I know what you're thinking already, "D.J., what does an office chair have to do with photography?". Well here's the thing, it actually has a lot to do with photographers (along with other creative types) who sit at a desk for a big portion of their day. As a photographer, you spend a lot of time editing and emailing clients at your desk. It would be beneficial for you to have a nice chair to sit on. I actually ended up going with a yoga ball as my new office chair for a couple of reasons that I think pertain to the creative type specifically.

   So originally how this whole search for an office chair replacement thing started was due to my old chair. It's been broken, beaten and battered to the point of no return. I've hesitated to get a new chair for some time now; partly because I didn't feel like spending the money, but mostly because I couldn't find one I liked. I've looked into the nice, but expensive, chairs that have great lumbar support and all that jazz which I figured would be a great fit. The problem with those chairs, while super comfy when you sit straight up in them, is that you end up hunched over after a short period of time without even noticing it. I've got back problems as it is, so I needed a chair which would (basically) force me to sit up properly.

   This is where the yoga ball comes into play. I've known about how people use yoga balls as chairs for a while now, but I never gave it any consideration until I tried one out. There's so much to love about using these things as chairs. I didn't get the fancy chair kind, just a normal yoga ball, but the results are the same. The first thing you notice when you sit on one is how good your posture is. The reason for this is because sitting on a yoga ball requires balance. If you were to lean forward, to the side or start slouching over then it would become increasingly harder to find balance. So by design, the yoga ball forces you to sit with great posture and alleviates back pain.

   The crux of this whole conversation really comes down to a previous post I made. While it's undeniably comfy (what's better than sitting on air, right?), the important takeaway is that you can actually boost your creativity with one of these. There are studies that have been done that you can check out here which show how movement can help you think more clearly (increasing your memory) and more creatively. One of the (super fun ;)) features of sitting on a yoga ball is the ability to bounce lightly up and down on it. While you aren't actually leaving your position (like rolling around the room or anything), you're still moving in place. Bouncing up and down can help you think of something you've forgotten, help you beat artist's block and on top of that can give you some light exercise too. Seriously though, my ass is pretty tone just from sitting on this thing, haha.

   Of course using a yoga ball as a chair isn't a substitute for actual exercise, but it's definitely a step up from sitting in a static position, leaning over and looking at your computer screen like a caveman. I've seen an increase in productivity just from swapping out my old broken chair with this yoga ball. I've got all the benefits of a great chair (comfortable, great for your back, can roll around like a wheeled chair) with even more things that those chairs can't offer (increase in creativity and memory boost...plus a workout, lol). Oh by the way, did I mention it was only $15? Yea, trying finding a chair for that price with all those benefits. I promise you that you won't. But hey, if you've got an alternative to, or experience with, a yoga ball chair, let me know. I love to hear other people's perspectives on this kind of thing ^_^.

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