Crossing your feet in some cultures is considered very rude. In Japan you are expected to sit erect with both feet on the floor and never cross your ankle over your knee. In Singapore, as in many Asia cultures, the foot is thought to be unclean and should not be used to point at someone.
In Japan, crossing one's legs is seen as disrespectful. It is because when you do this you show the bottom of your feet to guests, and since they have picked up dirt, you are showing that dirt to your guests. This makes for very bad business relations.
In Japan, there is no urge to fill the silence with talk, but rather to use it a time to consider what is being said. It's considered rude to sit with legs crossed or slouched. The proper way to sit is upright with both feet on the floor. When standing, give the other person room.
And with good reason: in Western cultures, sitting with legs crossed is linked closely with morality and etiquette, particularly for women; conversely, in some Middle Eastern countries, it can be seen as a sign of disrespect.
Studies show that crossing your legs only temporarily raises blood pressure, but still, it's something to keep in mind. So if you're looking to keep your blood pressure in check, it's best to avoid crossing your legs. Instead, try sitting with both feet on the ground or take a walk to get the blood flowing properly.
People at high risk of blood clots are advised not to cross their legs for long periods of time because for them, impeding the flow of blood could increase their risk of a deep vein thrombosis.
Conclusions: Blood pressure increases when legs are crossed and this increases the estimation of cardiovascular risk for many patients. Care should be taken to ensure that the patients feet are flat on the floor when measuring their blood pressure.
One leg is crossed neatly over the other, with 70% of people crossing left over right. This is the normal crossed leg position used by most European and Asian cultures.
Comfort: We tend to cross our legs when we feel comfortable, confident, and relaxed. For some people this is a naturally comfortable posture, and women who wear short skirts will often cross their legs. Others will cross to shift their weight if their legs are feeling tired.
Don't point. Pointing at people or things is considered rude in Japan. Instead of using a finger to point at something, the Japanese use a hand to gently wave at what they would like to indicate. When referring to themselves, people will use their forefinger to touch their nose instead of pointing at themselves.
Staring is considered quite rude in Japanese culture. While most cultures also generally disapprove of staring, people in Japan avoid eye contact with strangers at all costs most of the time, so when someone stares it is never received well.
When eating from shared dishes (as it is commonly done at some restaurants such as izakaya), it is polite to use the opposite end of your chopsticks or dedicated serving chopsticks for moving food to your own dish. Blowing your nose at the table, burping and audible munching are considered bad manners in Japan.
If you are not wearing socks, it is polite to bring a fresh pair of socks to wear after removing your outdoor shoes because entering someone's house barefoot is not considered well mannered, although acceptable in informal situations.
When touching is not a big part of one's culture, human relations take a different shape. Most Japanese adults would, for example, tell you that they don't hug their parents or family – that it would feel strange to do so. This is doubly true for friendship relations, and public affection is not even on the table.
Pointing the finger is considered rude in Japanese culture because the person pointing is associated with explicitly calling out the other individual for their wrong behavior or actions.
“I suspect most men would suggest the reason for adopting the more spread posture in sitting would be the avoidance of testicular compression from the thigh muscles. The pelvic rotation goes some way to improve compression in both aspects,” Sutcliffe continued.
Legs: If his legs are splayed out, he's confident and trying to claim his territory. If they are crossed, notice which leg is on top: a leading leg pointing toward you means he's trying to get closer, but legs crossed the other way are a subconscious play for space.
Leg Hug. If one person has a leg or feet touching their partner, it could mean that the person is craving a sexual or emotional connection. A pair of tangled legs shows that your lives are intertwined and that you exist as a unit.
The Indian sitting position might not cause permanent nerve damage for those who have no pre-existing problems. However, it affects the nerves if you hold the posture for a prolonged period. Sitting Indian Style for several hours can affect the peroneal nerve.
The one-leg-crossed sitting posture can reduce muscle fatigue by reducing muscle activity in the abdominal internal and external oblique muscles, and can adjust the height of the two sides of the pelvis for better alignment should the individual's two legs be of different lengths.
Traditionally, ladies were taught to cross their ankles on the grounds that it was unladylike to cross their knees. That this gesture made something of an awkward tent of long skirts may have had something do with the lesson. The biggest change now is that being ladylike is no longer a popular female goal.
Ever tried to sit cross-legged and found it a lot more challenging than you did as a kid? That's because, after decades of being less active and sitting all day, both your hips and knees become stiffer, limiting your range of motion, says Sarah Duvall, DPT, physical therapist and founder of Core Exercise Solutions.
Steven Weiniger, a posture expert, explains that many of us sit cross-legged to ease the strain on our lower back. What we don't realize, however, is that attempts to ease the strain on one part of the body can add to strain on other parts.