How to sit in meditation and why?
I wanted to share with you some ideas behind the postures in meditation sitting. There are two things I see very often when I observe people sitting in meditation. Some force their spine to be straight, while others slump over. In meditation sitting, it is natural that our body slumps over after some time because we need muscle power to support the upright posture. This power builds in time. However, slumping over impedes the natural flow of breathing whereas forcing the spine to be unnaturally straight prevents us from opening a comfortable space that allows a meditative state.
There is no ‘absolutely correct’ posture that we have to maintain in meditation but there are ways to help our bodies feel comfortable. The most common and traditional position for meditation is to sit. I prefer sitting in the “Zazen” posture, which looks like the sukhasana (easy pose) in yoga. I cross my legs, bring my hands together with my right hand under the left, and I let my thumbs softly touch each other. Then I let my hands rest on my legs. This sitting posture supports the body on the hipbones and the spine is naturally straight, allowing the breath to flow comfortably and effortlessly. In this posture, you are basically aligned with your spine and your postural muscles support you against gravity. The intention is to stay here effortlessly so that your attention can go inwards. If you are using too much muscle power (in this case, they are not postural muscles) or if you are shaking, it means you are not in a nice posture that is good for you. In that case, you can put a pillow behind your back and allow yourself the time. The pillow will also remind your back to stay naturally elongated while maintaining your curve. Also, if you find it difficult to sit in a cross-legged positions such as lotus pose, you can practice baddha konasana (butterfly pose) or hindolasana (craddle pose) for a while to prepare you body. You will notice that you knees will get closer to the ground in time as you keep practicing. Even though they look very simple, poses such as lotus pose are not absolute-beginner poses. Therefore, if you are not able to sit in this position immediately, it is better to respect your body’s current limits and keep your knees safe until you naturally reach that level.
Another thing that can help you find comfort in this position is to support your pelvis with a little pillow. You can place the pillow right under your sitting bone, where your spine ends. This will help your knees be lower than your hips, and your pelvic area will be lifted. As a result, your pelvic area won’t have the pressure of a slumped-over body, and it will have more space for easy breathing. It will also take away your spine’s load and balance you on your legs and hips like a tripod.
It is also natural for your feet to get tingly when you stay seated in this position for a long time. But the more you get used to it, the less you will notice the tingling. If it is too much, you can change your posture a little and get yourself in a comfortable position. If it is still too painful for you, you can also end your meditation and try again the next day/time until you get used to it. After all, meditation is as much a practice of kindness to ourselves as it is to others, and there is always more time.
In the sitting posture, keeping the eyes closed can help us get into a meditative state. But for some, it can be too much. In this case, you can keep your eyes open and let your eyes softly rest on a particular point inside the room. You can also open or close your eyes during the meditation, depending on how you feel. If you have overwhelming emotions that you cannot tolerate in that moment, you can simply open your eyes and continue like that.
Of course, the sitting posture that I describe is not the only way. You can also sit on your heels, like in virasana (hero’s pose) or vajrasana (thunderbolt/kneeling pose) in yoga. This position might not be ideal if you have knee issues, but if not, it can be an alternative. If you decide to meditate in this pose, it might be nice to have a pillow or a rolled blanket between your legs and hips. You can also use a yoga bolster and ground yourself on it.
If you have issues that make it impossible for you to meditate in a sitting posture, it is also possible to do it lying down. In this posture, the mind might tend to go to sleep or ruminate as it is used to, but it is still possible to keep yourself in the present. Keeping your eyes open and gazing softly at a particular point in the ceiling might make it easier.
Meditation is for everyone, and we each have a different body. It is better to experiment for yourself and find what is best for you. Just pay attention to helping your body stay comfortable and your breath flow at ease, the rest is up to you. More important than all the rest is to remember that meditation practice starts with kindness. Sitting in a wrong posture might be less harmful than judging yourself for not “achieving” a certain posture.
