Is a recliner good for long meditation sessions?

[CreamCat]

Meditating on my chair has been a pain in my neck and my backbone. I thought a recliner like this could help me meditate for one hour without a problem.

This one is not expensive.

[mandyjw]

My dad had one of those, he really liked it. You can also get a floor meditation cushion if you really care about posture. 

[Inliytened1]

As long as it doesn't make you sleepy.

[Leo Gura]

I find such laid back positions terrible for meditation.

But if you cannot sit any other way I suppose it's better than not sitting at all. Then again, you could practice walking meditation -- which can be very good.

[Nahm]

@CreamCat 

Let meditation tell you the root and resolve of the neck & back discomfort. Bring awareness into every single part of your body. Bring love & healing.  Posture, diet, thinking patterns, a relationship perhaps, an over-repeated body movement, tension mind displaces in body, lack of utilization of resources available...something. Body must balance itself, this is key. Don’t tell meditation, listen. Use a thicker cushion. Get an exam from a chiropractor, see the issue, correct it on the cushion. 

[Forestluv]

@CreamCat I haven't used a recliner, yet I'm past middle-aged and extended meditation sessions do not feel healthy for my back. I've found I can go enter meditative "spaces" during yin yoga - and as a bonus, it's actually healthy for my back. Yet, it might not resonate with others. 

[ivankiss]

40 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

Then again, you could practice walking meditation -- which can be very good.

Into this a lot. Love it.

[now is forever]

@CreamCat is there a reason why you meditate on a chair instead of a cushion on the floor? do you have knee problems?

i‘d do some yoga for posture or for the back muscles instead of buying a chair like that - it’s just an object that will probably not bring you what you hope it will and then it’s just a dustcatcher instead of a dreamcatcher 

also might be that the meditation sessions in one position are too long.

Edited May 1, 2019 by now is forever

[kieranperez]

I personally for the life of me have not been successful with traiditional meditation postures for a few reasons and actually my biggest breakouts in states of consciousness never come from traditional meditation (and I think of it is an ADHD thing):

• I’m so tight in my hips, legs, and lower back from running competitively all these years that it would take a lot of dedicated time each day for several weeks I think to really loosen up in order to even get into a comfortable proper position. 30 second of sitting even just regular cross-legged (much less a yoga asana) and I’m struggling to breathe into my diaphragm (much less relaxed), my hip flexors are on fire, the tension in my shoulders are tightening, my mind is going nuts (probably cause I’m like “come on I’m not even a minute in!”). Also I notice that my ankles hurt so much from the pressure (whether it’s from the floor or from the pressure of my body weight (even though I’m 6’0 135 pounds) because my ankle bends on the side (I’d have to show a picture to explain) and so that pressure just drives my foot crazy
• I find walking meditation I can get into a really weird meditative state (I actually became conscious of what existence is when I was walking) but I have to not treat it as meditation. I can get really checked out and I’m like in witness meditation. I think it’s a dopamine thing since I’m moving and that really helps me relax and sitting still I’m so anxious I feel like I’m about to punch a hole in the wall.
• Meditating while eating is really powerful for me again because it really helps me relaxes me. I don’t know if it’s just this constant anxt that I have in my prefrontal. I meditate so much better if I eat right before. 

Edited May 1, 2019 by kieranperez

[CreamCat]

Nathaniel Drew meditates in the following positions

It seems meditating on a couch is a good idea.

Edited May 2, 2019 by CreamCat

[cetus]

13 hours ago, CreamCat said:

Meditating on my chair has been a pain in my neck and my backbone. I thought a recliner like this could help me meditate for one hour without a problem.

This one is not expensive.

@CreamCat Good chair for spending the night meditating under the stars.

[ivory]

Reclining chairs are really good if you're going to listen to music mindfully. You can get extremely relaxed. But, as others have stated, not good for a baseline meditation practice. The point of meditation is to be aware. Lying postures are induce sleep like states that don't promote awareness. Like @kieranperez I'm not super flexible so sitting cross-legged is extremely uncomfortable. I sit upright in a desk chair for my daily morning meditation and it works great.

[How to be wise]

@CreamCat What about on your bed? Try that.

[CreamCat]

2 hours ago, How to be wise said:

@CreamCat What about on your bed? Try that.

On my bed, I would definitely fall asleep.

[now is forever]

@CreamCat what about a hammock?

[CreamCat]

7 hours ago, now is forever said:

@CreamCat what about a hammock?

I haven't tried it. But, I think hammock can easily make me fall asleep.

[now is forever]

@CreamCat hhaha... are you selling recliners? 

[CreamCat]

3 hours ago, now is forever said:

@CreamCat hhaha... are you selling recliners? 

No, I became a sales person for small couches after watching Nathaniel Drew's video about meditation.

Meditation couch might be a small business.

Edited May 3, 2019 by CreamCat