A meditation posture can make or break your meditation habit.
A stable and comfortable posture will support your practice. At the same time, a tense or too-relaxed posture will leave you irritated or drowsy.
I will share lessons learned on how to settle into your meditation pose.
Why meditation posture is important?
The most well-known meditation posture is a cross-legged Burmese posture. Over centuries people have found that it supports focus, clarity and alertness.
Meditation posture is a way to foster your mind into a meditative state.
Mind and body connection
By using your body language you can adapt your mind state. Your brain (insula) observes sensations, such as heart rate, breathing rate and it compares whether such response is inline with the outside world.
For example, you’re running up the hill and your heart rate is up — totally normal. Yet, if you sit in a room and your inner sensations are not you may be experiencing anxiety or panic attack.
By sitting still, you show your brain that it is time for relaxation and alert concentration.
Steps to sit in a cross-legged meditation posture
Sit on a elevated surface, so that the hips are higher than the knees.
You can sit on a blanket, cushion, pillow or yoga block. By raising the hips, you create a posture in which it is easier to maintain straight spine.
I sit on a floor, so I put a blanket under my knees. It is enough for me to soften the ground but make it stable enough
Cross your legs
I find it comfortable to put one of my legs on top of each other. You may find it better for you to put your legs crossed side-by-side (Burmese position). If you are very flexible, you can try the full lotus position.
Whichever leg position you choose you will become more flexible and get used to this position. When I started meditating, this not so usual sitting posture was taking a lot of my attention. But soon it started to feel natural.
If your knees do not touch the ground, place a blanket under each knee. I found that another pillow is too high and blanket folded a couple of times is perfect.
Gently rest your hands on the knees or on your lap.
Slightly lean towards your knees with your pelvis
You want to lean forward, so that you balance the weight between the hips and the knees.
It will help you to keep the spine straight with less effort.
Keep your spine and neck straight
This one is not an easy one. During the practice, I sometimes notice my spine curving. It happens at the same time I am drifting off in thought.
To come back to the straight spine, you can image being pulled by an imaginary string from my hips, through spine and top of the head towards the sky.
Relax into the posture
Setting everything up correctly may look like a lot of effort. But not all muscles are used in meditation.
You can relax your face, eyes, jaw, shoulders, arms. The combination of relaxed and alert muscles will bring these qualities to your meditation.
Other postures
Sitting cross-legged is not for everyone. You may have a health condition that makes it impossible or you are just not comfortable enough.
From my experience, you should be able to sit without pain or discomfort for 20–30 minutes. Anything above comes from practice in long sittings, which most of us do not do.
If you are not able to comfortably sit for 20 minutes, you should not be discouraged. You do not have to sit cross-legged while meditating. You can try other postures.
Meditating on a stool
In this posture, you sit kneeling on a stool. It is important to pick a stool of a comfortable height, so you feel relaxed and stable.
I have not found my comfortable spot on a stool. Even if I ensure that the knees do not hurt, I do not feel as relaxed with my knees under me.
Meditating lying down
Lying down posture is easiest on the body but not for the mind. You need to ensure that you do not fall asleep.
I do not meditate while laying down. I only do it when I want to fall asleep quicker. I lay down to bed and do a body scan. It relaxes my muscles and releases any lingering thoughts. I found that it makes my sleep more restful.
While meditating laying down your head, neck and spine should form a straight line. Tilt head up to straighten the neck. Place your hands away from the body facing up. Separate your legs further than shoulder width. Relax your whole body and feel as if it is sinking to the ground.
Tip: to prevent drifting off, you can place the soles of the feet on the ground. You will notice when your knees fall outwards in case you fall asleep.
Meditating on a chair
Sit on the edge of the chair. Do not lean on the chair. This will make it easier to doze off. Lean forward so you can keep the spine straight. Soles of the feet should fully touch the ground.
The best part of learning to meditate on a chair is that you can do that anywhere. In a bus, in a park, while waiting for somebody.
In my previous job I had to commute for an hour in a train, so I used this time to do some breathing exercises.
Qualities of a good posture
Now that you have chosen your preferred posture, you can double check whether you are:
- Stable — grounded and safe
- Straight — you’re alert
- Comfortable — comfortable enough to be in for a long time with little distractions
- Relaxed — all the muscles that are not used to maintain the posture are relaxed
Getting a meditation cushion
You are probably wondering if you should now get a meditation cushion. Short answer is yes.
You can meditate anywhere. But the first unexpected benefit of having a meditation cushion is intention setting.
It was a first object in my space which showed commitment to the practice. I had a dedicated space to meditate now. I made an identity commitment that I am the person who meditates now.
Another unexpected benefit is the ease of maintaining the practice while moving places. By bringing the cushion, I knew that my meditation practice will stay with me. I did not need to spend any time adjusting the setup.
You may be wondering which meditation cushion to buy. You may need to try a few until you found one suitable for you. I settled on a very simple and robust round zafu cushion from a well-known athletic goods store.
Thanks for reading and investing into your spiritual growth.
If you would like to learn about build a meditation habit, follow me on Medium or Twitter (@Noa_Reeds)
Huberman, A. (Host). (2022, October 31). How Meditation Works & Science-Based Effective Meditations (№96) [Audio podcast episode]. In Huberman Lab Podcast
Dienstmann, G. (2018). Practical Meditation: A Simple Step-By-Step Guide. London: DK.
