Mind Body & Soul
Meditating Comfortably
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Many people love the idea of learning to meditate but are uncomfortable when learning to sit in a meditation posture. Not all of us are yogis. How can we enjoy meditation if most of the time we are contemplating how much our back hurts, how uncomfortable our knees are, or how we have pins and needles in our feet.
Sitting in an uncomfortable or stressed position can cause injury to the body. Even sitting for half an hour a day can cause damage to the knees and back if the position you are using is not supportive to your body.
Have you noticed that Buddhas often have gentle smiles on their faces? How do they get comfortable enough to be so happy?
Different meditation practices have different postures. Some have open eyes, some closed. Some have hands placed palm down over the knees, others have palms up and open, or fingers in a special formation.
Some practices require the full lotus position where the legs are crossed and soles of the feet are facing upwards, the tops resting against the thighs. Others are less formal and suggest a half lotus or just crossed legs.
Here are three tips to shortcut your path to finding the most comfortable seated meditation posture for you.
The spine
In all meditation postures the spine should be straight but following its natural curve, and relaxed.
In some practices, it is suggested that you pretend that you are being gently held by a piece of string out through the top of your skull, allowing your spine to rest in its natural position, or that you are balancing a pile of gold coins on the top of your head. Having a straight, but relaxed, spine reduces stress on the lower back and on the other sensitive areas of the body, such as the knees and the neck.
The hips
When you are sitting, have your hips higher than your knees, not the other way around. If the hips and buttocks are in the right position they provide support for the lower half of the body and take the weight of the upper half. Having the knees higher than the hips (in the way that children sit cross-legged) is fine in the short term, but in the long term it transfers stress to the knees and is likely to become painful and uncomfortable.
To get your hips higher than your knees, it is best to sit on a meditation cushion filled with buckwheat or cotton, a wooden block or a slanted meditation stool. Try out each of these and see which is most comfortable for you. Sitting in a chair may be the perfect posture for you!
The smile
Just because you have the posture right doesn't mean you will be comfortable – particularly if your mind is still stressed about trying to find the most comfortable position! Often when we meditate we try hard to adopt a serious pose.
Comfort is more likely if we are relaxed and enjoying ourselves. If we allow ourselves a small smile, even if it is just in our minds, we will look and feel a little more like the smiling Buddhas that inspire and soothe us.
