| When sitting in meditation, it’s best to try to make a tripod with your two knees and your bottom. The tripod allows you to sit upright and stable while at the same time being relaxed. This means, if possible, getting your knees to make contact with your zabuton. If your knees are up off the zabuton, your back will want to curl forward and your posture will tend to collapse.
If you cannot get your knees down to the zabuton, try raising your bottom higher with a support cushion or two under your zafu – that will roll you forward so that your knees are closer to the zabuton. If that doesn’t work, try putting a support cushion under one or both knees so that your knees have something to push against.
The easiest way for a beginner to sit on meditation cushions may be in the Burmese position. In this posture neither of your legs crosses the other; rather they are folded in front of you. It doesn’t matter which leg is in front as long as you are comfortable. As with all these postures, if you sit for an extended time, it is best to occasionally switch which leg is in front.
Once you’ve gotten comfortable with the Burmese position, you can try moving to Quarter Lotus, in which either the left or right foot is off the floor, tucked into the bend of the knee.
Next comes Half Lotus, in which one or the other foot is brought up to the opposite thigh.
Finally there is Full Lotus. This is the most stable and symmetrical of the lotus postures. The leg that is down in half-lotus now comes up to the opposite thigh, and you are fully pretzelled. As you graduate up the scale toward Full Lotus you may find that you can sit lower – that is, it may help to have your bottom closer to the ground. You may want to take away your support cushion or sit further toward the edge of your zafu.
Another way to sit on your cushions is in Seiza. Start by kneeling, with your kapok zafu within reach. Turn your zafu on its side (so that it is taller than it is wide), and place it beneath your bottom. This posture gives you the tripod we mentioned before, and is a great alternative to the cross-legged positions.
One Stretch
There are many stretches that will help you sit comfortably. Here’s the one we think helps the most. It is called the Tailor pose (or you may know it as the butterfly stretch). Sit on the ground or on a zabuton and pull your feet towards your bottom as far as is comfortable, with the palms of your feet together. Hold your feet and let your legs relax. That’s all. This pose loosens your groin muscle, which allows your leg to rotate more easily into one of the lotus positions. Try it – we think this simple stretch can make a big difference.
Next newsletter, we’ll give you some advice about your back, head and hands.
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