How To Sit When Meditating

When it comes to training yourself for attention, awareness, emotional tranquility and metal stability, no other act does is better than meditation.

As ageless as the practice of meditation is, it still ranks as the top technique for mindfulness.

Well, achieving this results aren’t a sprint race, and several factors can hinder the success of your goal during meditation.

Unfortunately, as common as it may look, your sitting position can be that barrier that is hindering you from achieving your Zen during meditation.

As frustrating as this may be, there is always a way out of every condition, and for the right sitting posture during meditation, this post will guide you on how to sit when meditating. What do you now? Keep reading to learn the hidden secrets in this post.   

What is Meditation Posture?

Meditation posture refers to the body position used to facilitate meditation It involves sitting, standing, or reclining.

A good posture makes you feel relaxed with an erect spine that keeps you awake. The comfort that comes from the posture shows how meditation is effortless.

The link between the mind and the body influences the type of experience you get. You feel happy when you adhere to the right posture.

Why is Posture Important in Meditation?

Stay Alert

When you take the right posture, it keeps the body alert. Your mind becomes sensitive to the things you focus on. You are not distracted by the things that are happening around you.

Feel Comfortable

Your meditation posture determines how comfortable you will feel throughout the session. When you take the right posture, your body aligns well with your mind and soul.

You let go of every emotional issue that may cause physical tension.

Peradventure you take a wrong posture, you will not enjoy your meditation session because of the discomfort the posture will cause you.

Thus, choosing the right posture is essential for effective and efficient meditation practice.

Stay Focused

When there is no discomfort, your mind becomes focused without any distraction. However, physical discomfort that happens as a result of bad posture, will distract your mind from staying focused during the exercise.

Due to this, it is essential to consciously take out time to know the most appropriate posture that will help you to stay focused during yoga.

Stay Awake

A good posture enables the mind to remain focused during meditation. However, when you are too relaxed during practice, you might sleep off.

By taking the sitting position, you can control yourself from the temptation of sleep during practice.

Your posture enables you to understand the difference between meditation and sleep.

It enables you to recognize that sleep can disrupt the session if you are not conscious of your body position. For instance, lying down to meditate is a simple way to fall asleep during practice.

Effortless Meditation

A good meditation posture enables the mind to renew itself effortlessly. The mind should not struggle to relax. When you struggle to relax the mind, it causes more disturbance to you.

Taking an appropriate position eases mental stress and enables the mind to relax and stay focused without distraction.

Clear Intention

Do you know that you can use your body posture to set a clear intention of what to achieve during meditation?

Interestingly, you can resolve to use a particular posture till you finish your meditation. It’s another way some people use to stay disciplined during the meditation practice session.

Seven-Point Meditation Posture

Various meditation postures can facilitate your meditation. We will take you through seven of them. You can choose anyone with that you feel comfortable when practicing meditation.

You can also combine them to get the best from your session. They are:

First Point: Sitting

The sitting point exposes you to sitting on the ground or chair to do meditation. Some people feel intimidated to sit on the ground with their legs crossed.

You can give it a try to see how well you can do it. We have various variations of sitting on the ground. However, all the variations support the use of meditation cushions.

You can get a meditation cushion from the local store or use pillows from your couch after making some adjustments.

Second Point: Spine

After sitting down on the cushion, the next thing is to elongate the spine by lifting yourself. It will make your spine stay erect like a stack of coins that are placed on top of each other.

The spine looks like a jointed crystal that can allow the rod to pass through it from the top to the bottom.

The essence of this point is to enable you to feel uplifted anytime you are sitting down to meditate.

Third Point: Hands

Rest your hand on the lap. There are times you need to drop the hands at the side and raise them at the elbow, followed by dropping them palm down on the thighs.

Dropping them palm down provides support to the upright spine because that is the natural axis point to rest the hands. When the palms are down, it relaxes the circulation of energy around the body.

On the other hand, one can keep the right hand on top of the left with the thumbs lightly touching.

Then, rest the hands on the laps at the naval. It provides more heat and energy to the body, which makes it essential when feeling sleepy.

Fourth Point: Shoulders

Relax the muscles in the back and the shoulder by pushing the shoulders slightly back. When you do this, it opens up the front body which exposes our tender heart during the process.

Fifth Point: Chin

Tuck in the chin slightly without looking directly down at the lap. At the same time, do not allow your head to keep so far upward so that you won’t feel tired in the shortest possible time.

