Why I Stopped Using Chairs

I can’t recall the exact point i stopped using chairs. For most of my late twenties i’ve never been particularly drawn to them, preferring to sit or sprawl on the floor.

This wasn’t a conscious choice, rather a habit formed over time from enjoying the freedoms of the floor and disliking the restrictions of (and ailments caused by) chair sitting. I have suffered from tension in my neck all my life and i know from experience that prolonged upright sitting is a primary trigger - so naturally i gave it up.

Do you feel stiff? Do you have chronic back or neck pain? Do you lack mobility and want to feel unrestricted and free to move?

I can think of no better way than sitting on the floor to improve your mobility and posture, and to heal (and prevent) chronic muscle tension around the body. The best thing is it’s completely free and passive (although it might be uncomfortable at first).

This works two fold in that it:

1. Removes the continuous, static stress put on the body by prolonged upright sitting positions. These are entirely unnatural and wreak havoc on your tissues. This effect is snowballed hour after hour, day after day, year after year.

2. Opens up the body as you rest in natural, unsupported positions. Your muscles relax and lengthen rather than shortening and contracting. In a matter of days tension will float away and you’ll open up space in your body you never thought would be possible through a passive activity.

And this doesn’t have to be black or white. I always eat lunch and dinner at the dining table with my family as this is important to me. As with everything, make floor sitting a majority and don’t sweat the minority occasions where a chair beckons.

I believe spending more time on the floor is amongst the most powerful ways to start feeling great in your own body.

Set yourself the challenge to only sit on the floor for the next 30 days and let me know how you feel.