Are you sitting comfortably?

anataman

When I meditate now I generally sit in a half lotus position (full lotus was just too uncomfortable and just a big useless distraction in the end), with beck neck and head in alignment, and I like to keep my eyes open but with a lowered gaze (sometimes with an object of meditation just a metre or so in front of me) and gently rest my hands in my lap or on my knees and sometimes when I am in a certain mood I like to form the cosmic mudra.

In the early days I used to 'wake up' from meditating with back and hip pain and numbness in my lower legs, having falling partially asleep and slumped forward and then have to go through discomfort and some excruciating electric shocks as I resumed normal standing position and let blood flow and the nerves come back to life. Which really made me forget what I was supposed to getting out of the meditation experience.

Posture is an important aspect of mediation, and getting it right from the beginning is essential for any kind of progression in my view. What problems have you experienced with it and do you have any suggestions for people starting out, or even suggestions for those of us who continue to struggle with right posture from time to time?

This site which has some useful tips, not just on sitting, but kneeling and lying mediations: http://www.jagaro.net/how-to-meditate/how-to-meditate-meditation-postures/

I hope that these and your comments are helpful to everyones mediation practice.

Mettha

fivebells

In over a decade of serious practice and study, I have not yet come across a compelling argument for sitting in a traditional posture. If you're comfortable and alert, your posture is probably fine.

Woah93

Well IME I gave up on trying to find the right posture since it only invited a judgemental mind of a "right" and "wrong" way to sit. Really my meditation before I worried about that has been much more rich and satisfying and allowed me to focus on the meditation instead of "doing it right".

Nele

I like the Burmese posture - find it easier than the half lotus. It also feels very symmetrical and stable, as long as I remember to keep the cushion under my butt only (not under thighs). My biggest issue is finding myself slowly leaning forward after 20 minutes or so.

Invincible_summer

For the actual legs, I don't think there's any benefit to sitting in any type of lotus position. Burmese is good enough - unless you physiologically have to have a chair, I find chairs too conducive to sleepiness/laziness.

I think it's more important to have the back and neck in a neutral (not too extended or flexed) position for comfort and alertness.

Hamsaka

I lie down. Well, my body is bent at the waist so my head is higher than my feet by quite a bit, but let's be real here, I am lying down.

I have a special neck pillow and a long stiff pillow to support my left shoulder 'cuz it is messed up from all the years of holding things down for my right arm. I prevent the left shoulder from going into pain because it keeps it from being painful 24/7. I investigate discomfort or pain in other parts of my body but not there.

I'm fortunate that lying down does not tell my body to go to sleep. If I meditate in any position at a certain time of day, I spend a lot of meditation time going in and out of hypnogogic states or flat out snoring, so I avoid mid day. When I go on retreat, walking meditation should help that. I can meditate while sitting, that's how I started meditating. My floor is quite cold in the winter, being about a foot beneath the ground, so I avoid sitting on the floor for now but come summer I'll be experimenting with more traditional posture.

The kneeling benches appeal to me.

I'm not convinced (yet?) that sitting in full or half-lotus is necessary for *whatever*, but I'm open to the idea. My body just doesn't go that way naturally, but I'm sure it could be gently trained.

how

Nele said:

I like the Burmese posture - find it easier than the half lotus. It also feels very symmetrical and stable, as long as I remember to keep
the cushion under my butt only (not under thighs). My biggest issue is finding myself slowly leaning forward after 20 minutes or so.

Long term practice with the Burmese posture, if one doesn't include some system to alternate which leg is bent more, can produce some twisting of the lower spine resulting in unnecessary back pain. Switching legs can be a bit awkward to introduce as most folks have a favored leg to have more bent than the other, but it produces a more comfortable posture in the long run.

wangchuey

I started with the half-lotus and still use it. It did took a bit of getting use to in the beginning. After many years, all the complaints and concerns subsided by itself. Now everything is much easier. Applying practice to life is also starting to show its usefulness. Everything will work out for anyone over time. You'll get what you put into it, if not more.

Happy meditation :wave:

how

I sat for 40 years in seiza on a small zafu, sometimes alternating with Burmese on longer retreats but due to blowing out my knee a few months ago, have moved to a chair.
Difference between the postures...zip
If you have options, choose the one that minimizes physical distractions while still allowing you to remain alert.

anataman

fivebells said:

In over a decade of serious practice and study, I have not yet come across a compelling argument for sitting in a traditional posture. If you're comfortable and alert, your posture is probably fine.

Thank you @fivebells - I agree with you, but this post is about those who may be learning to sit, or having difficulty sitting, and the importance that might be attributed to the skill of observing and maintaining good posture for both physical and mental stability - if, like me, you learned to meditate in a traditional way posture is strongly emphasised as being important. And that is where I am putting the emphasis here.

@howI I started on a small 'Zafu' cushion as well but realised I needed my centre of gravity to be slightly higher (so used 2 cushions very quickly) to maintain a comfortable posture for a more prolonged (i.e. >5 minutes) period of time before discomfort set in.

Forgive me but as I sit here meditating in a chair tonight, I would like to clarify that I am not emphasising or advocating any one way to meditate as being the right way, but would rather believe, rightly or wrongly, that posture is an important observance in the meditative process, and if you can be comfortable this may be more conducive to achieving a meditative state that allows you to be more focused and attain more profound insight.

Mettha

lobster

Are we sitting comfortably?

Sitting, walking, prostrating, being gently and attentively in the moment is not a posture, it is a state of being.

Many of us want to break through, or constipate our way into enlightenment. Perhaps we have a favoured form of mind babble, or a belief structure as a cushion between us and the ground of being . . .

Sit gently and attentively. What is hard?

Nothing at All . . .

silver

I lie down, when not sitting in my car or a restaurant or ___.

I have a damaged vertebrae in my lower back, the meniscus on my right knee is torn in two places, have severe carpal tunnel syndrome (cts) in my right hand, arm, shoulder, neck and moderate to severe cts in my left. I'm with @Hamsaka on this issue. I myself am surprised that I haven't fallen asleep during my mini-meditations. I think I'm doing great, by the way.
(*)