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Seiza Bench

SephSeph Veteran
edited February 2013 in Meditation
One piece of 10' x 1" x 6" pine board can yield approximately 3 seiza benches.


A single seiza bench begins with a 34" board.
The cuts are as follows:


image

One piece of 10' x 1" x 6" pine board. $ 10.00 (yields 3 seiza benches = c. $ 3.33 a piece)

Half meter of material. $6.50 in the sample of paisley pattern I chose.

Quarter meter of 1" thick foam. $ 6.00

Total cost: $ 15.83 + screws/hardware.
Under $ 20.00

This is a picture of the seiza bench I made and use.

image
In the example above, I used the extra foam and material to sew a thin pillow for my knees.

The nice thing about the seiza bench is that the angle (c. 17 degrees) puts your hips - and thus your spine - at a near perfect angle and allows you to breathe properly.

The sitting position is basically as you would sit on your calves. Your feet and calves are beneath the bench, while your bottom sits on the bench proper.

It is actually a very comfortable position.
lobsterLincMaryAnneToshriverflowzenffperson

Comments

  • BhanteLuckyBhanteLucky Alternative lifestyle person in the South Island of New Zealand New Zealand Veteran
    Good work!
    I made mine with scraps from the hardware store garbage. Total cost: $3.50, lol!
    I put hinges on so I can take it with me travelling, so the legs fold flat.
    It's a great thing; I am not flexible, so this bench is the most comfortable way to sit for long times, I have found.
    Thanks for posting, Seph.
  • Very nice! I'm curious how you fastened the legs onto the bench. I see nuts and bolts, but I'm confused as to how they stay solidly in place.
  • howhow Veteran Veteran
    edited February 2013
    @ zeph. Nice job on the beach. Your fabric matches my zabutan.

    @ chela
    The picture shows right angle brackets.
    The traditional way to fasten the legs to a seiza bench is with a router cut to the bottom of the seat that matches the width of the legs. It can also be made with a few saw cuts and a chizel. The Legs slot in and if done accurately enough, only good wood glue is needed.
    The other point to add is the 17 degree rake of the seat angle a really a rough average but a bench that's customized for you is supposed to match the angle that your legs approach that seat in the seiza posture. That's so there is no seat edge that presses more into the back of your legs than is nessesary. It's no big deal for regular sits but with extended retreats, you'll notice the difference.
  • At a dervish retreat I attended, a two piece scrap wood system was used,
    A less ornate version of this:

    image

    you can also use folded blankets or folded towels across the calves
    or if not culturally a Japanophile, use a chair . . .
    how
  • howhow Veteran Veteran
    edited February 2013

    @Lobster...
    interesting!
    Did it have a side to side wabble?
    Either way, that foil looks like it might also keep your ass on the ground during warp speed meditations.
    lobster
  • From what I remember the central column and top was much thicker wood. Sawn with a chain saw and nailed together en masse, probably a whole load of fifty done in an afternoon. Very crude, perfectly effective.

    Did not wobble.
  • CoryCory Tennessee Veteran
    I'm going to have to make myself one of these, I already have a good seat cut, all I need is the legs :)
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