Does position matter???

[Forest0spirit555]

Namaste,

I find meditiation to be such a relaxing expierence and although at this stage I'm finding disciplining my mind to be a challenge I would love to further the practice yet I have been putting it off due to pain in my legs. When sitting cross legged on the floor my legs will eventually fall asleep and will have horrible shooting pains which prevent deep thought and relaxation. I've tried stretching prior to meditation but this doesnt seem to solve my poor circulation problems. Hence I began to wonder if meditation "has" to be done on the ground? Could it be done lying down or in a chair? Just curious on others thoughts. Thanks!

[philosoraptor]

Namaste,

I find meditiation to be such a relaxing expierence and although at this stage I'm finding disciplining my mind to be a challenge I would love to further the practice yet I have been putting it off due to pain in my legs. When sitting cross legged on the floor my legs will eventually fall asleep and will have horrible shooting pains which prevent deep thought and relaxation. I've tried stretching prior to meditation but this doesnt seem to solve my poor circulation problems. Hence I began to wonder if meditation "has" to be done on the ground? Could it be done lying down or in a chair? Just curious on others thoughts. Thanks!

Sometimes I find it help in meditation to consider such painful stimuli as evidence of bad karma and/or to reinforce the idea that one is not this painful, inconvenient material body.

Any compromises with sadhana are best suggested by your guru rather than a casual passerby. Lots of opinions will be there, but ultimately it's your guru's opinion that should matter most.

regards,

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté


Namaste,

I find meditiation to be such a relaxing expierence and although at this stage I'm finding disciplining my mind to be a challenge I would love to further the practice yet I have been putting it off due to pain in my legs. When sitting cross legged on the floor my legs will eventually fall asleep and will have horrible shooting pains which prevent deep thought and relaxation. I've tried stretching prior to meditation but this doesnt seem to solve my poor circulation problems. Hence I began to wonder if meditation "has" to be done on the ground? Could it be done lying down or in a chair? Just curious on others thoughts. Thanks!

What is important in the beginning is comfort... sit in a position that allows this comfort to occur. Think of it as the proper āsana¹ of the mind. With proper practice disipline becomes the fruit of the practice and not the means. Use your disipline to stick to your practice, your time and place being regular. Yet when disiplining the mind , it will behave like a child and protest. One needs a practice that the mind will not revolt.

praṇām

1. āsana - abiding , dwelling ; seat, place, position

[Arjuni]

Namasté,

Yajvan makes a very good point.

There are a few other practical things that might help your comfort, too. Mind you, I am no authority on meditation; this is only from personal experience.

Meditate in a warm room, if you can; cold stiffens the muscles. I even wrap a blanket around myself during winter. Stay well-hydrated, too, as water is necessary to keep the body supple.

There are several postures that are appropriate for meditation - padmāsana or ardha-padmāsana, sukhāsana, siddhāsana, and vajrāsana (my preference) - so it may be that a different pose would suit your particular body type better.

In India, many folks squat on the heels, and sit upon mats on the ground; someone who has grown up moving this way will find these postures much easier than we do, with our elevated chairs, toilets, and beds. In our culture, we almost never bend towards the earth except when picking up something dropped, and the resulting tightness of our legs and hips takes time to loosen. So be gentle with yourself - do what you can, be patient, and do not risk injury by feeling that you "should" be able to stay in a posture for a long period of time. Even five minutes a day of seated meditation is better than no meditation at all. :)

Indraneela
===
Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.

[Forest0spirit555]

Thank you to all that gave their opinion on this. It was helpful. Meditation in the morning for sure :)

[devotee]

Namaste FS,

Already good answers have been provided by our friends herein above. I would like to add :

Posture is very important for meditation as it is necessary that you keep your spine vertical. In fact, it is so important that it has been regarded as a important part of Yoga worth mentioning separately in Patanjali's Yogasutras as "Asanas".

As Indraneela has advised correctly ... you may take the help of a chair if you feel pains in the legs while sitting for long in crossed-legs position. However, it is better that you learn Asanas by continuous practice. This is because that it is not advisable to sit on a higher seat while meditating as there is a chance that you may lose your outer consciousness and fall and injure yourself.

