Meditation Posture
Whether seated on the floor or in a chair, the most important thing is
to sit upright, finding the middle way between two extremes. One
extreme is slumping forward, with the chest collapsed, the shoulders
rounded, and the head thrust forward. The other extreme is sitting
rigidly erect, exaggerating the curvature in the lower back, thrusting
the chest forward and the buttocks back. Most of us have a tendency to
adopt one of these positions due to the habits of poor posture
encouraged by sitting for most of our lives (at school, at home, in the
office, in the car). These positions eventually lead to soreness,
tension, stiffness, and pain in the neck, shoulders, and lower back.
Finding the correct posture can be difficult, due to these bad habits
that we have internalized. We shouldn't over-focus and obsess about
posture, since our bodies do not have to be perfect in order for us to
develop meditative concentration. However, our meditation will be more
effortless if we can gradually begin to reform our postural habits.
What to sit on? Chairs, cushions, and lesser known alternatives.
Here we will discuss the zafu, the crescent pilow, the gomden, the
standard chair, the kneeling chair, The Nada Chair, and my favorite
inexpensive seat -- the folded blanket.
A local source for
meditation cushions is Samadhi Cushions in Barnett, Vermont, The place
is run by meditation practicioners and they do mail order. Go to http://www.samadhicushions.com.
They do returns, but you have to pay the shipping. So try to test
drive cushions before you buy them. They can be fairly expensive, and
until you can't tell just by looking at one whether your butt will hurt
after sitting on it for an extended period of time. Maybe you can go to
a meditation center and try theirs, or maybe one of your crunchy
granola friends has a cushion collection. If not, you'll just have to
gamble. I don't know of any stores around here with floor models.
The traditional Japanese Zen cushion is the zafu, and the best ones are stuffed with Kapok or Buckwheat Hulls, not cotton. The
effect of Buckweat Hulls is sort of like the old-fashioned bean bag
chairs. It holds its shape and can be adjusted to the way you like it.
Both Kapok and Buckwheat Hulls can become compressed over time, so they
often come somewhat overstuffed. You may have to remove some of the
stuffing in the beginning to make them more comfortable. Personally I
don't like the zafus. I prefer the crescent shaped cushions. Also,
some people like gomdens, designed by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche for his
students. These are square, with an extra-firm foam core. They are
fairly expensive however.
Personally, I find you can
improvise a decent seat with a folded blanket, a cushion from an old
couch, or a rolled up rug, or some combination of these. But, if you
like to be stylish, you'll have to choose one of the types of cushions
listed above.
If you aren't limber enough to sit on the
floor, it is perfectly acceptable to sit in a chair. The only problem
with chairs is that they do not allow your pelvis to tip forward, and
therefore can put strain on your lower back if you try to sit up
straight. An improvised solution for this is to put a blanket or
cushion on the chair seat, especially if you can get one that is
somewhat wedge shaped, so that your pelvis can tilt forward slightly.
Also, there are "kneeling chairs" for sale, that allow you to sit with
your pelvis shifted forward and your knees resting on padded supports.
See http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-kneeling-chair.htm
for a discussion of the pros and cons. Many office supply stores carry
versions of these chair, as well as the Relax The Back stores.
However, you will want one that is portable (folds up). Generally these
chairs are not cheap, however, I found one at amazon.com and I have
posted the link on the right side of this page!
