Meditation sitting posture.
- Thread starter Soul
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Je suis handicapée, je me tiens aussi droite que possible à l'aide d'oreillers sur mon lit, mes jambes allongées, je me détends le plus possible tout simplement... Idem pour les prières et le Reiki...
I am disabled, I stand as straight as possible with pillows on my bed, my legs stretched out, I simply relax as much as possible... The same goes for prayers and Reiki...
I am disabled, I stand as straight as possible with pillows on my bed, my legs stretched out, I simply relax as much as possible... The same goes for prayers and Reiki...
fifty_five
Jedi Master
My two cents. No torture is needed. as for the physical side you can meditate by walking (castaneda) brushing your teeth or ironing. No torture is really necessary. What Perlou does is very good. The important thing is only the postural alignment (always, even when you're standing, lying, sitting) the position of the shoulders (not closed) the contextual relaxation and especially the breath. For normal basis practice, I add a personal note: don't breath with chest, breath with the nose and tongue attached to the palate. You can also do this 24 hours a day.
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I wouldn't bother about attempting the crossed-legs style of sitting during meditation. Although this probably might ease the energy flow in the body, it's not a natural posture in our modern world, and fighting with physical unease to match the "correct" posture only adds more stress to the actual goal of any kind of meditation. I think as long as your spine is straight, be it sitting on a chair, or lying down provided you're not prone to falling asleep, while feeling comfortable is what matters in the end.
Soul
The Force is Strong With This One
If any posture can work, thanks all! Indeed the intended purpose must be achieved at the end of the day. However, Gurdjieff says something I have underlined in his message
"My posture will be more stable if I am seated on the floor, on a
cushion so that the knees are lower than the hips. One foot is placed, if
possible, on the thigh or calf of the other leg. Crossing the legs checks
the active impulse and allows the deepest level of quietude. The hands
rest in the lap, the favored hand supporting the other, w ith palm s up
and thumbs touching. I sit absolutely straight, with the ears and shoulders in a vertical line. The eyes are slightly open or m ay be closed. If
unable to sit on the floor, I can use a stool or chair provided I sit straight,
w ith the knees lower than the hips. Maintaining the spine vertical frees
pressure so that the upper part of the body feels no weight.
When begin n in g the w ork in the quiet, I try to find the exact position for the pelvis that does not draw m y body either forw ard or backward. If m y spine is vertical, like an axis, this also m aintains my head in
a right position. Then a letting go comes by itself. As tensions fall away,
I feel a movement of energy toward the abdomen and, at the same time,
a movement toward the higher. The rigor in my attitude comes exclusively from one imperative necessity— not to impede at any point the
movement toward unity that is required for opening to the higher".
Out of this could it be that one would miss the essential meditation prerequisites, I wondered!
"My posture will be more stable if I am seated on the floor, on a
cushion so that the knees are lower than the hips. One foot is placed, if
possible, on the thigh or calf of the other leg. Crossing the legs checks
the active impulse and allows the deepest level of quietude. The hands
rest in the lap, the favored hand supporting the other, w ith palm s up
and thumbs touching. I sit absolutely straight, with the ears and shoulders in a vertical line. The eyes are slightly open or m ay be closed. If
unable to sit on the floor, I can use a stool or chair provided I sit straight,
w ith the knees lower than the hips. Maintaining the spine vertical frees
pressure so that the upper part of the body feels no weight.
When begin n in g the w ork in the quiet, I try to find the exact position for the pelvis that does not draw m y body either forw ard or backward. If m y spine is vertical, like an axis, this also m aintains my head in
a right position. Then a letting go comes by itself. As tensions fall away,
I feel a movement of energy toward the abdomen and, at the same time,
a movement toward the higher. The rigor in my attitude comes exclusively from one imperative necessity— not to impede at any point the
movement toward unity that is required for opening to the higher".
Out of this could it be that one would miss the essential meditation prerequisites, I wondered!
In The Wave Laura talked about meditating while lying down, it worked very well for her, although others complained it made tem fall asleep. In the meditation part of EE Laura specifically gives the instruction that says "you may wish to lie down", so that's clearly an option too.
Also, during EE Laura tells us not to cross our legs or arms so I don't do that. If it's a longer meditation I always do it sitting down, either on my bed or on the floor, with my back against the wall, supported with cushions for comfort and stability. My legs are usually stretched out. I don't want to end up falling asleep and sitting down makes it very hard for me to doze off. If it's a short one, I do it lying down.
I'd say as long as you don't cross your arms or your ankles you can experiment with positions that are the most comfortable and effective for you. What the mind is doing is more important during meditating than how you position your body. Gurdjieff travelled around India a lot, so it's likely this is where he learned that meditating position. But given that it requires crossing our legs I wouldn't treat it as the only correct position.
I hope this helps a little
Everything should be comfortable and easy to breathe . I have a round 30 cm high Meditation Pillow because i cannot sit in crossleg. I think, standing or sitting near to mother Gaia is always naturally for us…so nothing can be really completly wrong. When you feel Good and confortable, it cannot be wrong.
osher
Jedi
Any position other than laying is too distracting for me, because of some physical discomfort. So i lay with eyes open, staring at the ceiling, no music.
fifty_five
Jedi Master
I have a natural physical gift, I can sit for hours in a perfect lotus position with no problem. I even did a full day workshop with a lama who was taking the piss because posturally I was a perfect yoghini but I wasn't able to sit properly on a western chair.And sitting on a western chair is what we do here 24 hours a day. More important at all, after years of practice, is the posture in every day life and the breath 24 hours a day. if you keep a correct posture, aligned and relaxed and breathe slowly from the belly with a correct position of the tongue you have already done a big part of the physical work that has to become "normal" i.e. not effort and not work. control of the mind will be more natural and slipping in to a meditative state much easier. two cents as usual.
Soul
The Force is Strong With This One
Perfect
Perfect! I am a beginner. I just imagine an experience of deep rest and such. The little I have done so for yields very good relaxation.
fifty_five
Jedi Master
Discipline 24 hours a day is perhaps more complicated but also more effective than a perfect lotus position as an end in itself for one hour a day. Ego plays tricks on all of us, even choreographic ones
, and we can see the funny side of it. Practice, experiment on yourself. I wish you all the best.