Sixth Point: Jaw

Open the jaw to bring relaxation to the face muscles. Let the jaws hang open while placing the tongue up against the mouth roof.

This will enable clear breathing and reduces the swallowing process, which is one of the things that can distract you.

Seventh Point: Gaze

Relax the gaze to about 2 – 4 ft ahead of you on the floor without focusing on anything. Do not allow the pattern on the rug or floor to distract you. Rest the eyes and maintain a loose gaze.

This is the time to look at yourself directly to know who you are. It is not the time to wonder your mind about what is happening around you in the world.

Ways to Sit for Meditation

We have various ways to sit for meditation. Some of them are:

1. In a Chair

Chairs provide a suitable position for those that have issues with their knees or do not feel comfortable sitting on the floor.

When using a chair ensure that the two feet are firm on the floor In a situation where the two feet cannot position on the floor firmly, use blocks or a blanket under the feet, to support them.

You may decide to sit close to the edge of the chair or at the back of the seat.

2. Against a Wall

You may decide to use a block of wood or the wall to sit straight. Position your leg in a way that makes you feel comfortable.

You can either extend the legs in front or cross them to sit well for the meditation.

3. Kneeling with Support between Knees

The kneeling posture is another way you can use meditation. While kneeling, you can use a zafu cushion, pillow, yoga block, or rolled-up blanket to support the knees and the buttocks.

4. Easy Pose

In the easy pose, you cross your legs in a way that the knees are wide and the feet are beneath the opposite knee. It is a posture that kids loved to take at the playground.

5. Burmese Position

The Burmese pose is another form of leg-crossing posture. If you are a beginner, ensure to use a pillow or cushion.

Bend the knees at the front and turn it sideways in a cross-legged sitting position. Let the left heel get into the right thigh, and the right heel touches the top of the left calf, foot, or ankle.

6. Quarter Lotus Pose

This pose is like the Burmese pose. The major thing that differs from the Burmese pose is the legs crossing in front of you.

Let the left foot be on the floor below the right thigh. Keep the right foot on the calf of the other leg.

7. Half Lotus Pose

The half lotus pose is like the quarter lotus pose. The only thing that differs is the position of the right foot. The right foot should rest on top of the left thigh, not on the calf.

8. Full Lotus Pose

The full lotus pose is suitable for flexible people. To do full lotus, start in the way you did half lotus. The difference here is that you will adjust the right foot to rest on the left thigh and the left foot on the right thigh.

Why does your meditation position matter?

Taking the right meditation position is very essential because it will affect the experience you get from the practice.

When you take the right position, your mind will be relaxed and remain focused throughout the meditation session.

A good meditation position facilitates ease and steadiness in your body and mind. How? When you sit properly, the position keeps the body in appropriate shape and prevents any form of injury, including lower back pain.

The major aim of proper posture is to keep the spine erect during the sitting period.

Though it is not as easy as we speak, it is important to try as much as possible to keep the body in the proper position to get the full benefits of meditation.

Moreover, a suitable position causes the mind to remain quiet throughout the session.

It gives you a calm experience and prevents distractions such as legs falling asleep, lower back pain, and you falling asleep during the session.

Frequently Asked Questions – How To Sit When Meditating

Does position matter for meditation?

Sure, maintaining a good position is the best recipe for an effective meditation session.

However, don’t force yourself into a human pretzel by trying so hard to abide by the cross-legged position during meditation.

Do I have to cross my legs to meditate?

No. If crossing your legs during meditation hurts or is uncomfortable for you, try other meditation poses or position, and you will still achieve your Zen.

Why do we sit erect during meditation?

Sitting erect during meditation is important because it will help you to breath properly, focus, maintain a straight spine, sit in a comfortable position for a long time, stay alert, and be in a state of absolute bliss and calmness.

How should a beginner sit for meditation?

As a beginner to meditation, you can take any comfortable position such as sitting on a chair with your feet flat on the floor.

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Any sitting positon is okay, especially if you are comfortable, breathing well, and you maintain an upright position with your spine straight.

Wrap up – How To Sit When Meditating

Sure, the question of how to sit during meditation has been a very big problem for many people. However, sitting posture isn’t an isolated component during meditation.

Depending on what works well for you and your body’s anatomy, sitting on a chair, kneeling with support, sitting against the wall, or even the half lotus pose are all excellent sitting positions for the best result during meditation.

So, when carrying out your next meditation session, think of what sitting positions suits you the most, and go for that. Sure, you will have a more relaxed and an enjoyable time out meditating.