These days, you enjoy your meals with your family, mostly in the dining room or in front of the television. But in earlier times, long before tables and chairs came into use, people used to comfortably sit down on the ground and eat their meals. In many parts of Asia, and especially India, it is more of a traditional practice than a common one. If you think that sitting relaxed on the couch or the dining table is a better place to have your meals, then you are under the wrong impression. Following are some significant reasons, as to why you should eat your meals sitting on the floor.
Sitting down on the floor, with crossed legs (Sukhasana) helps in improving our digestion process. Place your plate on the ground, and slightly move your body forward to eat and come back to your original position. This repeated action results in triggering of the abdominal muscles, which increases the secretion of stomach acids and allows food to digest faster.
Getting up and sitting down elevates the body movement. It also helps you feel full sooner. Rather than sitting on the chair, place a mat, cross your legs and keep your back straight. Follow this pattern regularly if you want to lose fat. This position is also effective in relaxing your mind and therefore, not letting you overeat. It also helps in reducing fatigue and body weakness.
Cross-legged position enhances the blood circulation in our body as it calms the nerves and releases away from the tension in it. It keeps the heart healthy as when we are sitting down; there is less pressure on our body and the heart. In Sukhasana, blood flow is distributed evenly throughout the body.
Like all other yoga asanas, sitting in Sukhasana helps you in maintaining a good posture and relieves you from muscle and joint pains. It gives you flexibility, keeps your back straight and provides strength to your legs. Some studies also claim that people who practice this habit, have longer life expectancy than people who don’t. It is so because, practising the art of getting up without any support, requires core strength and agility.
Padmasana and Sukhasana are ideal positions for meditation and benefit a lot in relieving stress from the mind. It is also an excellent position for doing breathing exercises, which in turn increases the flow of oxygen in the body. It straightens the spine and relaxes the shoulder muscles.
Not only sitting down has a lot of immediate health benefits, it aids in many psychological and emotional factors too. Sitting down to eat our food makes us humbler and more grounded. It also connects the family together. So, make sure that you start eating your meals sitting on the floor, with your family and loved ones and avoid indulging in television or gossip during meals.