A long lost functional ability

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Easwari ammal is 58 years old, a street vendor who still makes use of a traditional 7 kg charcoal iron box to press clothes throughout the day but surprisingly displayed an active rest position that was predominant in the eastern part of the globe a century back, known as Malasana now fashionably called ‘Deep Squats’. 

The reason it’s framed as an active rest position is due to the human’s inherent ability to stay put in deep squats for many hours at a stretch. The gymnasiums have recently tagged it as an isometric exercise but sadly the modern man will proudly declare an accomplishment in an instagram post on having performed only a few minutes on the said position, glaringly oblivious to his loss.  


In contrast, savasana which involves lying comfortably on the back, is a passive rest position that does not engage any muscles wherein malasana keeps the quads, hamstring and calf muscle in a state of tension. The modern man seems to have retained the subsequent core ability since the primitive ages, however, the mind is now in a state of flux with a heavy cognitive load through a limitless dump of digital media content before bedtime.  A quick reflective thought evokes a question, are we progressing or regressing ?


Deep squats, a basic functional ability akin to the likes of walking, is now a laboured position and certainly won’t be classified as an active rest position in the modern era. As humans evolve in enhancing their life towards an increasingly comfortable lifestyle, the initial salvo provided by furnitures, particularly chairs and the widespread adoption of western commode proved to be a death knell for a core functional ability. 


 

An ostrich was once a bird that can fly but having settled in landmass with abundant food combined with absence or lack of any threat to it’s livelihood through other species, meant that it's ability to fly was initially underutilized, leading to an inability of what all of us associate a bird with, to fly. The eventual outcome being a quantum leap in weight to 90 kgs, heaviest amongst bird species, a cursory comparison to a mature eagle which only weighs 6kgs, shows how much a comfortable environment can render against a species. 


Now, what about the plumage ? Well, it's become a sweater that the Ostrich never wanted.

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