Is It Possible To Meditate Standing Up?

[Mr Here and Now]

Hey guys! I'm new, this is my first topic here. I was wondering if it is possible to meditate standing up, and if so, what kind of posture should I use? I've done a lot of research about sitting for a long period of time and have come to the conclusion that it shortens ones life. Thanks for your time!

[Leo Gura]

Shorten one's life? Lol. Zen masters who meditate for hours every day for 40 to 60 years often live to very old ages. Stress is what shorts your life, not sitting. You got much bigger things to worry about.

Sure, you could do it standing up. You can even do it while walking or talking.

 

[Mr Here and Now]

But Leo, surely if you meditate while walking, you become unconscious of your souroundings? As for the whole shorten your life thing - that's what I've got from a lot of research. Thank you fir replying to my post - I never knew you could meditate while walking!

[Extreme Z7]

@Davie Marathon monks can meditate while walking. I heard it in a documentary.

[Siim Land]

You can enter a meditative state in almost anything you do. Yoga is meditation in motion. Also, practices like Tai Chi and Qi Gong are all done while moving around. They're super enjoyable and meditative. You will actually begin to feel you Qi, Prana, life force or whatever you want to call it, begin to be cultivated. When I'm holding a handstand I'm probably more present than doing anything else.

[dice]

On Saturday, July 30, 2016 at 11:56 PM, Leo Gura said:

Shorten one's life? Lol. Zen masters who meditate for hours every day for 40 to 60 years often live to very old ages. Stress is what shorts your life, not sitting. You got much bigger things to worry about.

Sure, you could do it standing up. You can even do it while walking or talking.

 

@Leo Gura This is not a proofed argument. There are a lot more people who grew very old without meditation. Did they grow so old because they didn't meditate? No. These are observations which can not be concluded like this. You can't expect that sitting your whole life is good for your physical health. The most diseases of civilization are caused by a lack of exercise and overweight not because of stress factors. Old people for example die often of immobility. Of course stress is a risk factor but it's just ONE factor. The whole image has to be healthy: mobility, nutrition and no stress (a healthy psychology). Like Sadghuru said: "If you would meet a tiger in wilderness could you climb the tree to save yourself? No? Than you are not fit. Just to do walking a little bit has nothing to do with fitness." To pull yourself up to something should be the easiest exercise for the human body, this is nature. The human body isn't designed to sit the whole day. In addition, 90 % of the people here will be no Zen Masters. So they should strike a happy medium.

@Davie If you meditate 3-4 hours per day, then you still have enough time to do strength training for an hour per day. This is quite enough to compensate the sitting. The keyword here is compensation. Then there is nothing wrong with sitting for hours. 

Edited August 1, 2016 by dice

[Beam]

I have done my first week using two 30 min meditation breaks a day but found sitting distracting for what ever reason. Being new to this I tried doing it lying on my back on a bed in a darkened room.

Many many people prefer the sitting position , it certainly will not shorten your life in any way whats so ever. Too little sitting is as bad as to much sitting everything must be done in moderation.

Tip:  cut down on the intake of table sugar and sweets for a meaningful effect on your life

Edited August 2, 2016 by Beam

[electroBeam]

@Davie the point about meditation is about letting go of beliefs, in the contex of Leos advice. Its about distancing yourself from perceptions you've had about reality. 

The point here though is not about sitting a specific way, or having a specific posture, they are just beliefs, the thing you are trying to avoid during your meditation experience.

Do whatever you want during meditation, as long as it doesnt reinforce your dogmatism. 

Edited August 2, 2016 by electroBeam

[Leo Gura]

@dice The point is that stress is gonna shorten your life more than anything else. And someone who meditates a lot basically becomes stress-free. Of course there are hundreds of other factors, but sitting isn't a big one.

Plus it's not like you have to sit all day. You're free to exercise.

[joegarland]

@Davie I stand when I meditate. Sitting does feel more "official," but I always feel pain in my back after an hour on my butt. Not so with standing. When people say sitting is the new smoking, I know what they're talking about.