Creating a Floor-based Living Space

Trying to Be Adaptable in Body and Mind

Freedom is one of my values. It’s been many, many years since I worked for someone else and I appreciate the freedom to work as and when I choose to (cost of living permitting). It’s never made sense to me that the common version of success is one where your day is jam-packed with meetings and sitting at a desk for hours is the norm. Over 20+ years working as an osteopath, I’ve come to see that I work best in spaces with natural light and quiet (such as yoga centres) where I can take my shoes off and move my body freely. In my ideal world, I would have spaciousness in my day for the things that matter to me such as meditation, seeing loved ones, creative practices, and the freedom to be outside as much as possible.

I was fortunate to have Phil Beach as a teacher when I was training to be an osteopath. His work on archetypal postures heavily influenced me. The premise is that sitting on chairs and couches is responsible for so much of the declining health of society. Sedentary lifestyles are causing all manner of health afflictions. It’s become normalised to suffer from aches and pains and resort to joint replacement surgery with advancing age. The brilliant Netflix documentary, ‘Blue Zones’ is inspiring for showcasing the centenarians who are still moving with ease and grace. Indigenous and nomadic cultures tend to rest on or close to the ground, staying nimble and strong. The ability to get down to the floor and up again maintains and improves longevity. Anyone that I have taught in recent years will have heard me wax lyrical about archetypal postures, and how alternating from sitting cross-legged, in prayer position, in tailor position etc. on the floor allows for active rest which positively impacts both body and mind. I often recommend that clients who work from home use a coffee table for their laptop so that they can spend some of the time sitting on the floor. For pregnant clients, sitting on the floor is beneficial for optimal foetal positioning and may even reduce the likelihood of posterior presentations (which can make for a more arduous and longer labour).

My seven-month-old twins are now shimmying off the playmat and it’s only a matter of time before they’ll start to scoot rapidly around the room. Our living space is small and although I may change my mind, I like the idea of having a more dynamic living space. We are firmly in an age of screens and brain overload and it’s important to me to help my little family to thrive and to stay connected to the intelligence of their bodies.

Katy Bowman has also been another influence on me when it comes to movement. She is a biomechanist and she details how her family live a furniture-free lifestyle and prioritise sleeping on the floor as well using gym balls and other tools that encourage movement.

I have precious memories of going to ‘satsang’ with my beloved Grandmother, where our Indian community would gather for prayer and spiritual songs in somebody’s home. The 3-piece suite would be cleared aside and sheets put down on the floor to make space for people to sit. It is apparent to me that in just one generation, sitting on the floor became uncomfortable and almost impossible as it became less common. It’s humbling and unifying to sit together on the floor. And it’s freeing to create a space that is centered around impermanence. At the end of the day, you just put things back in their place and begin again afresh the next day. This keeps energy flowing rather than getting stuck or stagnant. As someone who has an affinity for van-life and the tiny home movement, living with less stuff and more intentionality is freeing.

For now, I’m just using piles of bolsters and cushions to create comfortable setups on the floor. I have a Wobbelboard that I’ve used for balance exercises and can’t wait to try it with the babies for active play. In the future, I am drawn to the Montessori floor bed approach, whereby children are encouraged to move independently rather than restricted in cots (or what I call baby jail!). Watching a toddler squat down effortlessly is a wonder to behold. As Moshe Feldenkrais said, “movement is life”, and by improving the quality of movement we improve the quality of life itself.