How eating on the floor benefits you?

Sitting on a dining table and eating with fork and a knife was never an Indian culture but was readily accepted by us as it is comfortable. Many of us even sit in front of the TV or on the bed to have our meals. Well, this might be very comfortable but is it healthy? Ayurveda suggests that the best way to enjoy and benefit from food is to eat in a calm environment without distractions while sitting in a cross legged position. Here are a few benefits of sitting on the floor for your meals.

Proper digestion

Sitting on the floor to eat in ‘sukhasana’ or cross-legged position is like eating and doing yoga at the same time. This yogic position is known for inducing better digestion. It is said that when a person sits on the floor in this position to eat, it sends a signal to your brain that prepares the body for digestion. In this position, you bend forward to eat and then return to your starting position to swallow. This constant back and forth movement makes your abdominal muscles active and prepares it for proper digestion.

Helps to lose weight

When you sit on a dining table your vagus nerve (connects the stomach with the brain) does not function properly and your brain does not get the signal when your stomach is full. Sitting on the floor allows the vagus nerve to function properly and send signals to the brain when you are full. This prevents you from overeating and gaining excess weight.

Improves heart health

Eating on the floor improves the blood circulation in the body, as the heart can easily pump blood to all the organs involved in digestion. This is not possible when we sit on the dining table as blood flow increases to the legs because it is at a lower level than your heart which causes the heart to work harder to maintain its blood flow. Hence sitting on the floor improves heart health as it reduces excess pressure on it while you are eating.

Calms your mind and body

Ayurveda recommends eating in a calm state of mind. Sitting in the Sukhasana pose (cross legged position) while eating keeps your mind and body calm and induces better digestion.

These are some of the reasons why you should embrace the old style of eating and ensure a better health for yourself.