Meditative postures

{{Short description|Body positions used in meditation}} [[File:Meditation, Shimla.jpg|thumb|upright|Siddhasana is an ancient meditation seat.]]

'''Meditative postures''' or '''meditation seats''' are the body positions or asanas, usually sitting but also sometimes standing or reclining, used to facilitate meditation. Best known in the Buddhist and Hindu traditions are the lotus and kneeling positions; other options include sitting on a chair, with the spine upright.

Meditation is sometimes practiced while walking, such as kinhin, doing simple repetitive tasks, as in Zen samu, or work which encourages mindfulness.

==Postures in the ''Yoga Sutras''== {{further|Yoga Sutras of Patanjali}} [[File:1 Sannyasi in yoga meditation on the Ganges, Rishikesh cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|Padmasana or Lotus pose is among the twelve meditation asanas named in the ''Bhasya'' commentary accompanying the ''Yoga Sutras of Patanjali''.]]

The ''Yoga Sutras of Patanjali'' describe yoga as having eight limbs, one being asana, the meditation seat. The sutras do not name any asanas, merely specifying the characteristics of a good asana, stating:<ref>{{cite book |url=http://sacred-texts.com/hin/ysp/ysp04.htm |author=Patanjali |title=Yoga Sutras |page=Book 2:46}}</ref>

{{quote|स्थिरसुखमासनम् ॥४६॥<br/>''sthira sukham āsanam''<br/>Your [meditation] seat should be steady and comfortable. ''Yoga Sutras'' 2:46}}

The ''Sutras'' are embedded in the ''Bhasya'' commentary, which scholars including Philipp Maas now believe are by the same author;<ref>{{cite book | last=Maas | first=Philipp A. | year=2006 | title=Samādhipāda. Das erste Kapitel des Pātañjalayogaśāstra zum ersten Mal kritisch ediert |language=de |trans-title=Samādhipāda {{!}} The First Chapter of the Pātañjalayogaśāstra for the First Time Critically Edited | publisher=Shaker |location=Aachen}}</ref> it names 12 seated meditation asanas, possibly all cross-legged, including Padmasana, Virasana, Bhadrasana (now called Baddha Konasana), and Svastikasana.<ref>{{cite book |first=Hariharānanda |last=Āraṇya |year=1983 |title=Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=978-0-87395-728-1 |page=228 and footnotes}}</ref>

==Sitting on the ground==

Sitting positions, often cross-legged, provide a stable base for meditation, and have been used for the purpose in Buddhism and Hinduism for many centuries. These include Padmasana (full lotus), Ardha Padmasana (half lotus), Siddhasana or Muktasana (also called Burmese posture, sitting with the knees on the ground and the feet tucked in close to the body),<ref>{{cite book |last=Reninger |first=Elizabeth |year=2015 |title=Meditation Now: A Beginner's Guide: 10-Minute Meditations to Restore Calm and Joy Anytime, Anywhere |publisher=Callisto Media |isbn=978-1-62315-498-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Powers |first=Sarah |author-link=Sarah Powers |year=2020 |title=Insight Yoga: An Innovative Synthesis of Traditional Yoga, Meditation, and Eastern Approaches to Healing and Well-Being |publisher=Shambhala Publications |isbn=978-0-8348-2242-9}}</ref> and Sukhasana (any easy cross-legged position).<ref name="Ginsburg 2005"/> Other possibilities are the kneeling postures Virasana (sitting between the heels) and Vajrasana or Seiza (sitting on the heels).<ref name="Cushman 2014"/> Another sitting posture, Baddha Konasana (Cobbler's Pose), is suitable for people who can sit with the feet together and both knees on the ground; B. K. S. Iyengar states that to meditate in this position, the palms should be held in prayer position over the chest, which demands some practice for balance.<ref name="Iyengar 1966">{{cite book |last=Iyengar |first=B. K. S. |author-link=B. K. S. Iyengar |year=1979 |orig-date=1966 |title=Light on Yoga: Yoga Dipika |title-link=Light on Yoga |publisher=Unwin Paperbacks |isbn=978-1-85538-166-7 |pages=129–132}}</ref> Seymour Ginsburg, describing Gurdjieff meditation, suggests that such compact positions help the meditator to "include the entire experience of ourself in our attention."<ref name="Ginsburg 2005"/>

