What position do you use for sitting meditation.....

General discussion of issues related to Theravada Meditation, e.g. meditation postures, developing a regular sitting practice, skillfully relating to difficulties and hindrances, etc.

What position do you use for sitting meditation?

Full Lotus
6
14%
Half Lotus
13
30%
Burmese
10
23%
Kneeling
6
14%
Chair
9
20%
 
Total votes: 44

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Monkey Mind
Posts: 538
Joined: Sat Dec 05, 2009 8:56 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest, USA

Re: What position do you use for sitting meditation.....

Post by Monkey Mind »

bodom wrote:
thereductor wrote:Half lotus descriptions list the right leg on top of the left. I do left on right, 'cause my right doesn't fold down low enough (I think I messed it up as a kid).

Are there any specific reasons that right on left is preferred?
I have noticed that in the Theravadin tradition right hand in left and right leg on left is the usual instruction and in Mahayana esp. Zen the opposite instruction is given with left on right. The reason given in Zen is that the right side of the body is the active while the left is the passive and this is supposed to balance the yin and yang or something of the sort. When I practiced Zen I never bought into it though. I never heard of any significant reason for hand placement in Theravada. I just know right on left is more natural and comfortable for me. Note also there are teachers in both traditions who instruct to rest with hands on knees so really it is all about personal preference and comfort.

. :anjali:
That explains so much. A Zen friend and I ran a workshop in "Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction", and he demonstrated a meditation posture, and I was like "Dude that is completely backwards, have you ever seen a statue of Buddha?"
"As I am, so are others;
as others are, so am I."
Having thus identified self and others,
harm no one nor have them harmed.

Sutta Nipāta 3.710
adept
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Dec 29, 2009 1:38 pm
Location: Northumbria. UK

Re: What position do you use for sitting meditation.....

Post by adept »

Full lotus.
I also must be flexible as I've never had any trouble assuming this position. I only get pain when coming out of the position (dead legs/feet).
:buddha1:
User avatar
catmoon
Posts: 369
Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2009 1:59 am

Re: What position do you use for sitting meditation.....

Post by catmoon »

How very interesting. Like others above, I usually sit crosslegged and sometimes try half lotus for brief periods, but good results come while using a chair. The chair meditations seem to progress more quickly and are more sustainable. I must be more Western (or older) than I thought.

So why do I spend so much time messing with classical positions? I remember, from decades ago, the great stability and effortlessness of full lotus and would like to get back there.
seanpdx
Posts: 281
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 12:56 am

Re: What position do you use for sitting meditation.....

Post by seanpdx »

adept wrote:Full lotus.
I also must be flexible as I've never had any trouble assuming this position. I only get pain when coming out of the position (dead legs/feet).
:buddha1:
I was thinking about this yesterday after a group meditation, actually. Oddly enough, when my legs/feet start coming back to life after coming out of the lotus, it never seems to register as pain. I'm not entirely sure why, cause if my foot falls asleep in some other way, those pins 'n' needles HUUUURT. Very weird.
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