I have begun trying to sit seiza but the pressure on my shin creates quite a bit of pain and pressure. I am heavier so that may add to it as well. I actually have very little issue with the posture or any other part, just the bony part of my shin. Anyone know how I may be able to overcome this?
Thanks!
https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/1639yo5/how_should_one_practice_sitting_seiza/
8 comments
You could try wearing padding on your legs.
At daiso you can buy knee pads – maybe you can buy shin padding too. Ultimately it’s just practice
Maybe take a step back and ask why you need to sit in seiza? Even many Japanese can’t really sit in seiza any more, and foreigners aren’t really expected to be able to do so.
Practice. More practice. And then practice some more. You may need to practice inbetween practicing.
But seriously, that’s all there is to it. I’m heavy as well and at first it hurt but I got used to it. I can go for about 15 minutes on a hard floor if I need to. A big trick is to use your thigh muscles to lift your weight up off your legs occasionally. Don’t just let your weight push down on your legs the whole time.
Start with the “Yankee squat” and move up from there
Go to a Buddhist temple and ask them to train you on how to sit properly. Even that didn’t work for me, though, so I gave up trying to master it.
You shouldn’t.
[The formal Japanese seiza style will be recognized as a morally unacceptable form of punishment under a new law that will enter into force in April, 2020](https://web.archive.org/web/20191204190313/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/12/04/national/social-issues/japanese-sitting-style-recognized-punishment-new-law/).
The trick is to cross the feet. Find which foot is more comfortable on top of the other for you and spend time sitting in seiza.
I think that there is no reason why you need to sit in seiza, unless you want to impress some locals.
With the ageing population of Japan, a lot of old people can’t do it. I attended a talk from a monk at the local temple on new years eve and out of the 100 or so people, about 20% were not sitting in seiza, even in front of a monk.
If you are a foreigner, you are not expected to do it. That’s the best thing about living in Japan as a foreigner, there is no need to take part in some of the more annoying parts of Japanese society.