Spirituality

Benefits of sitting on the floor while eating that you may not know

These days, how do we eat our meals? In the dining room, sitting on the dining table with family? Or on the living room couch, watching our favourite TV series? Or perhaps quietly sitting on the table while surfing the net over the smartphone?  

Just a few decades ago in India, people used to eat meals while sitting on the floor, and that tradition goes back thousands of years. Chairs and tables were not so popular back then. But the dining table’s unavailability was not why people consumed meals while sitting on the floor. Our ancestors had such a deep knowledge of human anatomy that they came up with the best method of consuming food, and that was while sitting on the floor. How eating while sitting on the floor helps our body? Let’sLet’s find out.    

Sukhasana:

 Sukhasana, a yoga pose, is used when we eat while sitting on the floor. Sukhasana is a sitting pose from Hatha yoga. It is a simple method of sitting on the floor in a cross-legged position. Also known as the easy pose, this method has been used for meditation for thousands of years. If you are not used to it, this is how you perform it.

-If you are not used to sitting on the floor, have supportive padding like a blanket under your sit bones. It should be placed so that your hips shall be a little higher than your knees before you perform the pose. 

 -Now cross one shin before the other and put each foot under the opposite knee. Put both of your pinky toes on the floor, and adjust your thighs to get that comfortable position. 

 -Adjust your hip bone so your pelvis will be in a neutral position. Lean back-forth and backward several times to align your shoulders directly over your hips.

Benefits of sitting on floor while eating:

Digestion: Sukhanana pose helps in the digestion process. While eating in Sukhasana, food will be laced in front of you on the plate kept on the ground. You must lean forward every time to lift the food with your spoon or hand. And to put it in your mouth, you have to lean a little backward. You repeat this during the entire process of consuming food. This movement activates the abdominal muscles and improves the secretion of gastric juices, enhancing digestion.

Weight loss: sitting down on the floor calms your mind. Getting up and sitting down for the meal and slightly leaning back and forwards elevates the body movements. Both of these relax your mind. When you sit on the floor in a crossed legged position, it connects your mind with your stomach, giving signals about how much exactly you need to eat. When your mind is at peace, you avoid overeating, which leads to gradual and healthy weight loss.

Blood circulation: Sitting in a cross-legged position circulates your blood towards your stomach lining. It improves the peristalsis and the physical movement of the stomach and intestines, which is essential to absorb the vital nutrients required by the body. Sitting in Sukhasana keeps the heart healthy, as there is less blood pressure to the lower body and heart, and blood is circulated evenly throughout the body.

Posture: Sitting in Sukhasana improves your posture by strengthening the back, thigh, and knee muscles. It improves flexibility as well. Getting up from the floor requires excellent core strength and agility. People who are used to sitting in Sukhasana have both of these qualities.    

Relaxation: Almost all of the ancient idols of Buddha are either in the Sukhasana pose. Do you know why? Because it’s an ideal position for meditation. It’sIt’s an excellent position for breath regulation, enhancing the oxygen flow in the body and leading to relaxation. Ayurveda suggests that consuming food in a calm and relaxed state aids in better digestion.

Apart from these factors, sitting on the ground literally makes you more grounded and humbled. Eating in Sukhasana helps you to connect with the spiritual side. The ground gives spiritual courage and calmness to the spiritual practitioner. It keeps the family together. Each bite you consume with mindfulness gets loaded with stomach juices and digestive enzymes, making you healthy.

After saluting the food, and thanking the one who has cooked and served it, go ahead, and enjoy it with mindfulness. We hope you have gained some new insight into the reason why most people in India sit on the floor while eating.

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