Sitting Tips

Before you sit!

Remember, you’re sitting on a ball. It’s going to feel VERY different.  Please read through the pages that follow, and please pay attention to how you feel. Some of us are more “body aware” than others. 

And especially if you have a hard floor (wood, tile, etc.) lock your front casters! You don’t want the chair to shoot out from under you. Not the word “lock” on the brake lever.

The first time you sit…

Lower yourself slowly onto the seat. Some people literally “collapse” into chairs. DON’T! You don’t want to fall out of your chair.

Start moving, rocking back and forth, side to side. Observe how you feel, your sense of balance. If you feel unstable, try increasing the bungee tension. If you feel too low, inflate the ball. If you feel like you’re leaning and not sitting, try deflating the ball, or shifting the ball forward under the seat.

Your work-station

It’s important to get a feel for the Språng Chair at your desk or work-station.

If you find that you’re sitting taller in your Språng Chair because you like the opened up angle of your hips and the idea of supporting some of your weight with your feet –you might need to raise your monitor or change your keyboard height.

How are your wrists? Make sure you’re supporting yourself from your core and your legs, not your wrists. If you find you’re experiencing wrist pain, try to observe whether you’re leaning on your wrists. If you are, slight adjustments –moving the ball forward under the chair, increasing the height of the ball slightly, will change your entire body position and how you distribute your weight.

Keep moving

You’ll get the most benefits out of your chair if you remember to move. And a little bit of rocking and moving goes a long way –once you start it becomes hard to stop. If you start feeling stiff, gentle rocking can ease the pressure by shifting your center of gravity. Here are a few movement ideas to get you started:

From the feet: Extend and flex your ankles rhythmically. Play music if that helps you get started.  That’s all it really takes to get your whole body moving.

From the pelvis: Move front to back from your hips and pelvis. Don’t worry if it looks “inappropriate” at the office –so does keeling over from heart disease.

Like a yogi: Try a hip / flexor stretch. Shift your weight slowly to one side, feel your spine and hips open. You can hold it, or you can switch to the other side. 

Advanced sitting

Look ma, no feet: Once you’ve gained core strength, try balancing  without your feet on the floor; feel your muscles engage; try rocking back and forth, side to side, doing mini-crunches at your desk!

Forward pelvis: Pull your pelvis forward  so that it opens the seat angle and you feel the back bungee cords resisting. Hold that position and feel how it opens your lumbar and makes you sit straighter.