Saturday, June 23, 2012

The Chinese Leisure Position

Shayne and I have noticed something peculiar. People in China lounge around in the strangest position. They seem perfectly comfortable, causing us to coin the phrase "Chinese leisure position." They can maintain this position for hours on end and often prefer it over standing or sitting. Truly mind-boggling...but I suppose doing this every day will train the body.

At left you can see me doing a second rate job of demonstrating the position. The key things to notice are flat feet and arms tight to the body. The position is far more comfortable on the balls of your feet with arms extended, but that isn't authentic. People in this position often wear dress shoes, and I find the slightly elevated heal helps maintain balance.

Also in the picture, you see me perched next to a ledge. Such a place would seem to be a perfect place for sitting...but not in China. It is common to see people squatting like this on perfectly good sittin' spots such as retaining walls, benches, curbs and even chairs.


Below you can see a professional. This gentleman has his arms tucked between his torso and thighs. Also notice how low his butt is...a truly impressive display. Go a head and try it right now, I bet you can't do it for one minute.


9 comments:

  1. My mother was born in Japan...and does this too. And, she maintains it's the best position for childbirth. I don't know...just passing along info. ;-)

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    1. Is there really a good position for child birth?

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    2. I plan on never finding out...but I doubt it.

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  2. Definitely a great birthing position, but I'm sure that won't help you anytime soon, Clif. Maybe Shayne, though. Just a hunch.

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    1. It seems like the belly would get in the way. I can barely do it with my incredibly sexy washboard abs.

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  3. People who can squat like that do not have bad knees or bad backs. Sitting in chairs does that too you I guess. AND I also heard that this position shortens the birth canal by 40% (or something). :)
    Moral: I'm jealous of people who can squat like that.

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  4. Looking forward to meeting you guys soon. We fly out Thursday but temp living until mid July. Chuck & Jill

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    1. Great! When you arrive if Jill would like someone to show her around to grocery stores and such, or to learn about the expat association I would be happy to help as much as I can!

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  5. I tried this maneuver. It didn't work out.

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