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This article is about sitting in its general sense. For information about Zen sitting meditation see Zazen. There are several ways for humans to sit.
Tailor or Indian style To sit in the Tailor style: Zazen positions Zazen, the Japanese word for "sitting meditation", is a form of medition rather that a particular posture. During zazen, practitioners may assume a lotus, half-lotus, burmese, or seiza position. Images of the Zazen positions described may be found here. Lotus position To sit in the lotus position: This position is common in yoga. Half-lotus position Half Lotus is sitting in a style similar to Indian Style, but with one leg ontop of the other. To sit in Half Lotus: Burmese position Named so because of its use in Buddhist sculptures in Burma, the Burmese position places both feet in front of the pelvis with knees bent and touching the floor to the sides. Heels are pointing toward pelvis or upward, and toes are pointed so that the tops of the feet lay on the ground. This looks similar to the cross legged position, but the feet are not placed underneath the thigh of the next leg, therefore the legs do not cross. Instead, one foot is placed in front of the other. A popular sitting alternative for those less comfortable with the use of the Lotus or half Lotus positions in meditation and yoga. Image offered on external site: * Seiza position Seiza (正座, literally "correct sitting") is a Japanese word which describes the traditional formal way of sitting in that country. Sitting in seiza is kneeling on one's own lower legs, with the feet under the buttocks, toes pointed backwards. To sit in seiza for any length of time requires careful positioning of the heels under the sit bones of the hip, to minimize circulation loss. Squatting Squatting refers to sitting in a "crouched" position. Squatting is sometimes considered a form of standing, because the weight of the body is supported by the feet rather than the buttocks; however, a full squat rests the buttocks on the backs of the ankles, relieving the muscles of the legs. Squatting (including the use of the squat toilet) is more common in Asian cultures. Standard The standard way to sit in a chair is to: Variations Variations of the above, such as an aside variant with the legs resting above and beside the armrests (example), or the anti-authoritarian posture of reversing the chair and one's legs in front of the back of the chair. Kneeling chairs Kneeling chairs (often just referred to as "ergonomic chairs"), encourage better posture than conventional chairs and they look quite different. To sit in a kneeling chair one rests one's buttocks on the upper sloping pad and rests the front of the lower legs atop the lower pad. See also | ||||||||
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