These are the most common meditation postures. Experiment with each to see which is most comfortable for you. The Seiza posture is a kneeling posture. You can use either your cushion or a special bench made especially for kneeling. It is handy to use your cushion as you can switch easily to a sitting posture for longer meditation sessions. If you sit in chair make sure it has a straight back like this one. But don’t lean back against it. In all postures you want to keep your back straight but also relaxed. Imagine your head is being effortlessly pulled up by the sky or that it is filled with helium like a helium balloon and is floating up toward the sky. This allows the energy to run through your body more efficiently and keeps you from getting sleepy.
Any good yoga teacher can show you all of these if you need further instruction. I’ve also included some useful books in the Resources for Awakening section.
Meditation Cushion and Mat
This is an excellent meditation set to get you started. It has both the Zafu (meditation cushion) and the Zabuton (the mat that goes under the cushion to protect your knees and feet). It is the traditional style and very comfortable. Meditation is a practice you will be doing throughout your entire awakening process, for the rest of your life. At only $150 for both this is a very good investment. You can choose either buckwheat or kapok as a filling for the cushion. Kapok is firmer, like cotton batting. Buckwheat conforms to your body. Click on the picture or the link below to see the different colors that are offered.
Click here to see the meditation set and the different colors available.
Seiza Kneeling Bench
Click here for the Seiza Kneeling Bench
