Friday Q&A: Benefits of Squatting

Q: I recently decided to try the experiment of sitting cross-legged more, starting out on my sofa, as sitting in this position seems to help my achy hip and back. I will see if I can progress to the floor. I am also wondering about squatting more, not comfortable for me, but a common position in many countries (such as Vietnam, where many families still eat squatting on a low large table). Any thoughts on this position, besides needing to be careful of wonky knees?

A: Do I ever! I happen to like squatting, even though I have an old tear to the cartilage in my left knee, the medial meniscus, which I have to been mindful of getting in and out of squats. My hips turn out decently, which is necessary for  squatting, and my ankles also dorsiflex—what we typically refer to simply as flexing—pretty well so my heels can stay on the ground if my feet are about a foot or so apart.

I became interested in squatting as an alternative way to sit for short periods of time after a yoga adventure trip to Bali in the late 90’s. As we drove down a country road past rice fields one day, I noticed a group of men squatting and talking near an intersection. Returning the same way a few hours later, the same group was still there, squatting and talking as they had been earlier. I was shocked, remembering how challenging the pose could be for me in class when I only held it for a few minutes. So I became motivated to see if I could safely master this position, although I was not sure what I would use it for.

We do need to keep in mind that in these cultures, people squat starting from their early stages of life, and often live in places where western furniture is not the norm, as Ram mentioned in his post To Sit or Not To Sit (on the floor)?. So we are at a distinct disadvantage learning to squat as adults. However, there may be some good reasons to try it out.  I find it particularly helpful in certain social or activity situations, such as when camping and not wanting to sit directly on dirty, sometimes wet or rocky ground, or when using a primitive or non-existent loo! I use it in social situations where there are limited chairs, where I want to be down interacting with kids, or when talking with another person who is sitting and I don’t want to loom over them by standing. And when my back is flared up, being able to squat to pick things up off the floor is quite handy.

But are there any other benefits, you might ask. Well, squats take the knees into the deepest flexion possible, both active flexion (that created just by the muscles contracting) and passive flexion (created by an outside force, such as your body weight and gravity in this case). Fully flexing and then straightening the knees takes them through their full range of motion, which is generally a good thing for your joints. And the ankles also have to flex quite a bit, so their range of motion is exercised. The muscles at the front of the shins have to contract and work in a unique way not required for many other yoga poses, contributing to strengthening this area. The hips and lower back can get a nice stretch as well. You do want to increase your time in squats gradually, as there is an effect on your blood pressure, so that when you stand again, if you have timed it well, you don’t suddenly feel light headed.

If you have tight, stiff knees, you can do a modified version with a block or blocks under your sitting bones, creating a block chair of sorts that still allows you to experience the general shape of the squat.  If your heels don’t touch down easily, put a prop, such as a rolled-up blanket or yoga wedge, under your heels so they can ground. This relaxes the leg muscles and allows the bones to hold you up, which is why those men could hold the squats so long—they weren’t exhausting their muscles! And keep in mind that you might want to design a short sequence of poses that prepare you for the squat, such as, Reclined Knee to Chest pose, Reclined Leg Stretch, Warrior 1 pose, and Cobblers pose (Baddha Konasana), to name a few.

If it doesn’t work for your body to do squats, it is no big deal! There are so many other good postures that can be of benefit for you, so let go of the ones that may seem injurious for your body. And as my old friend Gary Morgan used to say as we played a silly riverside game on canoe outings, “Squat what you got!”

—Baxter

To Sit or Not To Sit (on the floor)?

by Ram

Getting Married Sitting on the Floor

As a child growing up in India I remember sitting on the floor for all kinds of activities, including eating, writing, reading and playing several indoor games. Growing up in a family of moderate means, owning several furniture items or a dining table or a cot was considered a luxury, and the pleasure of having these items at home was similar to the pleasure one achieves owning a Benz or Lexus. The dining table and its associated cutlery items were used only when there was a guest at home. On a daily basis we sat on the floor to eat, often off of a banana leaf.

