What We Lost When We Stopped Sitting on the Ground

 

I think one of the biggest and saddest habits of modern living is that we’ve completely sworn off squatting or sitting on the ground.

I was on a hike recently and came across two people resting on a bench. They kindly offered me a spot, but I was perfectly comfortable sitting about fifty feet away — squatting down in the dirt, enjoying a quiet meditation. The woman looked surprised when I declined. She probably thought I was being polite, but the truth is: I prefer sitting close to the earth.

We’ve Forgotten How to Sit Like Humans

Somewhere along the way, we started believing that chairs were the civilized way to rest — as if comfort could only come from elevation and padding. But our bodies were built long before furniture existed. Humans squatted for thousands of years: to eat, to cook, to gather, to rest. It wasn’t a “workout,” it was just life.

Now, most people can’t squat at all without pain. I know folks in their 60s and 70s who literally can’t get up from the floor anymore. That’s not a small loss — it’s the gradual giving up of one of the most fundamental human movements.

The Body Forgets What It Doesn’t Practice

Chairs weaken the posterior chain — the muscles that support your spine and keep you upright. Over time, this leads to the back pain so many people accept as normal. Squatting and sitting on the floor stretch your hips, knees, and ankles, forcing your body to stay mobile and alive.

When you sit on the ground, you’re engaging small stabilizing muscles that chairs shut off. You’re reminding your joints that they still have work to do. And when you get up from the floor, you’re practicing strength and balance — two of the first things people lose with age.

Closer to the Ground, Closer to Life

There’s also something psychological about being on the ground. You literally lower yourself back to where life happens — closer to the dust, the plants, the energy that moves through the earth. People might say “eww, germs,” but that low-dose exposure is part of what keeps your immune system sharp.

We live in a world that has become too sanitized, too padded, too comfortable. And I think that “comfort” is quietly killing us.

Get Your Ass On The Ground

I’m not saying never sit in a chair again. But whenever you can, get down on the floor. Eat a meal there. Stretch. Meditate. Watch a movie sitting cross-legged. Build a relationship with gravity again.

Because every time you squat, you’re not just strengthening your body — you’re remembering what it means to be fully human.