inquiring spines want to know

Many people call in and ask what the hallmark signs of an ergonomic product are, why some are more expensive than others, and which products are best suited for particular injuries.  While we cannot make medical recommendations, we do point out the fact that spinal/lower back support is the reason most people opt for ergonomic seats.  Prominent lumbar support, coupled with contoured seating, allows sitters to properly place their feet flat on the ground and sit with correct posture.

(All Seating 50160 Therapod Therapist High Back Chair)

A fantastic and highly-accessible article detailing the specifics of ergonomic seating can be found on Spine-Health, an informational website chock full o’ wellness, back, neck, and pain resources.  Take a quick read, and you’ll feel better equipped browsing through our selection of ergnomic office chairs and specialty seating options.

Gravity Chair

Introducing the Gravity Chair from Varier… Or more like Miracle Chair if you ask me. The weird and wonderful design of this chair means you can lie back and relax — with no support behind you! Is it witchcraft? No, it’s just the mind-boggling, impeccable Scandinavian design that brought you the Variable Balans and the Thatsit.

This amazing chair is more than just a recliner, though. It can be used in four different positions, including one upright for table or desk work. It’s also made from sustainable woods, and if you order now from SeatingZone, you can get it for $1,000 off the list price!

What a perfect, decadent Christmas present.

That’s It!

Check this out! From the people who brought you the very popular Balans kneeling chair comes a new design to keep you limber and pain-free at work or home. The Varier Thatsit takes their brilliantly minimalist rocking-kneeling-chair design and gives it a few new tweaks: fully adjustable knee pads and a comfy, supportive back rest!

But really, it’s so much more than that. The Thatsit takes one of the best office seating solutions around, then adds extra comfort features to make it perfect for reading and relaxing as well as working! The adjustable leg supports allow it to adapt perfectly to any user, regardless of height, and the adjustable-height back rest works to support your arms and spine, and to maintain good posture to prevent future pain and weariness. Or… turn the whole thing around to sit on it backwards! It’s just as comfortable, and studies show that changing your position and posture during the day is the key to a healthy, pain-free back and legs.

Plus the rocking wooden runners work to distribute your body-weight evenly and engage your sense of balance — which helps you to breath freely and concentrate for longer periods of time.

Varier is of course also known for its environmentally-friendly materials and methods, so this is one gift (for yourself or others) that you can really feel good about.

The Future of Ergonomics

My coworker here sent me another review of Peter Opsvik’s new book, “Rethinking Sitting“.  Definitely worth a read if you’re interested in the study of ergonomics or just want to figure out what will be the best and most comfortable chair for your needs.  I particularly liked this passage:

Opsvik’s approach to ergonomics is somewhat unorthodox. Rather than favoring any particular sitting positions, he says they are all good. He tries to design chairs that incorporate as many of them as possible because, he said, “Every sitting position is wrong after five minutes.”

Opsvik does differ from American ergonomists in his focus on mobility over adjustment and his use of the feet, which he says are the “ignored extremities in ergonomics.”

“If you let your feet and legs control the movement of a chair, instead of doing it by moving your torso,” he went onto explain, “you will move more easily and you will be more comfortable.”

It’s true that American ergonomists are always trying to create the ideal chair for people to sit at perfect right angles with ramrod straight posture.  That may work well for some people, but personally I find I can’t sit in one posture all day long without going a little mad.  I love any chair that allows me to move around and fit my legs in many different positions.  I find I usually change positions in my chair about once every fifteen minutes.  How about you?

Rethinking Sitting

Big news in chair design: Norway’s original ergonomic genius has a book out. Rethinking Sitting, by Peter Opsvik, is sure to become a must-read for anyone interested in the future of office seating.

Peter Opsvik forever changed the world of chairs when he challenged the idea that the best tool for sitting consisted of four legs, a seat, and a back rest. That simple, minimalist design had been doing the job since ancient times, but was it really serving the body? Opsvik concluded no — the human body yearns to move and stretch and interact with its environment, not sit eternally perched on a hard shelf.

