Question about meditation posture

fedaalis

Okay how to formulate this question exactly...

I try to adhere as closely as possible to the guidelines for meditation posture given in the Zen tradition (back straight, ears in line with shoulders, chin tucked, and the traditional cosmic mudra), except that I sit cross legged rather than in the lotus position. Keeping my posture like that does cause some difficulty for me (shaking legs, aching legs, shaking arms, back pain, etc) but I keep sitting anyway, and try to correct the posture if I start to slump.

My question is... if I'm okay with the difficulty and agitation that comes with it, should I continue this way? If I don't correct my posture, I will be slumped, but more "comfortable" and less prone to agitation. I feel... personally, that I should continue this way, trying to keep a correct posture, but I am unsure if my attitude of wanting to try to deal with/be with the pain and agitation is a skillful attitude or not (could be.. masochistic, if it's unnecessary to meditate this way??). I suppose I should be asking a meditation teacher about this, but I don't have one.

Thanks in advance

pineblossom

Why not sit in a chair?

What is the object of your meditation? To be like someone else or to meditate?

As a Westerner you will not have been bought up to sit cross legged on the floor so it is going to be something of a strain.

You could take up Hatha Yoga which will help with body manipulations - and it's good for you.

At 68 I more often meditate lying down.

Takuan

Try seiza or a chair. The thing about sitting cross legged is that your body will naturally slump over. This makes breathing a little more difficult, in most people. The legs also become uncomfortable and fall asleep quicker.

fivebells

It's definitely not necessary to sit that way.

Ric

I think you should keep at it. Im in the same boat. About 2 min in my legs start shaking and I use it as an object of meditation. I even notice how when I try to rid of it or label it as uncomfortable it becomes really hard to continue, but if I just observe the sensation I can keep on. But obviously after about 15 min of this it becomes too strong and thats when I stop.

When it becomes too intense to just observe it without judgment then its time to stop. Hopefully after a month or two ill be able to sit for a longer time but I think its worth trying to develop the flexibility to sit without the shakes.

fedaalis

Thank you all for your responses

I might use a chair when I meditate tonight. It is definitely much more comfortable for me.

I think I have built up all kinds of reasons why sitting is 'the right way' and a chair is 'the wrong way'. Shunryu Suzuki's book seems to stress trying to stick to a sitting posture if possible (even in the presence of difficulty), and it IS possible for me. It also feels more natural.

Guess I don't want to avoid difficulty just because it makes things easier

Yacababy

I lie down. I have a bad back and sitting for prolonged periods is so painful I can't even relax into meditation. I just make sure that I am aware of myself and make sure that instead of getting sleepy, I grow more
Mindful.

Daozen

Your back should be straight. Most people are not flexible enough for lotus, half-lotus or even cross-legged, hence their pelvis will not be sufficiently angled forward when attemptiing to sit in these positions, leading to a) a slouched, curved back which becomes sore and, eventually, strained, and b) possible serious knee injuries.

If you really want to learn those positions, do yoga with a trained instructor and eventually you will be able to sit in lotus, crossed-legged etc.

But until you can, i strongly urge you to use great care if you wish to avoid potentially serious injuries. It's simply not worth it.

As other have said, there is no reason meditation MUST be done in lotus or cross-legged. It can just as effecively be done in seiza (Japanese style, sitting on your feet, tilts the pelvis forwards and makes it easier to sit straight confortably, althoguh your feet tend to go 'dead' after a while, but sittng on a cushion under your bottom can greatly help with this) and it can also be done in a chair or even lying flat on your back.

As a final suggestion, you can also sit cross-legged but sitting on a cushion which, like Seiza, will naturally tilt your pelvis forward and allow you to sit straight without injuring your knees even if you are not so flexible.

Respect your mind and body and you will benefit in the end.

Arjquad

I sit in lotus position, but to me it is very easy and comfortable to do since my legs are flexable. I'd say for you to sit in any way that's comfortable.

Whoknows

My hamstrings are too short. I either sit with a wall behind me, sit on a chair, or cross legged with extra cushions underneath to help with the hamstrings. Sometimes I sit on the couch, but be wary as its easy to get too comfortable in this situation. One of the reasons we meditate close to the ground is that it is sometimes possible to lose your balance and down low is not much of a fall. Sometimes I go for a walk. Don't eat too much before hand, avoid being too sleepy, avoid too much excitement. The Buddha analogy is like a guitar string not too tight, not too loose.

Good luck!!!!!!!

buddhajunkie

Do you use a cushion?

Try the Burmese position. It's easy to do and helps straighten posture (especially with a cushion). The Siddhasana position is also nice.

fedaalis

Do you use a cushion?

Try the Burmese position. It's easy to do and helps straighten posture (especially with a cushion). The Siddhasana position is also nice.

Ooo. Thank you, buddhajunkie. That looks like something I can do flexibility wise (Burmese position), and also looks more stable than my current cross-legged position. I might have more trouble with Siddhasana but I may experiment with it anyway.

One thing that is awkward for me about cross legged position, is that it's really hard to find a balanced configuration, and usually I just wind up settling for something close to balanced. And by the time my 30 minutes are up my legs are shaking like mad. It would be great to have a nice settled balanced position for a whole session.

Definitely going to try it, thanks again

Floating_Abu

Dear fedaalis

Have you tried eg a support cushion (very light) under the knee or whatever it is that requires adjustment.

There are no strict reasons per se to sit as instructed but that said it is important for 2 reasons:

1. A stable posture holds. When you meditate, it becomes important. When I say holds I do not only mean physically but at your mind, within your meditation, within whatever is going on.
2. It is your body so keeping it in equilibrium whilst sitting is good for your body ie. as you are sitting still for an extended period it is best I think to have a posture that is healthy and physically stable. Shaking the whole time seems to be a bit much.

Perhaps you can try yoga outside of sitting and then in your sits, try different positions eg. burmese etc.

Best wishes,
Abu