Are Japanese floor chairs good for your back?

Everything you need to know about Japanese floor chairs.

A Japanese floor chair, otherwise known as a zaisu, is a Japanese chair that has no legs. The chair sits directly on the floor with the short back providing comfort and support for the body.

Japanese floor chairs come in various styles, with optional armrests and different cushions.

Japanese floor culture prioritizes eating, socializing, and relaxing, and sitting on the floor facilitates this time spent together.

The seat of a zaisu can range from thickly padded with memory foam to a sleek and stylish wooden design. There are so many benefits of Japanese floor chairs, so let’s find out more. 

When are Japanese floor chairs used?

Traditionally, the correct seated position in Japan is seiza. This style of sitting is a kneeling position on the floor with the body weight on top of the lower legs.

Seiza can become uncomfortable after an extended period, and so many may prefer a zaisu to sit comfortably with the body supported.

Zaisu are typically used to relax during and after a meal. In Japanese culture, it is a tradition to eat while seated on the floor, which is laid with tatami mats. Tatami mats are rush-covered straw mats that cover the ground.

Zaisu are used in many situations but are most often paired with Kotatsu tables, which are short-legged tables. This is a reason why Japanese chairs are so low.

Because Japanese floor chairs are typically used with low tables, they can fold and slide under the table for convenient storage until the next shared meal.

The Many Benefits of Japanese Floor Chairs

Japanese floor chairs offer many benefits to sitting on the floor. Humans have sat on the floor to rest, share a meal, and relax throughout the ages. Different variations of squatting, sitting with the legs crossed, or kneeling are seen in cultures throughout the world.

Taking a seated position on the floor is called sukhasana in yoga practices. Sukhasana can aid in digestion, stretch muscles surrounding the hips and the legs, promote a healthy posture, and increase flexibility.

Let’s dive in and look at how these benefits can be accessed using Japanese floor chairs. 

Improves your core muscles

Sitting on a chair doesn’t require much energy, nor does it require much balance. A slight bend of the knees with feet planted on the ground will get you into a resting position.

However, sitting on a Japanese floor chair requires a little more finesse that is good for your back and posture. Flopping onto the floor from a standing position is likely to cause some injury.

Sitting on a zaisu requires you to activate the core and slowly lower yourself into a seated position in a controlled motion.

There are many benefits to engaging your core in a simple activity like sitting down on a zaisu, making it easier to activate different muscles throughout the body. A strong core is also a critical factor in reducing back pain.

This act helps to increase feelings of wellness and harmony in the body. It also keeps the body feeling fit and healthy.

Improve flexibility

Getting up and down from the floor engages a whole series of integral muscles in the body, but it can also help aid in flexibility. Even in small ways, movement is essential to living a long and healthy life.

Sitting down to share a meal while sitting on a zaisu is the perfect way to integrate gentle movement into your lifestyle with minor changes.

Taking a seated position on the floor stretches the lower body and helps the body to move more freely while moving around throughout the day.

Lumbar health

Are Japanese floor chairs good for your back? Yes, they are. Most humans spend large parts of their day sitting in a chair and working. Lumbar health is so important to people who are sitting all day working on computer screens.

Healthcare advisors, like doctors, chiropractors, and physical therapists, suggest to their patients that they should sit on the floor.

Sitting on the floor can help maintain the spine’s natural curvature, saving you a trip to the physio. Sitting on the floor has been shown to encourage better posture by using unique muscles that sitting in a chair doesn’t activate.

Improved posture offers long-term relief from back pain, headaches, and tension. Taking to the floor in a Japanese floor chair could be the perfect thing to help improve your back health by strengthening the key muscles in the body.

Ground Yourself

Finding a seat on the floor has been related to helping humans connect with the earth and feel more alive. This is called the practice of “grounding.” It has been shown to calm and center the mind while rejuvenating and energizing the body.

Sometimes the only way to feel truly grounded is to sit on the floor and allow the mind to find calm again.

Sitting on the floor can be an excellent way for anyone suffering from anxiety to help them feel calm and center their mind.

Meditation is commonly practiced on the floor and is known for helping to center the mind, which if seated on a zaisu can help facilitate most comfortably.

Enjoy sitting on the Floor 

Are zaisu chairs comfortable for sitting on the ground? Yes, a Japanese floor chair can help you to enjoy the experience of sitting on the floor while keeping you in comfort.

Some people enjoy finding a seat on the floor, but it often becomes too uncomfortable with bones resting against the floor for too long.

A supported and padded seat is the perfect solution to this problem.

Where to buy Japanese floor chairs?

Want a zaisu for your own home? You can easily buy a Japanese floor chair online from several retailers, including major retailers like Amazon, Etsy, and plenty of other stores.

There are so many options for Japanese floor chairs that can complement your home and sitting style.

Japanese floor chairs are perfect for anyone who is looking for a stylish and comfortable way to sit on the ground.

These traditional seating options provide a wealth of physical, emotional, and mental benefits, making for the perfect way to enjoy being seated on the floor.