Zafu height

questZENer

I've been sitting only for a short time. Lately I've had a choice of different zafus to sit on. I notice that ones that are firm and tall make my knees hurt more. Ones that are too soft and short makes something else hurt.

Is there a way to tell what the right firmness and height are for me? How would I tell?

Perhaps someone who has experience sitting can help me on my Goldilocks-like quest for the one that's 'just right'!

zenmonk_genryu

I'd suggest using a buckwheat hull Zafu that adjusts to your body, rather than a kapok one and see the difference. I'd warn though that many Zafus commercially available, or at Buddhist centers for that matter, are not always filled as fully as they should be.

Frizzer

I'll add that it's worth trying as many as possible.
I bought a buckwheat zafu and it wasn't filled up enough. Hence when I sat on it it moulded to my body too much and ended up pushing on some nerves in my leg. This then made my feet fall asleep.
I tried a smaller kapok zafu and I seem to get on better with it as it doesn't push on any nerves and feels more solid.

I also ended up taking the buckwheat out of my first zafu and stuffing it with cushion filling until it was pretty solid. Only problem was it made it way too high so we use it as a cushion in the living room now !

I still get problems with feet aching and stuff like that but I guess it will get better with time as I get used to the posture.