Sitting on a garden chair, meditating...

[Bagoba]

Hi guys,

I am just wondering if I'm doing things right here. From the feeling I get it feels right, but of course I may be totally off, so your opinion is much appreciated.

I simply seat on a garden chair, which is quite confortable to be honest. My arms rest on the armrests, my feet both touch the ground side by side, my spine relatively straight but not straight as an arrow, since I'm sitting in this chair.

I start by focusing my attention on the rising and falling of the abdomen, rising and falling, feeling my breath, trying to become one with it, and quickly this gets quite blissfull and I'm absorbed. Because I'm confortably seated I do not get disturbed by any aches which can come from lotus, and am able to stay absorbed for much longer periods of time than I used to in lotus positions. Is this ok or am I just fooling myself as my back should be straighter or something?

Thanks for your inputs!

[Ben]

Its not an issue, Bagoba.
Many people within my own tradition use a chair to sit in, as do some of our teachers.
kind regards,

Ben

[Bagoba]

Its not an issue, Bagoba.
Many people within my own tradition use a chair to sit in, as do some of our teachers.
kind regards,

Ben

Great, thank you for confirming that I am going the right way Ben. I'm ready to finish things off now I think.

Kind regards

[Ben]

No worries, Bagoba!

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Bagoba,

Meditation is for mental cultivation nor physical contortionism.

If a chair works for you, then...

Metta,
Retro.

[bodom]

Ajahn Brahm says the sooner you can leave your body behind in meditation the better. Sounds like your doing great!

[hanzze_]

Standard Form

The standard way to sit in concentration is to sit with your legs crossed, right leg on top of the left leg, right hand on top of the left hand. Sit up straight. Some people say you can do it walking, you can do it sitting, so can you do it kneeling? Sure — but you're beginning students. When you learn how to write, you have to practice making clear letters first, with all their parts. Once you understand your letters and you're writing just for yourself to read, you can write in a scrawl if you want. It's not wrong. But you have to learn the standard form first.

The thing is, that your body is like your mind. First we need to disciplined it and it is a very good way, not only for a health bearing but also to maintain more awareness. This part of mindfulness training we can do all the time, even while sitting in front of the PC.

It's also a way to overcome laziness, of cause it's a hard work but one day it grows natural. The bearing of the body as well as the bearing of the awareness. It's good to start with the hard work.

Rely on Oneself

Sitting cross-legged on a hard stone temple floor is natural to villagers who have grown up in a culture without furniture. But to one newly arrived Western novice, gawky and inflexible, it was a hard way to begin the daily hours of meditation and chanting. Thus it was with some relief the novice discovered that by arriving early to meditation, he could sit next to the stone pillars at the front of the hall and, once. All the monks had closed their eyes to practice, he could gently lean on the pillar and meditate in Western-style comfort.

After a week of this practice, Achaan Chah rang the bell to end the sitting and start the evening Dharma talk. "Tonight," he began, looking directly at the new monk, "we will talk about how practicing the Dharma means to support oneself, to rely on oneself, to not have to lean on things outside of oneself." The other monks in the hall tittered. The Westerner, a bit embarrassed, sat up unusually straight for the rest of the lecture. From that point on his resolve grew firm, and he learned how to sit straight on any floor under any conditions.

[Bagoba]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the tips and advices...

I have one concern about my meditation practice... Right now I'm quick to become absorbed in the breath and feel rapture, I stay in it for a while but right now it feels more like a fix, a sort of "high" that I wish to stay in, and I'm concerned about developing attachment to that rapture, which is also just the beginning, so obviously I don't wish to get stuck at the beginning!

Do you see what I mean, and what do you advise?

Thanks!
Bagoba

[marc108]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the tips and advices...

I have one concern about my meditation practice... Right now I'm quick to become absorbed in the breath and feel rapture, I stay in it for a while but right now it feels more like a fix, a sort of "high" that I wish to stay in, and I'm concerned about developing attachment to that rapture, which is also just the beginning, so obviously I don't wish to stay stuck at the beginning!

Do you see what I mean, and what do you advise?

Thanks!
Bagoba

my advice would be at this point, start studying the Sutta's on Anapanasati and Right Concentration and find a teacher.

are you able to stay mindful and alert while the piti is present or are you floating off into lala land? the piti should be used as a tool to bring the mind to Right Concentration... it has to be refined and developed correctly. The Samadhanga Sutta (AN 5.28) and Anapanasati Sutta (MN 118) will be useful for you, with instructions on what to do when piti arises:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html