the importance of posture during meditation

[wanderingontheway]

I was wondering what people thought about the importance of posture during meditation. Unfortunately, I am at a time in my life where pain is stopping me from practicing. I have not been able to do a Tai Chi form for some time (months), and even sitting cross legged (on a meditation pillow that I made specifically for my needs) has become too painful to tolerate for long. Standing meditation is also a problem, the pain last for hours after I am done. So, today I simply tried sitting erect in a regular chair. I know the mind and body are inextricably interwoven, but I hope that my mind can continue to progress on my path even if my body has other ideas.

So, like I said, I was wondering what you all thought.....

 

Thanks

[RiverSnake]

I have found recently that posture is extremely important. During meditation and as you go throughout your day...in all situations always try to keep your posture relaxed and upright. Chi flows 24 hrs....crooks and knots in the back inhibit the flow and limit the amount of time you can put into cultivation.....also if your interested in pain relief perhaps you should see a TCM doctor or perhaps a "healer"

 

-My 2 cents, Peace

[GrandmasterP]

You can cultivate QiGong most effectively whilst sitting in a chair.

 

Edited December 17, 2012 by GrandmasterP

[laughingblade]

Sorry to hear you're having physical troubles.

 

Don't they say that the Yi moves the Qi and the Qi moves the body? Just sit or stand however you can - spine straight as is comfortable. Lie down even. Set your intent clearly, and relax...

 

My wife and I visited a local Buddhist centre shop, as she wanted to buy cushions for sitting: there was an older guy in there: skinny, long grey beard, faded tee and cotton shorts. Sandals. He straight out told her she had to sit in full lotus else there was no point meditating. We went elsewhere, and now she has a big comfy seat and enjoys her meditation. I bet the skinny guy was a vegan too.

 

Rich

[GrandmasterP]

Also some Buddhist centre gift n book shops like to sell those silly little stools or sitting down 'meditation' cushions for ludicrous prices too.

Just cultivate as you are most comfortable doing, it's all good.

[ShenLung]

I don't know the specifics of what is causing the physical mobility issues, so coming up with a targeted approach to aleviate them is beyond my capability ... but making use of a pool to suspend the body and take some of the load off of old, achy joints could be beneficial.

[Flolfolil]

looking over at the screen, my boyfriend read this as "importance of posture during masturbation"

[GrandmasterP]

Erect?

[ChiDragon]

I was wondering what people thought about the importance of posture during meditation. Unfortunately, I am at a time in my life where pain is stopping me from practicing. I have not been able to do a Tai Chi form for some time (months), and even sitting cross legged (on a meditation pillow that I made specifically for my needs) has become too painful to tolerate for long. Standing meditation is also a problem, the pain last for hours after I am done. So, today I simply tried sitting erect in a regular chair. I know the mind and body are inextricably interwoven, but I hope that my mind can continue to progress on my path even if my body has other ideas.

So, like I said, I was wondering what you all thought.....

 

Thanks

 

 

Let's put it this way, posture is very significant under normal circumstance. It would be immaterial if a good posture causing you pain. However, in your situation, it doesn't matter what position that you are in, just do the normal Chi Kung breathing to heal yourself.

Edited December 17, 2012 by ChiDragon

[wanderingontheway]

Thank you all for you feed back. I really do appreciate it. I have very little money, and live in a smaller lumber town. There is no one I can find that is of like mind. In the summer, I would go to a quiet corner of a local park, and do my Tai Chi, as well as sitting and standing meditations. I was pretty much able to get there five days out of a week on average. But then the rains came. It has rained just about every day for..... I really have no idea how long it has been. TOO LONG! My apartment is small and doesn't exactly lend itself to Tai Chi or meditation, as I am the manager of an apartment complex. My place seems to be the hub of “hey, come plunge my toilet!”.

Ever since the rains came this year, I have been in pain. The soles of my feet feel like someone has beaten them with a pipe. That makes it very hard for me to sink and root as I am going about my day. It makes everything rise up and tighten. I have other pain, like my knees and shoulders and elbows too. I guess I just need to toughen up and try harder.

If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.....

[Flolfolil]

Ever since the rains came this year, I have been in pain. The soles of my feet feel like someone has beaten them with a pipe. That makes it very hard for me to sink and root as I am going about my day. It makes everything rise up and tighten.

 

Try going barefoot more frequently than just your practice time (if you even take off your shoes for that) Some wont agree with me in terms of conserving energy but it definitely helps foot pain and dissipates stress for me.

[Seeker of Wisdom]

I was wondering what people thought about the importance of posture during meditation. Unfortunately, I am at a time in my life where pain is stopping me from practicing. I have not been able to do a Tai Chi form for some time (months), and even sitting cross legged (on a meditation pillow that I made specifically for my needs) has become too painful to tolerate for long...

 

Some kind of cross legged is ideal as it helps open the nadis in the legs. However, when you meditate you have to be able to work with the mind without the body disturbing you so comfort is far more important. A chair is fine. Even lying down is fine if you need to.

 

Order of importance IMO:

1. Comfort
   
2. Straight back
   
3. Upright
   
4. Crossed legs
   

 

As for dealing with the pain, try very gentle yoga asanas with a competent teacher, chiropractors, and turmeric (good for joints I'm told).