Eating off of Banana Leaves

Sitting on the floor and performing all the above mentioned activities required us to lift our backs, arch our spines slightly and fold forward a few inches in order to complete the activity successfully. We could assume any sitting position, including Sukhasana, Siddhasana or Ardha Padmasana (without involving the hand mudras). Full Padmasana posture (Lotus pose) was adopted only when we sat to pray or meditate. My paternal grandfather always extolled the benefits of sitting or squatting on the floor and decried the use of chairs and tables. But peer pressure and being scoffed at by friends for sitting on the floor, often compelled us to use the chairs in the absence of grandfather’s glaring vision.

Now the benefits of sitting on the floor as advocated by my grandfather comes in the form of a published scientific paper that links sitting on the floor to overall health and life span extension. In the December 13, 2012 issue of the journal European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, in the article Ability to sit and rise from the floor as a predictor of all-cause mortality, de Brito, et al strongly suggest that the ability to sit and rise unaided from the floor serves as a predictor of mortality. The Brazilian researchers discovered that subjects who scored poorly on the “SRT score” (sitting-rising score) were at the risk of being 6.5 times more likely to die in the next six years.

The study involved more than 2,000 people ages 51 to 80, who had to sit on the floor and then rise to a standing position using as little support as possible. While the speed with which the subjects sat and stood wasn’t a factor in the scoring system, using a support to rise was a big factor in the scoring system. The more support a person required to rise (for example, placing the hand on the floor or knee or both for support), the lower the score for such action and points were deducted for using support. Rising up with an unsteady gait from a seated position or looking wobbly on the way up or down resulted in deduction of scores. A perfect score of five for each action (sitting and standing) was the goal. The final SRT score varying from 0 to 10 was obtained by adding sitting and rising scores and divided into four categories: 0-3; 3.5-5.5, 6-7.5, and 8-10. More than half the participants with ages from 76 to 80 who scored 0-3 were 6.5 times more likely to die during the course of the study (the study lasted for 6.3 years), compared to people who scored in the higher categories. Thus, during the course of the study 159 of the 2,000 volunteers died, with the majority of the deaths coming from the group that had the most trouble getting up and down. Interestingly, a 1-point increment in the SRT score was related to a 21% reduction in mortality.

The authors believe that muscle wasting and sarcopenia leading to lower limb muscle strength and poor trunk flexibility may influence the ability to sit and rise from the floor. (Baxter has already highlighted this article and mentioned several poses to strengthen the quads, lower back and hamstrings that would help in a smooth sit-rise transition. See From Independence to True Longevity.)

The work and results of the Brazilian researchers were so interesting that the editor of the journal suggested that simple tests like SRT are warranted in general health examinations in order to assess an individual’s mobility, flexibility, functional capabilities, health-related quality of life and outcomes in non-hospitalized aged adults. Meanwhile, I realized that my grandfather, who insisted and inculcated on us the practice of sitting on the floor daily, may just have been a temple priest but he sure possessed unrecognized scientific instincts!

My take home message? Spend more time sitting on the floor! Below are my ten tips for building or maintaining a daily sitting schedule. You can think of adapting one sitting pose and incorporating others gradually, or you can dive into doing most of the activities all the while sitting down. Practice rising up first with a suitable support until you are able to stand up unaided.

10) Sit and watch TV or listen to your favorite music
9) Sit and make all your phone conversations
8) Sit on the floor and do your bills
7) Sit on the floor and read your favorite book
6) Sit and browse the computer or send SMS
5) Sit and do your homework
4) Sit and do the yard work
3) Sit and play some indoor games (Uno, chess, cards, Monopoly, etc)
2) Sit on the floor and start practicing the art of eating (snacks and meals)
1) Sit in the bathtub or shower cubicle and take a shower 

The Groom With His Parents

Note from Nina: If you haven't already spent a lot of time sitting on the floor in a crossed-legs position (or any seated position where your legs are externally rotated), it might be best for you to start with shorter time periods on the floor and work up to longer periods, rather than simply changing all your seated activities to the floor. This is to prevent the possibility of injury due to over-stretching your hip and thigh muscles. Also, consider using a cushion or folded blanket under your sitting bones. And if you have hip, knee, or any other problems that prevent you from being comfortable in a crossed-legs position, feel free to experiment with propping or other seated positions that work for your body (or get some advice from your yoga teacher about alternatives). The important thing is for you to be comfortable!