Seiza - Revision history

YellowHatGuy at 04:53, 26 January 2021

2021-01-26T04:53:50Z

YellowHatGuy at 04:53, 26 January 2021

2021-01-26T04:53:11Z

YellowHatGuy at 23:10, 8 March 2020

2020-03-08T23:10:49Z

YellowHatGuy at 04:43, 13 February 2018

2018-02-13T04:43:55Z

YellowHatGuy at 20:13, 25 March 2017

2017-03-25T20:13:26Z

YellowHatGuy: Created page with "Seiza (literally: “proper sitting”) is a peculiarity of Japanese culture; it is their preferred way of sitting. Japanese homes are cramped living spaces; there is little c..."

2016-09-15T00:02:52Z

Created page with "Seiza (literally: “proper sitting”) is a peculiarity of Japanese culture; it is their preferred way of sitting. Japanese homes are cramped living spaces; there is little c..."

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Seiza (literally: “proper sitting”) is a peculiarity of Japanese culture; it is their preferred way of sitting. Japanese homes are cramped living spaces; there is little clutter, or furniture. Seiza allows one to sit on the floor without lower back pain, while taking up an absolute minimum of space.

Sitting cross-legged causes the spine to curve, straining the lower back muscles over time. While there are meditating monks who sit cross-legged for hours, it is only because they’re sitting on cushions or small benches that preserve their posture.

Seiza is mainly used in the brief opening and closing formalities which bookend each class to help set the right mindset. Much like how one should know which forks to use before going out to a fancy restaurant, one must know the formalities of seiza before visiting a [[Dōjō|dōjō]].

To sit in seiza, sit on your knees, as pictured below. The big toes are crossed. The knees are two fist-widths apart. Your back is ramrod straight, with your chin up, and eyes forward. The hands rest atop the thighs.

[seiza sitting photo]

Your legs will begin to hurt after a few minutes in seiza -- but do not worry, seiza causes no damage. The discomfort is caused by stretching underused ankle muscles and ligaments. The best way to avoid the inherent discomfort of seiza is to stretch these muscles and ligaments, and the best way to do that is to sit in seiza -- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOXaPE6gklI there's no easy way out]. ''Do not sit in seiza with your toes facing outward.'' While this may seem easier, it stresses the knee ligaments, leading to a crippling injury. Likewise, it is imperative that you only perform seiza barefoot, because shoes will place pressure and strain on your Achilles’ tendon.

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   [seiza sitting photo from the front and side]
-Your legs will begin to hurt after a few minutes in seiza -- but do not worry, seiza causes no damage. The discomfort comes from stretching underused ankle muscles and ligaments. The best way to avoid the inherent discomfort of seiza is to stretch these muscles and ligaments, and the best way to do that is to sit in seiza -- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOXaPE6gklI there's no easy way out]. ''Do not sit in seiza with your toes facing outward.'' While this seems easier, it stresses the knee ligaments, leading to a crippling injury. Likewise, only perform seiza barefoot, because shoes will place pressure and strain on your Achilles’ tendon.
+Your legs will begin to hurt after a few minutes in seiza -- but do not worry, seiza causes no damage. The discomfort comes from stretching underused ankle muscles and ligaments. The best way to avoid the inherent discomfort of seiza is to stretch these muscles and ligaments, and the best way to do that is to sit in seiza -- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOXaPE6gklI there's no easy way out]. ''Do not sit in seiza with your toes facing outward.'' While this seems easier, it stresses the knee ligaments, leading to a crippling injury. Likewise, only perform seiza barefoot, because shoes will place pressure and strain on your [[Kyūsho#Achilles.E2.80.99_tendon|Achilles’ tendon]].
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 '''Seiza''' (literally: “proper sitting”) is a peculiarity of Japanese culture; it is the polite way to sit. Japanese homes are cramped spaces, so there is little clutter (or furniture). Seiza allows people to sit on the floor without lower back pain, while taking up an absolute minimum amount of space.
-Sitting cross-legged curves the spine, straining the lower back muscles. The meditating monks who sit cross-legged for hours are actually sitting on the edge of cushions or small benches that preserve their posture.
+Sitting cross-legged curves the spine, straining the lower back muscles. The meditating monks who sit cross-legged for hours actually sit on the edge of cushions or small benches to maintain their posture.
-Seiza is mainly used in the brief opening and closing formalities which bookend each class to help set the right mindset. Much like how one should know which forks to use before going out to a fancy restaurant, one must know the formalities of seiza before visiting a [[Dōjō|dōjō]].
+Seiza is mainly used in the brief opening and closing formalities which bookend each class to establish the right mindset. Much like knowing which forks to use before going to a fancy restaurant, you ought to know seiza prior to visiting a [[Dōjō|dōjō]].
-To sit in seiza, sit on your knees, as pictured below. The big toes are crossed. The knees are two fist-widths apart. Your back is ramrod straight, with your chin up, and eyes forward. The hands rest atop the thighs.
+To enter seiza, sit on your knees, as pictured below. Cross your big toes, and keep your knees two fist-widths apart. Your back is ramrod straight, with your chin up, and eyes forward. Your hands rest atop your thighs.
   [seiza sitting photo from the front and side]
-Your legs will begin to hurt after a few minutes in seiza -- but do not worry, seiza causes no damage. The discomfort comes from stretching underused ankle muscles and ligaments. The best way to avoid the inherent discomfort of seiza is to stretch these muscles and ligaments, and the best way to do that is to sit in seiza -- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOXaPE6gklI there's no easy way out]. ''Do not sit in seiza with your toes facing outward.'' While this seems easier, it stresses the knee ligaments, leading to a crippling injury. Likewise, it is imperative that you only perform seiza barefoot, because shoes will place pressure and strain on your Achilles’ tendon.
+Your legs will begin to hurt after a few minutes in seiza -- but do not worry, seiza causes no damage. The discomfort comes from stretching underused ankle muscles and ligaments. The best way to avoid the inherent discomfort of seiza is to stretch these muscles and ligaments, and the best way to do that is to sit in seiza -- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOXaPE6gklI there's no easy way out]. ''Do not sit in seiza with your toes facing outward.'' While this seems easier, it stresses the knee ligaments, leading to a crippling injury. Likewise, only perform seiza barefoot, because shoes will place pressure and strain on your Achilles’ tendon.
 ----
 {{Navigation}}