[GrandmasterP]

Thank you all for you feed back. I really do appreciate it. I have very little money, and live in a smaller lumber town. There is no one I can find that is of like mind. In the summer, I would go to a quiet corner of a local park, and do my Tai Chi, as well as sitting and standing meditations. I was pretty much able to get there five days out of a week on average. But then the rains came. It has rained just about every day for..... I really have no idea how long it has been. TOO LONG! My apartment is small and doesn't exactly lend itself to Tai Chi or meditation, as I am the manager of an apartment complex. My place seems to be the hub of “hey, come plunge my toilet!”.

Ever since the rains came this year, I have been in pain. The soles of my feet feel like someone has beaten them with a pipe. That makes it very hard for me to sink and root as I am going about my day. It makes everything rise up and tighten. I have other pain, like my knees and shoulders and elbows too. I guess I just need to toughen up and try harder.

If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.....

...

Poor you. We get quite a bit of rain here in Leicestershire too.

I have arthritis and it was always a lot worse in cold or wet weather.

If it's any consolation, since three months or so after started with the QiGong I have been pain and medication free and that's a good few years now.

It's never too late to start, just take it easy and only do as much each day as you are comfortable with. Stick with a simple routine and you'll be amazed at the benefits.

Costs nothing and no side effects either.

Good luck to you and be well.

[Vmarco]

I was wondering what people thought about the importance of posture during meditation.

So, like I said, I was wondering what you all thought.....

 

Thanks

 

Hui Neng reportedly scolded his monks for spending too much time sitting in meditation....He said that meditation is unnecessary, and warned that such practice can easily become a narcotic.

 

Some Buddhists say take refuge in sahaja, which is not preoccuppied with meditation or yoga techniques, is a permanent and effortless state of realization.

 

Kagyu, the fourth stream of mastery, says, "In a state of non-meditation, you attain Mahamudra."

 

"The state of non-meditation is born in the heart...." Jigme Lingpa

 

To uncover the Heart,...through away all techniques.

 

A Buddhist story tells of a student who wished to make an offering to Siddhartha Gautama and so brought a flowering branch to a gathering. As the pupil approached, Siddhartha said to him, "Throw it away." Quickly, thinking he was supposed to discard the branch, the pupil threw it away. Yet Siddhartha again said, "Throw it away." The student could not comprehend what he was supposed to do. Siddhartha then said, "Throw yourself away." And the novice stood there confounded, pondering how he could throw himself away.

 

If the student had his "I am" before his "i think," there would not have been a reason to "throw it away." For those not from the culture of the Indian subcontinent, it can be rather difficult to grasp the pupil’s situation. Buddhists traditionally have a more cardio-centric, heart-centered society, in contrast to the Western cerebro-centric, brain-centered social conditioning. Even so, few on any continent seem willing to let go of who they think they are to realize who they actually are. People fear their light. The Buddha Siddhartha reportedly said, "Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own thoughts."

[Clarity]

You could start by addressing the source of your pain.

 

So instead of unclogging other people's toilets, you could start by unclogging your inner toilet. I'm talking about flushing all the waste products and weak energy down the drain.

 

In general, struggle, loneliness, hopelessness, and isolation are more painful for people than physical injuries. It's just that we believe we have physical problems when the source of the problems are, more often than not, non-physical.

 

The answer is not good posture or meditation, the answer is to address the sources of your pain and begin deleting them.

Edited December 18, 2012 by Clarity

[Sloppy Zhang]

I was wondering what people thought about the importance of posture during meditation. Unfortunately, I am at a time in my life where pain is stopping me from practicing. I have not been able to do a Tai Chi form for some time (months), and even sitting cross legged (on a meditation pillow that I made specifically for my needs) has become too painful to tolerate for long. Standing meditation is also a problem, the pain last for hours after I am done. So, today I simply tried sitting erect in a regular chair. I know the mind and body are inextricably interwoven, but I hope that my mind can continue to progress on my path even if my body has other ideas.

So, like I said, I was wondering what you all thought.....

 

Thanks

 

This would be my own interpretation based on some of the principles B.K. Frantzis teaches in his books like "Opening the Energy Gates of the Body"...

 

The end result of a meditative position is to give you a position which frees up blockages so that physical, energetic, emotional, etc energies can flow freely so that you can actually, you know, meditate.

 

Many people, due to modern physical nature or injuries, might not be able to get into an "ideal" meditative position. In fact, getting into such a position, or even attempting it, may cause more blockages and get the body to shut down even more!

 

This is the opposite of what you want.

 

Keep in mind the 70% rule. If you're injured or practicing a difficult position, the 50% rule. That means do only 70% of your total capacity. You CAN go more, but you don't (because if you were to "overclock" your system, you'd actually do yourself more harm that good).

 

First and foremost, get into a position that gets comfortable FOR YOU.

 

Work on releasing or dissolving whatever is blocking your system.

 

As you release more and more, you may find that your posture starts to shift. Keep in mind- your posture starts to shift, but you aren't consciously moving your posture!

 

In fact, as you gain greater awareness of your body, you might find that your old patterns of sitting/standing/lying down/walking/other physical activities start to cause blockages you didn't realize, and you'll automatically adjust in a more NATURAL way, a natural way for YOU.