Hi guys, I started to research this myself but with all the excellent support and friendliness here I felt kind of bad doing it myself without mentioning it to all you lovely people here who are also trying to look after their health naturally.

Well here are some ideas:

Maybe the natural way is the good old meditation position of sitting. I was highly suspicious of that position at first, as it could just be a bit of a made-up kind of position that looks good. As well one leg has to go over the other. However now I'm pretty sure this is how I would sit if I were in the wild and on flat ground and had to sit for a short time. Have you ever seen chimpanzees etc. sitting? They do it all the time to conserve energy. But they kind of stoop/sit... so I really don't think it's applicable to us as much. I doubt anyone would argue that humans aren't bipedal creatures after all...

On the other hand, my legs are getting kind of funny from sitting this way at my desk (or rather *on* my desk now...) They're getting stiff and it feels as if the blood might be getting stuck in them. But maybe this is just because my legs aren't used to it??? Can anyone confirm or deny this?

OR... Maybe humans weren't ever supposed to sit on flat earth like other primates do. Maybe we were supposed to just stand or lie or else sit on rocks or tree stumps or something??? I think when you're raw you can certainly stand and feel like standing a lot longer. When people go out hiking, you don't see them naturally going into meditation position when they want to sit down do they? No, they find a place to sit, and on flat earth would do something else again. But maybe they're actively avoiding the meditation position because of the stigma of looking like Buddha or whatever...? So I don't know again! What's the deal? How are we meant to sit???

SuperInfinity,

We are supposed to crouch when not erect or supine. Try it. WARNING: looks goofy in public in western cultures, so do it around the house only : )

yes its like a squat position travelling about rural asia i saw this alot and was encouraged to participate

one reason i was told to squat/crouch rather sit on bum is there was less chance of you feet touching someone which is considered extremely rude in some cultures



...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

What is the natural sitting position?

on your a$$? ha ha.

i crouch so much. i used the kids as an excuse, they're short!
i sit at desk in lotus position sometimes. i like it and it's comfortable for me. otherwise i sit in a straight backed chair with back straight and feet both planted on the floor. no crossed legs for me, terrible for circulation and other things.

have you seen the nada chair? i had one years ago and got rid of it and now i wish i had it back. great for keeping the back straight when at a desk or, for me, sewing machine. it was so incredibly comfortable. there was even an option for sitting on the floor. you might think it would make you lazy but actually it trains you to sit up straight, especially at those times you would normally slouch. i miss it.