How to: Buddhist Postures

Though Buddhists meditate while lying down, walking and doing other activities, sitting meditation is the most common form. Sitting meditation presents special difficulties, as most people are not accustomed to sitting still for any length of time, and some meditators are stiff or have compromised health. Finding the most appropriate seat and adopting proper posture will go a long way toward ensuring a fruitful, rather than painful, meditation session.

Instructions

1. Find your seat. Chairs are the most accessible, while specially made meditation benches or cushions make kneeling and cross-legged positions enjoyable for those able to do them. When using a chair, it's best to use wooden blocks, telephone books or other items to raise the back legs of the chair about an inch to discourage resting your back against the back of the chair. Keep feet flat on the floor. You may instead use a Gomden, a firm square block, to keep the knees below the level of the hips while sitting cross-legged. If you need more height or you cannot sit cross-legged, a meditation bench, at which you kneel, may be a good option. Use a Zabuton or other cushion below your bench or Gomden to rest your ankles.

2. Check your back and spine. The spine should be straight, as if a stack of coins were reaching straight through your back and head up to the sky. It may take time to find the sweet spot between slumped and rigid, and it may also take time to become comfortable maintaining this posture over a meditation session.

3. Watch your hands and shoulders. The hands should be placed palms down on the thighs or cupped, right over left, in the lap. Place the hands and arms so the shoulders are forced neither forward nor back, and take care that the shoulders stay down.

4. Adjust your head. The jaw should be slightly tucked in, with the tongue resting against the top of the palate. The mouth may be slightly open. Keep your face relaxed. For shamatha meditation, the eyes are looking down 3 to 6 feet in front of you and the gaze is soft and open, rather than focused.

References

• Samadhi Cusions: Meditation Posture
• Wildmind Buddhist Meditation: The elements of a good meditation posture