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

[Monkey Mind]

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.

.

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?"

[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).

[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]

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).

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.