Still Sitting is proud of the relationships it forms with organizations and individuals around the world as they engage in meditation and mindfulness practice. Occasionally we like to share their stories in our Customer Spotlight. These are some of the engaging, creative, colorful people who use Still Sitting products.
Can you change how someone thinks by how they sit? What about how they learn?
That’s what Darryn Hewson, the Teacher Librarian Technology Integration Specialist (TLTIS) at Springbrook Elementary, outside of Seattle, wanted to find out. Hewson, who’s now in his seventh year at Springbrook, had been puzzling over how to improve classes held in the library, which typically involved a lot of “floor time” for the kids.
Lacking chairs and desks in the library, Hewson was determined to find something for the students to utilize while sitting on the floor that would make them more comfortable and, hopefully, more attentive. If the students sit on anything, it’s typically a square of rug or something similar.
“I always thought that zafus would make a lot of sense. I’ve spent plenty of time sitting on zafus myself and I thought kids would like them. I thought we could do something that would help their posture, the way they sit on the floor,” said Hewson.
Designing the Perfect Cushion
With this idea in mind, he reached out to Still Sitting in hopes of creating custom zafus that could be used in the school environment. After some hard work, Hewson secured grant funding for the zafus and Still Sitting began planning production.
The project wouldn’t be easy: school furniture has to meet certain regulatory standards, so traditional cotton zafus wouldn’t work. They would also have to appeal to kids. Hewson poured over fabric samples and eventually settled on something that would work: vinyl. The material satisfied the conditions of the school because it could be cleaned easily and was fire resistant. Just as importantly though, it came in a rainbow of colors that the students would love. The zafus themselves were all designed and crafted by hand at Still Sitting and filled with buckwheat.
A Change for the Better
When Hewson introduced the cushions to the library, the change was immediate.
“Their posture is definitely better. And the kids stay in one place better too. I think when kids are more comfortable, they listen better. I think these are helping them be more comfortable not sitting on the super hard floor,” said Hewson.
Since introducing them at the school, other teachers began to take notice. One of Hewson’s colleagues, a music teacher, soon wanted some of the rainbow zafus for his own classroom. He subsequently took pictures of his classroom filled with colorful cushions and posted them online to a music teachers’ forum, where teachers from all over the United States started inquiring where they could get their own.
Unfortunately, schools rely on specific suppliers for all the standard (and often uncomfortable) chairs and desks that students sit at day after day. Schools do not have easy access to non-traditional items like zafus, even if they can make a big difference for students. As our education system continues to change, perhaps a good place to start improving things is right where our kids sit.
“Anytime we can get kids out of desks and chairs and still have them learning is a positive thing,” said Hewson, “I think it’s good for education in general.”
