INDIAN MUSIC FORUM ARCHIVES: Tabla Forum: sitting crosslegged - the pain!

Being a yoga teacher I know a bit about cross-legged sitting and this problem. Every beginner in this sitting has the same problem, we Westerners unfortunately are too much accustomed sitting on chairs which, I can assure you is much more damaging for the body than sitting cross-legged. There is only one way to make it easier. .to sit in this position as much as you can. It is always suggested to put a folded blanket or a pillow under your buttocks, which gives a relief to the spinal column. Anyway, 20 minutes is already a good time! There is also a special excercise to make the hip joints more flexible, it is called the "butterfly". You must sit down on the floor, bend both legs, join your soles together, grab your feet with both hands, and move your knees up and down as if they were wings, and as if you were a colourful butterfly. This is specially designed to make cross-legged sitting easier. I can assure you though of two thing:1) cross-legged sitting will never cause long-term damage unless you force yourself too much into it 2) once you got accustomed to sit cross-legged, to sit on a chair for a longer time becomes just as a suffering as sitting cross-legged now. .:o))

I think I've read once on this board, that the tablas can be put on a table and you can play them standing on sitting on a chair. Ask you fellow tablayas.

Best Wishes
Sita

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Sita (Jan 25, 2002 03:29 a.m.):
2) once you got accustomed to sit cross-legged, to sit on a chair for a longer time becomes just as a suffering as sitting cross-legged now. .:o))

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thank you very much for your response (Jake as well). I'm trying to do stretches right now, and I'll incorporate the butterfly in more often (I was doing it to begin with, but not often). It's good to know that it isn't damaging as I had previously thought. I will try not to force it on myself too much, however. Now I just have to work on my bols. .

lars, that's not the problem for me. Whenever I'm sitting crosslegged I wear sweatpants with no back pocket, so I couldn't keep a wallet back there even if i wanted to. But even if I could, I wouldnt, because I don't need anything making this even remotely harder than it already is :D.

man, my legs are really protesting today. maybe I'll give myself a day's respite from the standard 20 minutes of torture.

Rest assured - you're not the only one with this problem!

right now I'm in a bit of a funk, because a visiting dog just licked my dayan and now it sounds funny. Of topic I know, but I still thought I'd post it. Now my gat's all smeared and I'm gunna have to clean that too. How could that possibly taste good?? A normal dog would have gone for the hide!

As you can see you've managed to touch a topic in which many players are concerned. I've read all the replies and I can only agree with everyone. The most important thing is that you find a comfortable position and thus practice becomes something that you look forward to and not a "torture" as you write. However, I found Hanuman's comment especially intelligent. Without seeming to be willing to convert you to become a "grass-eater", you must consider the fact that excess meat-eating adds considerably to the stiffness of the body.

I have a mrdanga (bengali khol) at home, and whenever I unwrap it to practice my dog is going crazy thinking that there's a tasty bone somewhere around. .:o)

Best Wishes

well guys, the good news is that my dayan sounds fine now. But I'm still going to have to sand off the smeared part. Stupid mutt. . :-) :-)

anyway, I probably just need to work on my flexability more than anything else. I've been doing more stretches and I think it's starting to help. thanks again!

Just to point out he did not sit as other tabla players do but kind of sat on his knees. Can any body shed any light on this sitting position. Would this be more easier or difficult??

Aaron