ARE YOU SITTING COMFORTABLY?

Suggestion #2: Back

Sitting on meditation cushions allows you to sit erect and alert for a long time. 

In each newsletter we will provide some tips for sitting in meditation with comfort and awareness.  In our last Newsletter we talked about your legs.  In this newsletter we will give you some suggestions for your back. 

When sitting in meditation it's best to keep your body sitting up straight and relaxed.  Take a look at this photo of Rodin's famous sculpture, The Thinker.  When you are pondering something this makes for a pretty good posture.  But when you are aiming to clear the mind it is better to do the opposite, and sit up straight and open.   

To sit up straight, sit on the front half of your zafu (see photo).  Your zafu and support cushion will help tilt your pelvis forward, allowing your torso to sit up straight and strong.  Next you might imagine you have a string coming from the top of your head, pulling you up as you sit (or for that matter, as you stand).  Held up by this imaginary string, now let your body relax.  Let your shoulders, your back, your belly relax.  That's the 'string method,' and we think it’s a pretty good rough guide. 

Another way to get to a straight and relaxed posture is to give some attention to your chest.   Breathe in and out naturally, and notice how your ribcage rises and falls with your breath.  Now on an out-breath gently hold your sternum (the front and center of your ribcage) in the same place as you exhale.  In this way you keep your sternum and chest slightly raised and energized.  The rest of your trunk - your shoulders, back, and belly, can relax if your chest is carrying the load.  You don't have to consciously straighten your back - raising your sternum will give your back the natural curve it has when you sit upright and relaxed.  You might call this the 'sternum method.' 

When told to 'sit up straight' many of us, whether we’re aware of it or not, pull ourselves up by our shoulders.  This leads to a rigid posture and sore neck and shoulders.  If you hold yourself up with your string or sternum, your shoulders can relax.  If your shoulders get stiff, one trick is to pull them way up, level to your ears, hold them there for a few seconds, then let them drop naturally down around a strong sternum. 

Your posture should not be rigid.  Our company name is 'Still Sitting' but in truth no one sits perfectly still, nor should you try.  Your body is always in motion - your breath is moving, your heart is beating, your blood is rushing around.  Your body is alive with activity.  Through meditation you may learn to still a fidgety body and mind, and join the natural ebb and flow of your body. 

Rather than Rodin's Thinker, take as your model for meditation a one-year-old baby.  She sits up naturally straight and relaxed.  Have a good sit!

Next Newsletter we'll give you some advice about the position of your head.

Burmese


Quarter Lotus


Half Lotus


Full Lotus

ARE YOU SITTING COMFORTABLY?

Suggestion #1: Legs

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.