The kneeling chairs have no back support. If you have chronic postural
problems, another possibility is to sit on a couch, with a back
support, and with your legs folded. I enjoy that position. There is
also a gadget invented by a chiropractor called The Nada Chair
which somewhat resembles the ancient meditation belts that were
developed in India. This gadget is relatively cheap and allows you to
sit on the floor with some lower back support. See http://www.loveatfirstsit.com. I RECOMMEND THE NADA CHAIR. I own one and they really do work! I've posted an amazon.com link to the Nada Chair on the right. They
can be used for sitting on the floor or on any flat surface, like a
couch, or the front of a chair. They're useful for other things too,
like sitting in bleachers at a sporting event, if you don't mind
looking a little eccentric to the muggles (see illustration)
Nada-Chair supporting back on bleachers
Before totally leaving the
subject of chairs, I have to mention the so-called "backjack" fad. As
you can see in the photo below, the backjack seat leans back at an
angle, so that your head is not in line with your spine, but leaning
forward (also known as "slouching." Most people in our society already
have an unfortunate tendency for their heads to protrude forward, and
the backjack just reinforces that. In the long run it creates muscular
imbalances that eventually lead to chronic musculoskeletal tension,
stiffness, and pain. In other words, I DO NOT recommend the backjack.
You'd be better off to sit against a wall.
Avoid the backjack slump
Notice how the torso leans back, with the head thrust forward
Incense
It is not necessary to have incense when meditating, but many people
find it uplifting. Over time you can develop a conditioned response to
the smell of the incense, so that even smelling it makes it easier to
enter into meditative concentration. If you believe in past lives, you
might even be responding to olfactory memories of meditating in another
lifetime, particularly if the incense you are using is based on an
age-old traditional recipe. Smell is one of our primal senses. It is
now believed that smell plays an important role in whom we are
attracted to. Also aromatherapy suggests that certain scents may
trigger certain types of responses in us. Traditionally incense was a
kind of offering, and was believed to attract beneficial energies to
the meditation space.
The best incense is made with
sandalwood, herbs, and other natural scents, often according to
traditional recipes that are believed to have a beneficial medicinal
effect on mind and body. Buyer beware, because many types of incense
are "perfumed" with artificial chemicals which some people find
irritating. Even all-natural incense may trigger sensitivities in some
individuals. And, of course, incense gives off smoke. Nippon Kodo,
the premiere Japanese incense maker, has a line of Kah-Fu incense that
burns hotter, so that it is almost smokeless. Personally, I like the
aroma of the high grade Nippon Kodo incenses. There is also some
traditional Tibetan incense that I like called Khangdru (or Khang
Dru) but it is hard to find. It is sold locally by Tsegyalgar East, in
Conway, Massachusetts, and can be mail-ordered from them. Their
internet adddress is http://www.tsegyalgar.org/bookstore/bookstore.html
An simple incense holder, that also provides a measure of fire safety,
is a large glass bowl, filed with fine pebbles. You can get the
pebbles at the pet store, where they are used for aquariums. You could
also use fine sand, instead of pebbles, but you will have to throw the
sand out periodically because ash will accumulate. The pebbles, on the
other hand, can be washed in a collander. The weight of the sand or
pebbles keeps the bowl from being accidentally knocked over, and the
surface is large enough that any hot ash will fall into the bowl,
rather than onto the table cloth or carpet.
Places to buy Japanese incense: www.thefifthsense.com for the high priced stuff, www.amazon.com for the less expensive kind. (When you buy from Amazon through the link on this page, this site gets a small percentage)
Candles
Almost every spiritual tradition in the world uses candles. Perhaps
this is because candles and fires have been part of human history for
so long, providing life supporting warmth. What is more romantic than
a candlelight dinner, or candles in the bedroom? In Hollywood movies,
frequently the heroine has ten or fifteen candles burning in her room
during the love scene. That must get expensive!
Fire is one of
the traditional four elements and, like water, is associated with
purification. Fire gives off light, which symbolizes awareness--hence
we speak of someone being "illuminated" about something. Fire also
gives off warmth, and inner warmth (tapas) has traditionally been
associated with mediation practice--"fire in the belly." Also, like
incense, candles can be seen as a kind of offering to the higher
energies. So, the symbolism of candles resonates with us almost
unconsciously.
However, we now know there are certain precautions
to be followed around candles. First of all, they are a definite fire
hazard. And, besides that, some candles can pollute indoor air quality.
Training the Posture: Yoga and Pilates
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