Ergonomic kneeling chair | Varier Variable balans
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Still Putting Imitators to Shame
Forty years on, and still a best seller. Not that the Varier Variable balans is more of the same. Whatever you call it—an ergonomic kneeling chair or a kneeling stool—this balans chair strengthens what you have rather than robbing you of what you can’t afford to lose.
4 things you won’t miss when you own a Varier Variable balans
Slouching in your old office chair. Many orthopedic seating contraptions claim to prevent lower back pain or another slipped disc, but despite sprouting arms, levers, and headrests, they won’t give you the unseen support you get from a Variable kneeling chair.
Saying to yourself: ‘Sit up straight!’ That doesn’t work. But the Variable balans saves you the trouble. The seat gently tilts the pelvis forward, encouraging correct posture without the need for constant mental (or painful) prompts.
Weak core muscles. Your new posture will strengthen muscles in the abdomen and back, helping to keep your spine upright and the body balanced.
Vegetating at your desk. This is an ergonomic kneeling chair designed to keep you active. Switch from an active to a relaxed posture, stretch your legs in front of you, or put a foot up on a shin pad, and the flexible runners move with you.
Straighten Up
Helps natural, upright posture, reducing pressure on discs.
Loosen Up
Natural movement keeps you active, cutting neck and shoulder tension.
Firm Up
Strengthen core muscles without leaving your desk.
Waken Up
Improves concentration through increased blood circulation and oxygen supply.
Sitting Comfortably in Your Ergonomic Kneeling Chair
If you’re using your Varier kneeling chair the right way, you won’t be uncomfortable. Anyone who tells you that a Variable balans puts pressure on the knees, or requires a fixed leg position, is not using the seat correctly.
Bottom First
Don’t let the term ‘kneeling chair’ misguide you. You shouldn’t “sit” on your knees. Your weight should still rest on your bottom while the knee pads support your shins. So begin by sitting bottom first on the seat, then adopt the kneeling position. Even with your shins on the knee pads, your backside should still take the strain.
Begin Gently
If you’ve been using a traditional office chair before transferring to an ergonomic kneeling chair, your new posture may feel funny at first. Sitting on a basic office seat is a different experience to sitting on a backless kneeling chair. Your body needs time to get used to its improved posture.
Muscles and bones that have sunk into your old seating position need to wake up to their new mission, so you might feel stiff after your first session in your new kneeling chair. If your sitting posture has been poor for a long time, the core muscles in your lower back need to recover. It may even help to try a few exercises to restore their strength.
There’s not just one way to use a balans kneeling chair. When Peter Opsvik designed the original ergonomic kneeling chair, he designed it to move because he saw that sitting forever in one position ruins your posture. That hasn’t changed, so use your Varier rocking kneeling chair to vary your position throughout the day.
You may even find that it suits you best to switch between two types of chair, for example a Variable balans at a standard height desk and a Backapp chair for use with a height adjustable desk.
The Designer
Peter Opsvik: Norwegian designer, artist and jazz saxophonist. He also designed the famous Tripp Trapp chair and several Varier and HAG chairs. Watch Opsvik speak about his theory of sitting on our Gravity balans product page.
Varier Variable balans Video Demonstration and Transcript
The Varier philosophy is based on a very simple situation that when we are standing our body is in the best position and when we are sitting on normal chairs we are sitting in this H posture. So our philosophy, I can show it in this way, starts with this is not the best position, a better position is this position, with the head over the hips. And from here we started to produce a chair which does this-the head over the hips. And in this position we can sit in the best, best way, working on for example a laptop. And in this position you are always moving. You are free to move, and it is easy to stand up and to sit down, no problem at all. So, this is the way to do it. And afterwards we can just hang the chair on the table and walk away.
Variable Balans Assembly Instructions and Technical Information
How can I find out more about Varier fabrics and their composition?
To learn more about Varier’s 2020 fabrics visit our replacement cushions page or download a PDF brochure.
Where can I find assembly instructions?
The Varier Variable has only eight bolts and eight dowels, so you can have it put together in a few minutes. You won’t end up with too many or too few screws like you do after a visit to IKEA. If you’d like advance knowledge of the task, you can download assembly instructions here:
What are the Variable balans dimensions?
Chair: W52 x D72 x H51 cm, SH 50 cm
Chair with backrest: W52 x D80 x H93 cm, SH 50 cm
What desk height is the Variable balans best-suited to?
It’s best suited to a standard desk height of 72-77cm.
What do the reviewers think of this chair?
The reviews below say what Next Position’s customers think of the Variable balans, but if you are the sort of person who takes product research seriously, Rani Lueder’s 44 pages on the Balans seating concept, good posture, and kneeling chairs should keep you occupied.
2 reviews for Ergonomic kneeling chair | Varier Variable balans
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Aiden [Verified Purchase, Birmingham] –
I have to say this is the most comfortable chair I have sat on. I don’t know what kind of magic the designer put into it but for such a minimal piece of furniture I feel almost weightless when I’m on it. The design is not only beautiful but it helps to maximise living space. I would strongly recommend purchasing the additional backrest as it enables you to lean back and change seating positions as required. I must also state that the customer service from Philip was absolutely top-notch. I would not hesitate to order from his website again.
Bea Geddes –
Having experienced the Varier chair with a back, I bought the stool as a second seat for the home office. Next Position had the best price on the internet and the delivery was swift – excellent customer service.