Meditation posture is important, why you might say. Somedays when I have missed my meditation practice, I tell myself as I slide between the sheets. “I will meditate right now, it’s quiet.” Inevitably I’m asleep in minutes. It’s true, I can observe my thoughts and actions anytime, anywhere, this is helpful for my growth, and mindfulness, but it is not the same as developing a regular sitting meditation practice.
Does the seat we take and our posture play an important role in our meditation? At the very basic level it helps keep us alert, and allows the spine to be supported by its natural curves. This means the spine can hold the upper body erect with less effort. In yoga we call this bone stacking. When we slouch, the muscles have to do all the work. When the muscles get tired, we want to move and fidget causing ourselves to get easily distracted.
Not everyone is able to sit on the floor crossed legged. The ability to do this depends so much on your hip flexibility. Hip flexibility is developed over time, but if you want to start a sitting meditation practice here are some tips to get you started.
Give Yourself Some Support
- A chair that doesn’t encourage you to slouch
- A wall or piece of furniture you can lean against to stack your spine
- A folded blanket to elevate the hips above the knees
- A formal meditation cushion called a “Zafu”
- A meditation bench (great if sitting crossed legged is uncomfortable)
- A peaceful place in nature is good too
Once you have decided to start a meditation practice, learning to sit with good alignment takes practice. It is a skill to calm the mind, while keeping the body awake and relaxed. The mind is like a chattering monkey, it will not become still until the body becomes still. If you do commit to a consistent meditation practice, I would personally recommend getting yourself a formal meditation cushion. These cushions are generally firm and allow your hips to be above the knees, allowing for proper alignment and comfort. Sitting to meditate over time strengthens the abdominal and back muscles, and increases rotation in the hips. (gobodhiyoga.com)
Understanding the Seven Points of Posture
- Legs: The best seat to take, is the one that is the most comfortable for you. Below are a few examples of traditional seats for meditation, but a sturdy chair is great too.
- Pelvis and Spine: It is important to find a neutral pelvis. What does that mean exactly? Think of your pelvis as a bowl. If you tip the bowl/pelvis forward or back too much it effects the natural curves in the spine. When the pelvis is neutral the spine can stack in its most efficient way. Try this, place your hands on the top of your hipbones. Rock the pelvis forward and notice what that does to your core and neck (cervical spine). Now rock the pelvis back, what do you notice? When you rock back, the low back curve is flattened and the back muscles are over stretched. Now see if you can find the place in-between, this is the neutral position. From this neutral position, elongate the spine. Grounding through the sitz bones, lengthen the spine all the way to the crown of the head.
- Hands: Rest them in your lap, palms down. This downward position helps relax the flow of energy in your body. Using hand Mudras is also an option to achieve specific results.
- Shoulders: With the spine strong, allow the shoulders and muscles of the back to relax.
- Chin: Bring your chin level with the floor, this creates a very slight tuck of the chin.
- Jaw: Allow the jaw to relax, the top and bottom teeth are not touching, and the tip of the tongue rests just behind the two front teeth.
- Eyes: Relax your eyes to a soft gaze slightly in front of you. If this is too difficult, you can close the eyes.
- Legs: The best seat to take, is the one that is the most comfortable for you. Below are a few examples of traditional seats for meditation, but a sturdy chair is great too.
When we can maintain this upright vertical posture during our meditation practice, unnecessary tension in the muscles is released. On a subtler level, when the external body is still, the internal body is released. The more relaxed we can be, the more precise our awareness, so rather than being “asleep” we become “awake”, enlightened. We can move from the head, to the heart, to our true nature.
Namaste, Holly
