The Seemingly Harmless Habit That’s Starving Your Organs of Blood

Take a moment and think about your day so far. Were you on a bus or train? In an office chair? At school? On your sofa at home? Now, think about your posture. Chances are, for most of that time, your legs were hanging down. It’s a habit so common we don’t even notice it, but I’ve come to believe it is the hidden source of many modern diseases.

This seemingly innocent posture is, in my view, waging a quiet war on your body. It’s a silent saboteur that disrupts your body's most critical systems, from digestion to joint health, all without you ever suspecting the cause.

The Hidden Danger of Hanging Legs

So, what is the problem with letting our legs hang down? From my perspective, it’s all about blood circulation. When you sit with your legs dangling, gravity pulls your blood flow downwards, concentrating it below your waist. As a result, the upper part of your body—where your most vital organs are—doesn't get sufficient circulation.

Think about it. Your heart, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, brain, eyes, and ears are all situated above your waist. They are the command center of your body. In contrast, when you sit with your legs folded or in a squatting posture, you reverse this effect. The blood circulation is redirected upwards, nourishing the very organs that keep you alive and energized. More blood flow is only really needed in our legs when we are walking or running. When we’re sitting, we are essentially starving our most important parts.

The Mealtime Mistake That's Killing Your Digestion

This circulatory problem becomes especially damaging when we eat. If you sit at a dining table with your legs hanging down, more blood is flowing to your legs than to your stomach. How can your body possibly digest food properly when the energy and blood required are being sent to the wrong place? Digestion is inevitably delayed and compromised.

My advice is to always sit with your legs folded when you eat. If you can sit on the floor in a simple cross-legged posture (Sukhasana), you’ll find that your food gets digested efficiently, even as you are eating. This is because all the blood flow and associated energy goes directly to your stomach, right where it’s needed.

Are Modern Comforts Crippling Us?

I believe our modern lifestyle is actively destroying our body's natural flexibility. Nowadays, many people, including children, are not even capable of sitting on the floor with their legs folded. Why? Because we never get the opportunity.

Take the toilet, for example. Those who traditionally use a squat toilet rarely suffer from joint-related pains. On the other hand, those who use the modern Western-style sitting toilet often end up with joint pain, knee pain, and other related diseases. It's because many of them go through life without ever sitting in a deep squat. If you can't even sit on the floor with your legs folded, then you can imagine to what extent you have already spoiled your body.

Please, I urge you to avoid the Western toilet if you can. Use a squat toilet instead. If you do, you’ll be performing a simple, powerful Yogasana at least two or three times a day, maintaining the health of your joints for life.

My Simple Rules for Healthy Sitting

The solution is simple and requires a conscious change in habit. From now on, my advice is to avoid sitting with your legs hanging down as much as possible.

• On the Floor: Whenever you can, spread a mat on the floor and sit cross-legged, especially when you eat. This is the ideal way to promote good digestion.

• On a Chair: If you must use a dining table and chair, that’s okay. But don't let your legs hang down! Pull one or both of your legs up onto the chair and sit with them folded.

• On the Sofa or Bed: Never let your legs dangle off the edge. Always bring them up into a squatting or folded-leg posture.

The chronic joint pain and wearing out of joints that so many people experience today has a direct link, in my opinion, to this single, destructive habit. If you start practicing eating with your legs folded today, you will not only improve your digestion and give your body more energy, but you will also protect yourself from future leg and joint pain. It’s a small change with profound consequences for your lifelong health.