OM

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam: What is the purpose of meditation? If it is relaxation, then why don't we call it relaxation? There are many wonderful relaxation exercises available for us to use.

From my POV, meditation is far more than relaxation. But just as it is wise to find a comfortable position in your car seat for a long drive, (if you're uncomfortable, it'll distract your driving) so too is it wise to feel comfortable for meditation. A constant ache in the foot, for example will distract.

Aum Namasivaya

[silence_speaks]

:) The question is always "For whom ?"
suppose I ask "Does a pillow matter for my falling asleep? "

The answer is "it depends" ... depends on how sleepy I am feeling, on my habit patterns etc.

in general for someone who has just started to meditate, position should be Sthira Sukha Asanam ... Sthira : Firm ... meaning the back is straight ... and legs folded one over the other ... comfortably placed ... not interlocked as in padmasanam.
Sukha ... it should make the person feel at ease. If required the person would do well to place a small pillow below his back as support for the spine. That way, they can sit comfortably for long period of time.

That said ... An experienced person need not constantly sit like that.
and a person who has a physical disability or is old ... can find better asanas for meditation. :)

its not a hard and fast rule.
if the "mood" is set right, asana also gets set automatically.

[Sonia84]

a beginner needs to sit up straight and practice
the advanced one should never be out of meditation

[Believer]

Namaste,

Any compromises with sadhana are best suggested by your guru rather than a casual passerby. Lots of opinions will be there, but ultimately it's your guru's opinion that should matter most.
This 'guru' things shows up quite often in some of the posts. I am really trying very hard to understand, what is a guru, where does one find a guru in the Arizona desert, and for people who have never squatted, or sat on their flat feet or in any way exercised their leg muscles, all of a sudden will be able to do so with a guru? Unless one can assume a posture in which they are comfortable, how could one do any meditation? How would a guru twist one's legs to make them more limber overnight? My simple analytical mind is hard pressed to understand this 'guru' business.

Pranam.

[Necromancer]

Namaste.

Somebody (whom I won't mention) has terrible arthritis in her hips and knees and has Fibromyalgia and recently Herpes. She cannot even get up off the floor let alone sit on it.

She knows that meditating in public is 'out of the question' because having her sit upon a chair would be disrespectful to others who are sitting on the floor.

Privately, it's a different matter. She realises that Lord Shiva knows about her condition (She often blames Him for inflicting it) and thus, she meditates on a chair or laying down in her bed before she goes to sleep.

She knows it's not the 'done thing', but the alternative to that is not to meditate at all and do other forms of Sadhana like 'Manas Puja' or gentle Yoga postures...perhaps helping out at a soup kitchen somewhere.

We can only do what our bodies will allow us to do, even after we get to that stage when we realise we are 'not our bodies'. We are not airplanes or sailing ships either, but try to go overseas without them.

Aum Namah Shivaya

[Anirudh]

Namaste,

I am saying this purely out of my personal experience. Also have enjoyed the bliss of meditation through my approach.

Was formally introduced to meditation in a personality development program during early twenties, although was attracted to it in my teen through books.

In a sudden twist of event lost my ability to sit erect without any movement in a road accident. Invariably within a minute or two will change my posture.

Out of compulsion, started meditating (observing the breath) lying down. Initially drifted to sleep in the process, later on, out continuous practice was able to stay awake. I am not a master, so learned members can have their own views. Some can even question whether I do meditation at all.

I was told privately by few member in HDF that there are many meditation which has some specific rules to be followed. So, I may be wrong as per the scriptures.

But I have experienced the bliss in my approach. That bliss can't be translated into words. So my view, even though it would offend experienced practitioners is that one can meditate at any position to get the bare minimum advantage of meditation.

In the recent past, a internet friend argued with me that one can practise meditation even when going through daily activities like walking cooking etc etc. As per the friend if one consciously aware of the present moment irrespective of work one is engaged, then he is meditating. Say for eg, if i am eating and I can feel my fingers picking up the food, then my mouth able to feel the arrival of the food, and tongue experiencing the taste, teeth breaking them in to smaller particles, then finally sending it down to stomach through your food pipe. And if i am able to observe and feel (without any strain) every minute activity involved in that eating process, then that state according to my friend is meditation.

Hope my post is of some help to you!