Japanese People Sitting On Floor
To sit seiza place your knees on the floor and rest your buttock on the top of your feet.
Japanese people sitting on floor. This form of meditation is similar to religious practices with buddhist influence. Sitting on the floor is also customary during the tea ceremony and other traditional events. Sitting upright on the floor is common in many situations in japan. The japanese eat and sleep on the floor.
An interesting use of seiza in japanese culture goes way beyond sitting as some people opt to use seiza during meditation. There are actually many possible positions that one may opt for while meditating. The formal way of sitting for both genders is kneeling seiza as shown on the picture below people who are not used to sit in seiza style may become. The japanese have used seiza as long as they ve had clothes that required a formal modest seated posture since well before.
Seiza involves sitting down on the floor and not on a chair. In traditional japanese architecture floors in various rooms designed for comfort have tatami floors. In many martial arts for. Sitting standing walking and lying down.
When compared to the asian countries people in the west have weak backs and the reason is clear slumping onto the couches chairs hunching over the desks and hours of sitting before the computers. The japanese are also known to stick with their traditions and way of life. Types of sitting on floor by japanese. In other word seiza was formed in the late 19th century by learning at schools and became the formal way of sitting for japanese people.
Seiza thus is closely connected with tatami flooring. According to a specialist in mind body interventions of ancient japanese hidemasa yatabe the concept of seiza and even the name was created by the government structured in the meiji period. Seiza meditation which is the polite and formal way to sit. They eat dinner sitting on the floor and then after taking a bath the japanese pull a futon out of their closet and spread it out on the floor.
The word seiza 正座 means literally correct sitting with knees together back straight and buttocks resting on ankles. For example meals are traditionally held on a tatami floor around a low table. They will probably forgive you if you commit some major faux pas. Surprisingly seiza is a quite new custom for japanese people.
There are circumstances however when people sit seiza style on carpeted and hardwood floors. Although for occidentals might seem like it is a part of the ancient history when visiting some. Once they have found an efficient solution to things they will hardly move on from it and hence will stick with it. If you are dining with japanese people they will understand that you don t know the rules.
The first association on seeing people sitting on the floor is connected with the eastern cultures.