We are often advised not to keep sitting on our office chairs all day long. The advice rendered by doctors and fitness experts is to take regular breaks after every half an hour, get up from the chair, stretch our bodies a little or take a disciplined walk to the Coffee or Water dispenser at the corner of our offices. Make sure that the breaks are quick, so that the boss doesn’t complain.
In short, the habit of sitting in one pose for prolonged durations is not good for our health.
The wisdom may be new to the Modern Science, but the Ancient wellness science of Yoga is recommending this from time immemorial. The Hatha Yoga or the Yoga postures performed by Indian ascetics, mystics and sages for ages were invented with the objective of allaying the bad effects of prolonged sitting in one postures. These meditating sages had to sit for hours in order to get the enlightenment. In order to keep their bodies in the best state of health, they used to take breaks in between meditation (which sometimes stretch to hours) , to perform the Yoga postures. These yoga postures, which many a times include hard to perform and master postures kept the bodies in best shape and form.
In short, meditation and enlightenment may seem exalted concepts, but when an Indian sage or a buddhist monk sits in one pose to meditate, he/she is not much different for today’s 9-5 office worker. A sage is sitting for an exalted goal; we for lesser ones. Thus both need some activity to break that monotony.
A latest research conducted by Rosenberg University’s Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine Germany, appears to approve this wisdom. If a person sits in one pose for long durations, then the chances of getting cancer increases. In addition, there’s a clear connection between, bodily inactivity, diabetes, obesity , blood pressure and heart disease.
According to the research, sitting on one pose for long durations, increases the chance of getting colonic, uterus (the child carrying sac in women) and lungs.
Dear office worker, student or anyone who has to sit on one pose for long hours, are you listening?