Disability and Meditation?

SkyLotus

Hello everyone! I'm very new here, but I figured I would start off with a question that has really been on my mind lately. I have a mild form of Cerebral Palsy that affects my left side, and really tightens my muscles up. As a result, I cannot sit in full lotus position, I probably couldn't even sit in half, at least not comfortably for a long period of time. I almost always meditate lying down, and have been practicing it long enough that I will not fall asleep unless I make an absolute conscious effort to do so. Okay, so I guess this boils down to two questions:

Are there other ways I can meditate?
&
Is it okay that I meditate lying down, insofar as I don't sleep?

I've really been looking into the Zen practice, and I know that they don't fully close their eyes, so...I'm somewhat concerned about that, too.

Dakini

I meditate lying down, SkyLotus, a habit I acquired during years of chronic fatigue, when I couldn't sit for long. It's ok, because when you're supine, your chakras are lined up straight, that's the important thing, they say.

SherabDorje

The main thing is that you are physically comfortable and alert. I do all my meditation lying down due to chronic pain in my leg.

Comfortable but alert, that's all.

lightlotus

Im starting to adapt my style of meditation quiet a lot at the start I would use a set method - but now im sitting in ways that im comfortable with.

laurajean

I'm disabled, and when I can sit in the lotus position I do, but there are many times when I cannot, and so I too meditate lying down. As long as you get it, and are actually meditating, which it sounds like you are, I don't think it matters.

Dakini

Is it okay that I meditate lying down, insofar as I don't sleep?

I've really been looking into the Zen practice, and I know that they don't fully close their eyes, so...I'm somewhat concerned about that, too.

Some traditions in Vajrayana meditate with the eyes half-open, some with eyes closed. Either way is ok, whatever works for you.

Dazzle

Hi SkyLotus and welcome,

Some people find it easier with eyes closed. Personally I keep my eyes open.

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SkyLotus

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your kind and reassuring comments. I'm also asking this because one of my college professors invited me to a local Sangha for practice (The Zen Tradition) and as I'm to understand it, they traditionally sit in the lotus position. I'm sure that I can talk to the Buddhist Priest there and tell him my situation, but I was wondering what others thought, and you really cleared a lot up for me! Thank you so much! I just...wouldn't want to do anything accidentally disrespectful, you know? Which is one of the reasons why I'm somewhat nervous about practicing at this Sangha, since I know it's traditional to sit in full lotus, etc.

laurajean

When I went on retreat I sat toward the back of a very large meditation hall. There were the majority, who sat in the lotus position on the floor on zafus (meditation cushion), and there was also lines of chairs on each side of the hall, where various people would sit. Sometimes older people, sometimes just people who for whatever unknown reason needed a chair due to limitations or comfort. AND, in the very back of us all, there were people who had cushions lined up, or a small throw laid down, and were lying down during the entire meditation session and the dharma talks. I remember glancing back at them, and thinking "Oh, wow, that guy's actually lying down..." and that was about it. No one seemed to mind or care, and I did not get the impression that it was in any way disrespectful. They had probably discussed their limitations upon arrival at the retreat and may have been told to go ahead and lie down in the back, I don't know. But it wasn't a big deal, I know that much, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Although I would mention it to the instructor upon or before your first visit just out of courtesy so he/she knows this.

SkyLotus

@laurajean Thanks a lot! I will certainly let my instructor know upon my arrival at the Sangha. That makes me feel a lot better.

footiam

One does not have to sit down and meditate. Sitting meditation is just a form of meditation. There is walking meditation and other forms of meditation to contend with. I would think one can meditate as long as one has a mind to visualise.

Cinorjer

Try a practice where everyone does prostrations and having bad knees. I stand and visualize going up and down.

formermonkJohn

meditation is clear thinking, right thinking, and is not easily distracted, i don't see any reason why you can't do that all day long once you have learned it sitting.

focusing on breathing, and visualisation are initial techniques to clear the mind of running thoughts and out of control attachments, think of breath following and visualisation as a tune up for your mind, setting the thought idle speed from 3000rpm down to 600rpm,

once you have succeded in slowing your mind, then start using it by learning to focus on a topic, such as 'how can I be a better son to my mother or a better friend to my friends" or"how big is my ego, what is my ego, how can I get rid of my ego" or "how am i causing suffering for myself and others, how can I alleviate suffering for myself and others" this is I think called mindfulness meditation,

once youve learned to do this sitting in meditation, youll find you can do it standing or sitting through everyday life, this would be I think called developing mindfulness, because until you can put mindfulness into action, youre not completely mindful, Once you done all this and you have already greatly reduced your suffering, then youre at the beginning, the beginning of the path to enlightenment.

SkyLotus

@Cinorjer

I will definitely keep that in mind, although with my leg, it's hard to stand for long periods of time. I will certainly keep this in mind though, and give it a try!

@ former monk John

Thank you so much for your kind words and explanations! I will certainly integrate mindfulness meditation into my practices, as well as working on sitting meditation, and working on that 'idle speed' you mentioned, too! You're so helpful, thank you very, very much!

Starduster

Eyes are kept open to stay awake, I hear, and for no other reason.

But I don't care if I fall asleep, so I close them. If I fall asleep I take that as a sign that there was no new business to be done. Then again there are also dreams, lucid, prophetic, and otherwise. So why count them out? See what comes. I figure that if I don't know where to find me, who does?

I do lying down meditation every time I go to bed. Since I'm old and have to get up to pee every two hours that is several times per day that I get a fresh start. Also I like to set my alarm for 1 hour before I get up so I can hit the snooze alarm several times, each time being a fresh start.

I find it helpful to put the pillow under the feet instead of the head. More relaxing to have feet higher than the heart. But still lined up straight, with legs slightly apart, arms slightly away from body, and index fingers to thumbs, palms up.

Unless you have a goal in mind, what's wrong with falling asleep meditating? I find it more relaxing that going over the day's happenings, who said what to whom and why, etc. Churning all that around like a rotor-tiller. And still remarkable things do come up in dreams and visions just the same.

Jeffrey

Skylotus,

I particularly disagreed with Former Monk John about thinking of a topic such as 'being a better person' or 'the ego' during meditation. You may think of those, but it is not meditation as I have heard in buddhism. Can anyone else confirm this? There are contemplations you can do. My thoughts on being a better person is that this happens automatically at its own pace as you practice awareness. You just have to keep doing the meditation.

My thoughts on the ego is that it is not like a monster that is your shadow that you have to cleave off of you. Ego is thinking pattern of pride usually: I, me, or mine. All you do is to catch yourself, and notice those thoughts and the fact that you were able to wake up from those thoughts and catch them as thoughts. When you are able to do that you are disempowering the ego.

SkyLotus

Jeffrey,

Thank you for your insight on this! I found that I was having trouble with meditating on 'being a better person', because I try to be a good person and compassionate just in the way I do things. I then found myself wondering: "What constitutes as good?" I feel that it's one thing to acknowledge goodness, and another to readily apply it within your life. Granted, I know that you can also apply meditation to every aspect of your life, but I don't think that I have gotten that far along the path yet. So, yes, I will definitely focus on what you mentioned in terms of disempowering the ego; I think that this will certainly work better for me. Thank you very much!