Correct Meditation Postures to adopt

Are you aware of these 6 meditation postures?

"Regardless of meditation postures, your need to maintain a straight spine during the whole session," Justin briefed the class before getting us into the posture.

Barely 3 minutes later…

"Glen, don’t slouch," Justin corrected my meditation posture. "You will drift off to dreamland faster than you can imagine."

"Jeslyn, that’s not right too. Keep your spine straight but not be like a ramrod," Justin repeated with patient. “Relax.”

"Class, you chi circulates well only if you keep your spine straight," explained Justin. "You will realize that this little effort also help to keep you alert."

I have learned yoga under Justin for quite a while now. In the beginning, I slumped a lot. Frequently, Justin corrected my posture. But that’s a thing of the past. Now I can even feel the chi on my hands.

(Yeah, I cheated. I coupled Justin’s teaching with the power of crystals to fast track my learning)

You can duplicate my short cut with any of the following 6 meditation postures.

Here are the postures:

Sitting on the floor - Sit on the floor with your spine straight and support by wall. Your feet should be together with your leg outstretched.

Sitting on the chair – Sit on the chair and make sure it supports your lower back well. The height of the chair should allow you to comfortably rest your feet flatly on the floor with both feet slightly apart and in line with your shoulders.

For both of the above meditation postures, make sure that you do not cramp your diaphragm. Remember your diaphragm movement is important for deep breathing?

Sitting on your heels – (Also know as the diamond or kneeling pose) This is a good position to keep your spine straight, open up the chest and relieves pressure on the diaphragm, making room for deep breathing.

Some people may experience discomfort on the knee and numbness of the limbs. Adopting this position with a meditation cushion or zafu eases the discomfort considerably. This is also the position to use with a meditation bench.

Half lotus position – (Also known as ardha padmasana in Sanskrit) One of your foot should rest under the opposite inner thigh. Place the second foot on top of the thigh of the first leg. You hand should be placed lightly on the knees with palm facing upwards to allow circulation of energy around your body.

Full Lotus position – (Also known as padmasana in Sanskrit) the first leg should be bent with the foot on top of the inner thigh of the other.

The second leg, then bent so that the foot goes over the other leg on the opposite thigh. Hand should place just like in half lotus position.

Lying down – (Shavasana in Sanskirt) Lie flat with your spine in contact with the floor. Relax your shoulder and neck with both hands slightly away from your body and palm facing upwards and legs slightly apart. This is in fact the best position for those who have problem sitting upright.

If you have problem on your lower back, you may consider placing rolled blanket or pillow under your knees to ease of pressure from your lower back.

You may also want to support head and neck with a small pillow or adopt this position with an exercise mat (the hard floor is not the most pleasant place to rest your head upon).

This pose is exceptionally beneficial for the physical body especially those subjected to frequent stress (and in our fast pace society, who isn’t?)

Ready for more?

Now for the finer details of meditation postures…

If you got everything mentioned earlier correct, you should feel your head floating on top of your spine.

Look at your shoulder and be aware of your body. They should feel loose, flexible and relax. Chin should be slightly incline towards your chest but do not let your chin sink into your chest and restrict your breathing.

Check and correct your posture with a full height standing mirror if you need to.

What about the hands? Place them on the lap with palm facing up or you may adopt the cradling hand position with the left hand over the right hand.

Keep experimenting with the meditation postures till you are able to find the one that suits you. Make sure you are totally comfortable with the posture. It will make a difference between sticking with it or giving up after a few uncomfortable minutes.

In my opinion, the three easiest and most comfortable are: "Sitting on the floor", "Sitting on the chair" and "Lying down". You may like to start with these.

Try them.

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