Meditation Positions?

[Rustymachine]

Hey,

A fun little post here:

What meditation position do you prefer? 

Witch do you feel like is the most effective one?

Thanks for all the answers.

[Roman]

I prefer sitting in the half lotus posture in the moment. As long as I can't figure out how to get comfortable with the full lotus posture, I alternate my upper leg day by day. In general I noticed that sitting on the ground makes me feel more grounded than on a chair and allows me do longer sits.

[goodguy]

Lotus with palms on knees facing upward.

[FinnishJon]

that hurts my back... I'm 46... 

 

I can do it for 5 minutes, but not much longer...

 

Edited February 9, 2016 by 8LanguageStud

[xXxXx]

I meditate while lying, sitting/Lotus wrecks my back

[Enizeo]

I noticed that often times my legs are getting numb when i sit crossed legged, so at the moment I am looking for an alternative

[Clayman]

If practiced well enough full lotus or Padmasana is said to be the most effective one. I can sit in it for 5 mins, and it is very, extremely, mega, giga comfortable, stable and pleasing, after that I start feeling joint pain, It takes practice to get good at it, that's why I use half lotus most of the time. Sadhguru pointed that in this full lotus pose all you muscles, all your joints, and all your internal organs are at rest, you also have stable circular ''energy'' flow. Laying pose is bad for the comfort of your organs and can make you sleepy, the sitting one is discomforting for your joints. But I guess they are both good for a start ... That are his words. 

Edited February 10, 2016 by Clayman

[RandomPaul]

hi! I really need some guidance in this area. My main concern is that I can't maintain a position for more than 5 minutes (regardless of the position - my muscles become really tense, even if I try to stay relaxed). Does that ruin my whole meditation session, if I slightly change my position after 5 minutes? Do you know any exercises for this?

My other concern is that I can barely get into half lotus, and with loads of joint pain. I am trying to do some exercises for felxibility but the process is really slow and I can't say I really know which are the best exercises for this type of flexibilty;

Does anyone have the same problems or have you ever encountered them? 

Thanks! cheers

[Guest]

The most important thing about posture is that the spine be fairly straight so that you remain alert and do not fall asleep.

As far as lotus postures go,  that is a matter of eastern tradition basically.  You will note the main feature is that the spine is straight.

I sit in a chair that is fairly comfortable and keeps the spine fairly straight.  

Do not lay down because falling asleep is easily induced in this position.

There is sit-down meditation, walking meditation and anytime-anyplace-anyway mindfulness meditation all day long.  This way meditation really becomes a way of life.

joy

 

[Pallero]

In one of his videos, Leo says that meditation is really simple and many people try to complicate it and end up telling themselves excuses as to why they can't do it. I believe he advises you to sit in a chair, back up straight, in a comfortable position.

I can totally relate to that. I have tried to over-complicate meditation by telling myself I can't sit this or that way, I can't find a quiet place, my shirt tag is itchy, I don't have time, I don't have energy et cetera.

Any comfortable position that you can hold will work. Most people advise to keep your back up straight, because it doesn't strain it, but I have found that if your core muscles or psoas for example are very weak, keeping your back up straight can be difficult. In this case leaning on the back of a chair/sofa is a good option. This is just my opinion.

I don't see anything wrong with meditating lying down either. I sometimes meditate in bed in the evening. I fall asleep mid-meditation and those have been my most peaceful nights ever.

I also practice meditation and mindfullness throughout the day, no matter where I am.

@RandomPaul There's nothing wrong with shifting your position. You're not doing some hard-core Buddhist monk meditation where you have to sit immobile for ten days without blinking or breathing. In the beginning you will have trouble with muscle tension, holding your position, keeping your eyes shut/open and everything else. When I started meditating it was also difficult for me to hold the sitting position for a long time. So I just held it for as long as I could and meditated the rest of the time while doing some easy calm yoga asanas that stretched out my back and legs gently. The most important thing about meditation is thought awareness.

[Ackraviell]

Good morning everyone.

I've been trying to meditate cross legged position Easy Pose 'Sukhasana' for few last months. The biggest problem I get is a lower back pain that distracts from the meditation practice and makes it harder, even brings me to the point when I have to stop meditating.

I tried few yoga poses like pigeon, bound angle pose, cat cow pose as well as stretching Head-to-Knee Forward Bend and few others I can't find name of. Maybe they make me less stiff and more flexed but I still feel that my back is week and I tend to curl it, also the muscles near pelvis area seem to be tense. I'm using support (4-6 inches of blankets to up the pelvis).

Is there anyone who experienced the same issue or/ and knows how to fix it? I'd really like to finally start meditating seriously but that's the issue that keeps me preventing from doing that.

[Tom Beast]

Mine favorite is third from the uppper-right for formal meditation (sometimes hafl lotus )and laying down for MBSR Bodyscan.

But reealy guys it doesn't matter…. if you want to meditate you'll find a way:)

[RandomPaul]

While you meditate you observe, accept and let go of any and all foreign thoughts. In the same way I feel that I should let go of any impulse to overthink or fear the process of descovering the true self. Maybe it's the ego that pushes me to obsess over the methods and overlook the purpose! I'm not gonna panic about it anymore!

Thank you for your insight!  

[xXxXx]

17 hours ago, RandomPaul said:

hi! I really need some guidance in this area. My main concern is that I can't maintain a position for more than 5 minutes (regardless of the position - my muscles become really tense, even if I try to stay relaxed). Does that ruin my whole meditation session, if I slightly change my position after 5 minutes? Do you know any exercises for this?

My other concern is that I can barely get into half lotus, and with loads of joint pain. I am trying to do some exercises for felxibility but the process is really slow and I can't say I really know which are the best exercises for this type of flexibilty;

Does anyone have the same problems or have you ever encountered them? 

Thanks! cheers

You start to calm your mind, when you meditate, sensations of the body will become more intense because you become aware of them (for example a pain in the knee or your leg getting numb). Just try to observe the pain, the numbness, feel it and try not to react to it. If you do this long enough, feeling the tension of your muscle and observing it, it will fade away and you can go back to observe your breathing. You let go by doing this.

Your mind telling you to switch position is like the usual monkey talk the mind creates, there is no need for it.

[Guest]

Since I can't do Lotus atm I'm doing half Lotus on the ground and alternate my upper leg every time I meditate. I like this better than sitting on a chair or on a meditation pillow.