This revolutionary idea eventually gave birth to such brilliant seating concepts as the Balans kneeling chair and the Capisco saddle chair, both of which are designed to provide ergonomic support and freedom of movement.

See the intriguing book review at Core77 for more about this new bible of chair design.

Balans Kneeling Chair — review

Yeah, I’ve talked about the sleek and subtle Balans kneeling chair from Varier before, with its Scandinavian design and rocking-sled base. But back then, all I really knew about the chair was a picture on a screen, the same as you — now we have one in the office, and I’ve gotten a chance to try it out!

Most of the people in my office thought the optional back board in this picture looked pretty strange — could one simple slat of wood really provide any support? Well, now that I’ve tried it out, it makes a bit more sense. No, it doesn’t provide the cushiony cradle most of us are used to from regular office chairs. You can’t exactly relax against.

It does, however, provide a gentle reminder to hold proper posture and sit up straight. And the slight curve gives just a touch of lumbar support, in addition to creating an elegant aesthetic. Think of it less like a back rest, and more like the guiding touch of a yoga instructor helping you attain the correct pose.

Oh, and there’s another new optional feature to the Balans kneeling chair: height adjustment! I’ve gotten in the habit of telling customers that the Balans is really only appropriate for taller users — because of the way the chair is built, if you’re under 5’5″ you may have trouble with your knees reaching the knee pads, especially if you are sitting back with proper posture.

Now, however, there is a solution! Just order the optional knee blocks, which raise the kneepads by an inch or two. That allows even little folks like me (at 5″1′) to use the chair comfortably.

Lean Back

More good news about the Varier Balans kneeling chair — it’s now available with an optional back rest!  If you’ve been thinking about trying a kneeling chair, but were nervous about the lack of back support, this may be the chair for you:

Pretty neat, isn’t it? When the boss told me that you could get the Varier Balans with a back, I wasn’t sure what it would look like, or how it would be attached. I thought for sure it would be funny looking, probably destroy the elegant lines of the Balans. Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong. What a striking design! The idea of this back is not to let the sitter slouch back against some comfy cushion — this just gives the merest hint of structure and support if you decide to sit back a little. It keeps you balanced without letting you rely on the back or develop bad posture.

Plus it’s such an elegant addition to the structure. I hope someone tries it out soon so we can hear how it works!

Appealing Chair

You know I love “orange” chairs, but this one from Varier brings the concept to a whole new level!

We started carrying a the Varier Balans kneeling chair a couple of months ago, as I’ve mentioned before here, but it’s worth pointing out that Varier has a whole line of very swanky, cool, and distinctive seating options. Every one of their beautifully crafted pieces is a work of art, created by some of the most original minds in Norwegian design.

I encourage you to surf around the Varier website and see the spectacular designs illustrated there. So far we don’t have anything but the Balans listed on our sites, but we can get anything from their line — so if anything strikes your fancy, call us at 866-495-0400 for a quote!

Price Drop!

Oh wow!  I totally thought I blogged the big news about the Varier Balans chair, but I guess I just put it in our newsletter and forgot to mention it here.

Anyway, the big news:
The VAR-100 Variable Balans has been marked down to $395!

And okay, that’s not a cheap chair, but you should know that it regularly retails for nearly $900!  Yeah, this is no ordinary kneeling chair.  Finely crafted, with authentic Norwegian design, this is definitely ergonomic seating for connoisseurs.

Find Your Balance

If you’ve been considering buying a kneeling chair, you should know there’s a new design on the scene.  We’ve just picked up supplier who specializes in a sleek new style from Norway.

The Varier Variable is a little different from other kneeling chairs, mostly because it has two separate knee pads, plus a rocking, sleigh-style base. The rocking function engages the user’s balance reflex, leading to better posture and blood circulation, and the separate knee pads encourage active movement that keeps the sitter feeling energized and alert.

It’s also a good choice if you’ve ever been told you were too tall for a kneeling chair.  Our other kneeling chairs are classed with “petite chairs”, and we generally don’t recommend them for anyone over six feet tall.  The Variable, on the other hand, is primarily recommended for uses 5’2″ and up.