Meditation posture

It’s not only important to be able to sit comfortably for meditation; the way we hold the body has a profound effect on the emotions and mental states that we experience. Something as subtle as the angle that you hold your chin at affects how much thinking you do.

In this section we explain how to use your body effectively in meditation, so that you can relax and at the same time develop alertness. Although relaxation and alertness may appear at first to be opposites, they can in fact coexist during a meditative state.

We’ll explain that it’s a myth that you need to be able to get into lotus position in order to meditate effectively. In fact you can meditate while sitting in a chair or while using a meditation bench.

It’s even possible to meditate while lying down, although the results are not usually very good for this particular posture and so it should only be used when absolutely necessary, as when there are injuries that prevent any other posture from being used.

We’ll take you through the whole process of setting up your posture, including what to sit on, the importance of supporting your hands, the angle of the head, and some basic trouble-shooting tips.

We’d like to acknowledge the kindness of Windhorse Publications, who allowed us to use illustrations from “Meditation: The Buddhist Way of Tranquillity and Insight”, by Kamalashila in this section of the site.

Comments

Comment from Leonard Hewson
Time: January 18, 2008, 3:31 pm

I am looking for something online because I live in rural area and cannot find classes within a reasonable distance from home.

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: January 20, 2008, 8:10 am

Well, we’re here! Do check out our online course listings: http://www.wildmind.org/mindworks/date.