Ish Posted March 2, 2012 To those who practice sitting meditation - do you sit on a cushion or not? Why? Benefits/drawbacks? I myself have done most my practice just on the floor, which is thinly carpetted. Standard cross legged has been fine, but with my half lotus/lotus i've been noticing some imbalances in weight distribution. So I grabbed a reasonably firm cushion and used that - noticed straight away that the weightage seemed a lot more balanced, had a nice meditation session. Would like to hear your thoughts! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doc benway Posted March 2, 2012 I use a cushion. In fact, I use a zafu and zabuton. If I'm traveling, I'll usually just use a chair that is high enough to keep my thighs parallel to the ground. It helps to have the bottom a bit higher than the legs for most people to facilitate proper spine alignment when sitting on the floor or ground. The most important considerations are that you need to maintain a relaxed, upright posture without wasting a lot of energy or having to use muscle work to maintain it. The key is simply to minimize distraction and maximize stability. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RiverSnake Posted March 2, 2012 (edited) When i don't use a cushion my legs fall asleep. Also using one is more comfortable and helps me sit for longer. The only way i might stop using a cushion is if i could do full lotus....but i don't see that happening any time soon...so i cush. Sitting on a a chair and standing are also very good practices. -My 2 cents, Peace Edited March 2, 2012 by OldGreen Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mantis Posted March 2, 2012 When i don't use a cushion my legs fall asleep. Also using one is more comfortable and helps me sit for longer. The only way i might stop using a cushion is if i could do full lotus....but i don't see that happening any time soon...so i cush. Sitting on a a chair and standing are also very good practices. -My 2 cents, Peace I sit in full lotus without a cushion and they still fall asleep, one of them turns purple in fact Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Harmonious Emptiness Posted March 3, 2012 There is something to having the soles of your feet pointing upwards for increased yang rising and this is apparently part of the strictness about sitting in full lotus posture. At the same time, sitting on a seiza bench achieves this too, but is not deemed as effective in some schools. The Rinzai Zen posture creates a triple support with a big cushion so that your butt is raised up and your knees are pushed into the ground-pad. This way, even in quarter-lotus (somewhere between half-lotus and cross legged, more easily done with the cushion) your feet are turned up (not that is was mentioned in Rinzai). Also, raising your butt up like this frees up circulation around the urogenital diaphragm which is helpful for "Taoist Yoga" type meditations. The added support from the knees helps for longer sitting too. Some things to consider.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Protector Posted March 3, 2012 I do horse stance and so having a cushion seems weird Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ish Posted March 3, 2012 I do horse stance and so having a cushion seems weird Well obviously you need to lower that horse stance! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
