page_title: Sitting
section_title: Yoga, traditions and spirituality
hierarchical_section_title: Sitting / Positions / Yoga, traditions and spirituality
caption_attribution_description: English: A woman wearing kimono performs a tea ceremony. It is not clear which specific style of ceremony is being performed, but visible in the image are the kettle, the ro, and the tea bowl. The object at the far right of the image is a bamboo marker which marks the seating position of the host. Such markers take many forms; this one is somewhat unusual, but is of a type used for outdoor ceremonies.
context_page_description: Sitting is a basic human action and resting position. The body weight is supported primarily by the buttocks in contact with the ground or a horizontal object such as a chair seat. The torso is more or less upright. Sitting for much of the day may pose significant health risks, and people who sit regularly for prolonged periods have higher mortality rates than those who do not.
  The form of kneeling where the thighs are near horizontal and the buttocks sit back on the heels, for example as in Seiza and Vajrasana is also often interpreted as sitting.
context_section_description: There are many seated positions in various traditions and rituals.  Four examples are:
  正座 (zhengzuo) is a Chinese word which describes the traditional formal way of sitting in Ancient China.  A related position is 跪座, which differs in the tops of the feet being raised off the ground.
  Vajrasana (Diamond Pose) is a yoga posture (asana) similar to seiza.
  The lotus position involves resting each foot on the opposite thigh so that the soles of the feet face upwards.
  The Burmese position, named so because of its use in Buddhist sculptures in Burma, places both feet in front of the pelvis with knees bent and touching the floor to the sides.  The heels are pointing toward pelvis or upward, and toes are pointed so that the tops of the feet lie on the ground.  This looks similar to the cross-legged position, but the feet are not placed underneath the thigh of the next leg, therefore the legs do not cross.  Instead, one foot is placed in front of the other.
  In various mythologies and folk magic, sitting is a magical act that connects the person who sits with other persons, states or places.
caption: The Japanese tea ceremony is performed sitting in seiza.
exif: {}