Zabutons and Their Use in Mediation The zabuton is a Japanese sitting cushion. It’s long been used as a meditation cushion in the Zen tradition, and you’ll see it in many places where mindfulness is practiced. The zabuton is humble yet essential, protecting your knees and ankles from the hard floor. Typically, you place it… Read more »
Still Sitting Meditation Blog
The Health Benefits of Meditation
For thousands of years, practitioners of meditation have experienced its profound, transformative effects. However, until the advent of modern medicine and technology it has been almost impossible to quantify how exactly meditation affects the body and mind. As various forms of meditation migrated to America from the East, an interest blossomed, and so too did… Read more »
Choosing The Right Zafu
“By establishing a stable base of support, the body naturally comes into alignment with the directional flow of gravity. The deeply purifying process of meditation has no choice but to begin.” – Will Johnson, The Posture of Meditation: A Practical Manual for Meditators of All Traditions Will Johnson’s book on the postures of meditation—one of our favorites—tells us… Read more »
Samue: A Dynamic, Traditional Meditation Garment
Every element of the Japanese Zen tradition has been carefully honed over thousands of years to serve a distinct purpose; clothing is no exception. The most easily identifiable garb in Zen is the simple black monk’s robe, but other forms of clothing have historically played an important role as well. Robes traditionally served as the… Read more »
Who is the Bodhisattva Kuan-Yin?
In the pantheon of Buddhist deities, the bodhisattva Kuan-Yin (also Guan-Yin, Guan-Yim, Kuan-Yim, Kwan-im, and in Sanskrit, Avalokiteshvara) occupies a special position of honor and affection. This is especially true in the lay Buddhism of China, Japan, and to a lesser extent Vietnam. The Goddess of Compassion, Mercy & Kindness The reason for Kuan-Yin’s popularity is… Read more »
Our Locally Handcrafted Meditation Benches
Mike Nauman-Montana is a lifelong artist and tinkerer. He has always loved making things with his hands and for the past twenty years he has put his focus on wood. He now runs a busy custom cabinet and woodworking business on Vashon Island called Salmon Bay Woodworks. Much of his work today is building and… Read more »
Thoughts from Still Sitting During this Crisis
We are Here for You We are here for you at Still Sitting. We are committed to safely continuing to support our customers with meditation supplies. But the truth is you don’t really need new meditation cushions right now. We believe that everyone already has what they need to face our new uncertain reality. Uncertainty,… Read more »
New Year, New Meditation Practice
Post updated 1/22/20 Starting a New Meditation Practice The new year is a great time to start or restart a meditation practice. Starting anything new can sometimes feel daunting so we’ve put together a few very basic guidelines for starting a new meditation practice. I had a chat with Koshin Christopher Cain, one of the… Read more »
The Making of a Rakusu
Many weeks in our Vashon Island workshop, Lidunn handcrafts beautiful rakusu. In this case from a few years back, she re-purposed a Japanese obi into a custom rakusu for a customer. A shortened version of Buddha’s robe, the rakusu is a symbolic garment worn by Buddhist practitioners. Its form has evolved over centuries, incorporating elements… Read more »
Our New Nomad Folding Meditation Bench
Still Sitting is so excited to introduce our new Nomad Folding Meditation Bench. We launched this bench in 2017 and the feedback and reviews have been wonderful: This is a beautiful seat. The design is ingenious and by the way it’s functional too! It’s small and light and comfortable.This bench helped me sit through a… Read more »
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