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 To sit in seiza, sit on your knees, as pictured below. The big toes are crossed. The knees are two fist-widths apart. Your back is ramrod straight, with your chin up, and eyes forward. The hands rest atop the thighs.
-[seiza sitting photo]
+ [seiza sitting photo from the front and side]
 Your legs will begin to hurt after a few minutes in seiza -- but do not worry, seiza causes no damage. The discomfort comes from stretching underused ankle muscles and ligaments. The best way to avoid the inherent discomfort of seiza is to stretch these muscles and ligaments, and the best way to do that is to sit in seiza -- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOXaPE6gklI there's no easy way out]. ''Do not sit in seiza with your toes facing outward.'' While this seems easier, it stresses the knee ligaments, leading to a crippling injury. Likewise, it is imperative that you only perform seiza barefoot, because shoes will place pressure and strain on your Achilles’ tendon.
 ----
 {{Navigation}}

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Seiza (literally: “proper sitting”) is a peculiarity of Japanese culture; it is their preferred way of sitting. Japanese homes are cramped living spaces; there is little clutter, or furniture. Seiza allows one to sit on the floor without lower back pain, while taking up an absolute minimum of space.
+'''Seiza''' (literally: “proper sitting”) is a peculiarity of Japanese culture; it is the polite way to sit. Japanese homes are cramped spaces, so there is little clutter (or furniture). Seiza allows people to sit on the floor without lower back pain, while taking up an absolute minimum amount of space.
-Sitting cross-legged causes the spine to curve, straining the lower back muscles over time. While there are meditating monks who sit cross-legged for hours, it is only because they’re sitting on cushions or small benches that preserve their posture.
+Sitting cross-legged curves the spine, straining the lower back muscles. The meditating monks who sit cross-legged for hours are actually sitting on the edge of cushions or small benches that preserve their posture.
 Seiza is mainly used in the brief opening and closing formalities which bookend each class to help set the right mindset. Much like how one should know which forks to use before going out to a fancy restaurant, one must know the formalities of seiza before visiting a [[Dōjō|dōjō]].
@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 [seiza sitting photo]
-Your legs will begin to hurt after a few minutes in seiza -- but do not worry, seiza causes no damage. The discomfort is caused by stretching underused ankle muscles and ligaments. The best way to avoid the inherent discomfort of seiza is to stretch these muscles and ligaments, and the best way to do that is to sit in seiza -- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOXaPE6gklI there's no easy way out]. ''Do not sit in seiza with your toes facing outward.'' While this may seem easier, it stresses the knee ligaments, leading to a crippling injury. Likewise, it is imperative that you only perform seiza barefoot, because shoes will place pressure and strain on your Achilles’ tendon.
+Your legs will begin to hurt after a few minutes in seiza -- but do not worry, seiza causes no damage. The discomfort comes from stretching underused ankle muscles and ligaments. The best way to avoid the inherent discomfort of seiza is to stretch these muscles and ligaments, and the best way to do that is to sit in seiza -- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOXaPE6gklI there's no easy way out]. ''Do not sit in seiza with your toes facing outward.'' While this seems easier, it stresses the knee ligaments, leading to a crippling injury. Likewise, it is imperative that you only perform seiza barefoot, because shoes will place pressure and strain on your Achilles’ tendon.
 ----
 {{Navigation}}

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:13, 25 March 2017
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	Your legs will begin to hurt after a few minutes in seiza -- but do not worry, seiza causes no damage. The discomfort is caused by stretching underused ankle muscles and ligaments. The best way to avoid the inherent discomfort of seiza is to stretch these muscles and ligaments, and the best way to do that is to sit in seiza -- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOXaPE6gklI there's no easy way out]. ''Do not sit in seiza with your toes facing outward.'' While this may seem easier, it stresses the knee ligaments, leading to a crippling injury. Likewise, it is imperative that you only perform seiza barefoot, because shoes will place pressure and strain on your Achilles’ tendon.		Your legs will begin to hurt after a few minutes in seiza -- but do not worry, seiza causes no damage. The discomfort is caused by stretching underused ankle muscles and ligaments. The best way to avoid the inherent discomfort of seiza is to stretch these muscles and ligaments, and the best way to do that is to sit in seiza -- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOXaPE6gklI there's no easy way out]. ''Do not sit in seiza with your toes facing outward.'' While this may seem easier, it stresses the knee ligaments, leading to a crippling injury. Likewise, it is imperative that you only perform seiza barefoot, because shoes will place pressure and strain on your Achilles’ tendon.
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		+	{{Navigation}}