I fell off while standing on the ledge of a drain. This happened a couple of weeks ago near Corus Hotel. It was raining. I had already climbed over the drain and was on the ledge when I noticed a puddle of water where my foot/feet would invariably land, if I walked on. As I deliberated my next move, umbrella in one hand, I fell backwards onto an even wetter ground. Hmm.

I wasn’t hurt. Not much except for a bruise on my knee. An ‘ow’ as grandnephew 2 describes any of his ‘injuries’ which, by the way, can be treated with chocolate. Too right, he is.

Anyways, the fall made me wonder about my fitness and balance. I did a test, an exercise of sorts. I sat cross-legged on the floor and tried to stand up. I failed. I couldn’t do it without staggering like a drunk. Not that long ago I could do the sit-to-stand exercise in a swift single flow. Without using my hands or other body parts to prop me up. Age. Joint issues. No practice. Probably all. Hmm.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor is what I used to do as a child. And, standing up from the seated position without any thought or effort. My clearest memory is of brothers’ number 1 and 2, and me sitting in a row, on the floor at dinner, while sister number 4 sort of ‘served/gave’ us food. She used to rush us along so she could clear up and get on with her studies. She was very young at the time. But we were younger still and couldn’t or didn’t understand nor appreciate why she was aways hurrying us.

The other memory was of attending festivals at temples with my family in Alor Setar. Once the ceremonies ended, food was served on banana leaves. Devotees, including my mum and I, sat cross-legged on the floor, in any available space/s along the many designated rows, organised by the temple. Volunteers served food, prepared earlier at the premises. Typically, it was vegetarian food that comprised dhal and vegetables. Although cooked in bulk, in large pots over charcoal fires, it tasted delicious. And was free. Yay.

These days, I hardly ever sit cross-legged on the floor, except when I go to the temple. Even then, the temple that I religiously used to go to every Tuesday in Selangor, has a separate hall for events/functions with ready chairs and tables. One Deepavali, a few years ago, sister number 3 and I visited the temple. After our prayers, we were invited to have food that was served on disposable plates, not banana leaves. And, we sat on chairs at a table. Evolving times, modern life and furniture revolution. Hmm.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, correctly, helps stretch the muscles of the hips, back and legs. It improves flexibility of the joints. It aids spinal curvature, and improves core muscle strength. Engaging in this activity for 15-30 minutes a day, apparently, can help us move freely, effortlessly, and might even help us live longer.

Why is sitting on the floor important? ‘For one thing, it undoes some of the less effective (and sometimes pain-inducing) compensatory positions the body adopts after sitting in a chair (or on a couch or in a car; pick your body-always-at-a-right-angle poison) for hours at a time, day after day[1].

This is interesting. ‘Our bodies are built to sit in ground-based positions — perhaps why about one-third of the world’s population still makes a habit of eschewing seats and instead do things like squatting to wait for the bus, kneeling to eat, sitting cross-legged on the ground to write a letter[2].

This is also interesting. ‘Older people can also benefit from sitting on the floor because if they can successfully sit and rise from a seated position, they are less likely to fall and more likely to be able to get themselves back up after they do fall should an accident happen[3].

Admittedly, since my staggering, poor performance, I’ve been sitting on the floor more often, and doing my sit-to-stand exercise more regularly. Do I feel like I have better balance? I’m not sure but it’s encouraging that with practise, it’s getting easier to sit on the floor comfortably and stand up with less difficulty. And, hopefully not fall over. Again.

According to experts, no matter the age, people can improve their strength, balance, and flexibility.

‘Get moving and stay moving with a regular exercise program—but check with your doctor or physical therapist first. Enjoy and find purpose in exercise. Maybe you don’t enjoy strength training—but you do enjoy picking up your grandkids or hobbies like gardening, which require strength. And, lower leg strength can be improved by practices/exercises like Tai Chi[4].

Sit-to-stand, walk, dance, jog, yoga, swim, garden. Just stay mobile.