscular tension releases and high blood pressure comes down.

* Increases Life Span

Regularly standing up from a seated position on the floor without needing a hand can also help you live longer.According to the study, getting up from sitting position requires considerable flexibility and body strength, which are needed to avoid common accidents, injuries and falls.If a person has difficulty standing up from a sitting position, he or she is 6.5 times more likely to die within the next six years. Study participants ranged in age from 51 to 80 years.

* Improves Strength and Flexibility

Sitting on the floor in a cross-legged position also makes your body stronger and more flexible. This sitting position stretches the hips, knees and ankles. It also increases flexibility throughout the spine, shoulders and chest, thus making you more flexible and able to ward off certain diseases.This strength and flexibility helps you stand upright without slouching, as well as pick up heavy objects without hurting your back.

* Supports Correct Body Posture

Good posture is important for reducing excessive strain on certain muscles and joints, especially the back and neck. By sitting cross-legged on the floor for eating, you are automatically correcting your posture.When you sit on the floor in the Sukhasana pose, you need to keep your back straight, expanding your spine and pushing the shoulders back. This posture helps prevent all kinds of aches and pains that are caused by bad posture.