For her entire life, my grandmother took baths, never showers. Mostly to prevent her hair from getting wet, which she washed and set herself once every two weeks on Thursdays like clockwork.
Little did she know, her bathing habit not only preserved her hairstyle but also preserved her ability to move freely well into her late eighties.
Taking a bath requires lowering into the tub with control and requires strength to get up when it’s time to get out.
Because she did this regularly her whole life, my grandmother maintained the ability as she got older.
She could also get up and down from the floor easily!
Contrary to popular thought, getting up and down from the floor isn’t naturally lost with age.
It’s lost because we stop getting on the floor.
The old “use it, or lose it” adage applies to your knee, ankle, and hip joints.
Getting and sitting on the floor requires a much broader use of these joints that keeps them mobile while helping prevent arthritis.
If you can’t remember the last time you got all the way down onto the floor, there’s a good chance your body has adapted to chair sitting.
And if so, it doesn’t mean you can’t still glean the joint-mobilization benefits getting on the floor provides.
In today’s video, you’ll learn how to bolster a floor-sitting position in a gentle way that invites mobility in your hips, knees, and ankles.
You’ll need a couple pillows and blankets for this one.
As always, I’d love to hear how it goes. Tell me in the comments below.
Wishing you a Happy New Year with more freedom and ease in your body than ever before!
With love,
Sydney
P.S. If creating more balance, ease, and freedom in your body is on your mind for 2021, stay tuned. I’ve been working on an eight-week online program that starts in February, and it’s all about creating balance in your hips that will help you keep doing the things you love in your life. More details coming soon!
8 Responses
I’m intrigued by stretching to restore mobility and posture. Im 68, and somewhat sedentary, especially following double knee and one hip replacement. im not sure i can ever kneel again? I fear not being able to get off floor and feel as tho I’ve given up the ability to do anything low, like gardening or scrubbing floors. Can these modalities help me?
Hi Pattie, I do think these modalities can help. That said, knee and hip replacements will change your joint’s natural range of motion and fully kneeling is probably not a great idea. BUT, there are many other things you can do to gently regain mobility and work toward being able to get up and down from the ground. The key is in making small, consistent changes in how you use your body throughout the day. Wishing you all the best!
Hi Sydney
Thank you so much for all of your wonderful videos! I have been following and recommending you for years! I was really happy to find that I am flexible enough at 56 to adopt this position without needing to bolster, but where I struggle is with getting up after sitting cross-legged – I always feel like I am broken when I stand up! Do you have any videos which address this, please? Thank you, Liz
Hi Liz, thanks so much for your kind words and recommending my videos! I don’t have a specific video for getting up from the cross-legged position, but it’s one of those positions that get easier the more frequently done for short periods (20-30 seconds at a time, even!) I’ll keep your video request in mind. 😃
How long should I hold this position? And how many reps are enough?
Hi Gail, great questions! It really depends on the individual. If it’s intense, shorter periods of time is the way to go (for 20-30 seconds, even) As far as reps, more frequently throughout the day, for short periods of time, will be more beneficial than multiple times in a row.
Funny,…just last week I had been commenting to friend about wishing that I could sit in this position and then saw this great video. Thank you for offering these practices. I find your videos so helpful!
Oh, I love that Angela! Thanks for sharing!