Yesterday, President Joko Widodo introduced his new cabinet ministers for the 2019-2024 period on the steps of the Presidential Palace. While several of the appointments have been hotly discussed since, the president’s unusual sitting pose at one point during the event has also, surprisingly, become a talking point online and even started a new viral social media challenge.
While he was delivering a speech on the steps, Jokowi sat down with his legs crossed, but with his heels pointing outwards and toes touching each other. The president isn’t exactly a renowned contortionist, so the pose has both confounded and amused netizens in Indonesia today.
https://twitter.com/giewahyudi/status/1186847507755626497?s=20
Can anyone sit cross-legged like Jokowi here?
https://twitter.com/BamsBulaksumur/status/1187145070387941376?s=20
Woke up at dawn and I tried to sit like Jokowi, but why can’t I do it?
In fact, the hashtag #JokowiChallenge is trending today with people trying — mostly struggling — to replicate the president’s pose.
#JokowiChallenge #JokowiSitChallenge bisa lama2 kram juga, kayaknya harus di istana negara atau jadi presiden dulu. pic.twitter.com/MTOsfDQMhy
— Dhanang DhaVe (@DhaVers) October 24, 2019
One could get muscle cramps after a while. Looks like one has to be at the Presidential Palace or become a president first.
Susah ternyata 😑😑#jokowichallenge pic.twitter.com/zcGLzuLdr6
— [ ユファリディアン ] (@TheYufar) October 24, 2019
Turns out it’s hard.
Some did conquer the challenge, including yoga instructor/actor Anjasmara.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3-4efwh1dc/
And now, the experts have weighed in on the sitting pose.
“I suspect [Jokowi] has what is called hyperlaxity, a condition that makes a person to be very flexible and lithe,” sports medicine specialist Dr. Michael Trianto told Detik yesterday.
While the condition isn’t very common in adults, the doctor said some people are born with hyperlaxity or hypermobility. The condition is medically described as one’s ability to “extend their joints easily and painlessly beyond the normal range of motion,” caused by the looseness of the tissues that hold joints together and commonly found in knees, shoulders, and elbows.
Even yoga instructors were impressed.
“Even I, as a yoga instructor, am amazed by the flexibility of Jokowi’s legs. Only a few people can do it,” renowned yogini Astrid Amalia told Detik.
In yoga, one commonly practiced sitting position is the Sukhasana or “easy pose,” which requires the practitioner to sit cross-legged. Astrid said that most people are unable to master that pose due to their lack of flexibility, let alone Jokowi’s pose.
“It means Jokowi’s legs are long and flexible. That’s so cool, he seems to be healthy and moving a lot. Maybe he walks, runs, and works out a lot, especially stretching. We need to emulate him,” Astrid said.
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