The lotus position in particular can be extremely uncomfortable for Westerners who have not practised sitting cross-legged since early childhood. They may, in the words of the yoga and meditation teacher Anne Cushman, be practising "self-torture ... apparently believing that bruising your inner thigh with your ankle is crucial to spiritual awakening."<ref name="Cushman 2014">{{cite book |last1=Cushman |first1=Anne |author-link=Anne Cushman |title=Moving into Meditation |date=2014 |publisher=Shambhala |isbn=978-1-61180-098-2 |pages=116–126}}</ref> The pose can cause beginners knee pain<ref name="Iyengar 1966"/> and injury.<ref name="AcottCramer2013">{{cite journal |last1=Acott |first1=Ted S. |last2=Cramer |first2=Holger |last3=Krucoff |first3=Carol |last4=Dobos |first4=Gustav |title=Adverse Events Associated with Yoga: A Systematic Review of Published Case Reports and Case Series |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=8 |issue=10 |year=2013 |article-number=e75515 |issn=1932-6203 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0075515|pmid=24146758 |pmc=3797727 |bibcode=2013PLoSO...875515C |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="PenmanStevens2012">{{cite journal |last1=Penman |first1=Stephen |last2=Stevens |first2=Philip |last3=Cohen |first3=Marc |last4=Jackson |first4=Sue |title=Yoga in Australia: Results of a national survey |journal=International Journal of Yoga |volume=5 |issue=2 |year=2012 |pages=92–101 |issn=0973-6131 |doi=10.4103/0973-6131.98217|pmid=22869991 |pmc=3410203 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Baddha Konasana is a safer alternative, provided the knees are not pushed down.<ref name="Cole 2019">{{cite web |last1=Cole |first1=Roger |title=How to Protect the Knees in Lotus and Related Postures |url=https://www.yogajournal.com/teach/protect-the-knees-in-lotus-and-related-postures |publisher=Yoga Journal |date=5 February 2019 |orig-date=2007}}</ref>

Cushman notes that since meditation is not a posture, no particular posture is required. All the same, she writes, a formal method is helpful, and the asana chosen needs to be stable and comfortable, as the ''Yoga Sutras'' state: on the one side, few people would wish to hold strenuous postures like Downward Dog for half an hour or more; on the other side, a restful posture like Savasana (Corpse Pose) might be comfortable but would more likely lead to sleep than meditation. The cross-legged postures are simple and stable, restful for the muscles, but active enough to keep the practitioner awake. The spinal column needs to be erect and in balance; this poise lets the muscles of the back relax, and this in turn allows the attention to be focussed on the breath.<ref name="Cushman 2014"/> These conditions can be met by a variety of postures with or without support, whether a cross-legged posture such as Muktasana, a kneeling posture, or sitting on a chair with the back vertical and the feet on the ground.<ref name="Cushman 2014"/> The traditional support for sitting meditation is a zafu cushion; this elevates the hips above the knees, allowing practitioners with stiff hips to have the spine straight and upright.<ref name="Cushman 2014"/>

Beyond traditional cushions, modern mindfulness practice makes use of other seats like chairs and kneeling meditation benches. A comfortable chair is often recommended for people with back pain or difficulty getting up, while a meditation bench can help beginners optimize spinal alignment. A 2018 pilot study scientifically compared the physical stability offered by a zafu, a chair, and a meditation bench. It found that the only statistically significant difference was in side-to-side sway, where the zafu provided the most stability. For other measures, including front-to-back sway and small, rapid postural tremors, no significant differences were found among the three seats. The researchers noted that the zafu's superior performance in providing stability is "in keeping with the oriental tradition" and consistent with research into Zen sitting postures. The principles of using a zafu to maintain a fixed posture have been applied in other fields, such as in designing chairs for microscopic surgery and for improving children's classroom posture. However, the study also highlighted that practical considerations like comfort are crucial for beginners, noting that some participants reported ankle pain while using the meditation bench, a type of low seat. The study concluded with a general recommendation that "beginners could start practicing meditation in chairs or meditation benches, although a transition to the zafu is recommended for a medium term".<ref name="Rodriguez-2018">{{cite journal |last1=Rodriguez |first1=Victor H. |last2=Medrano |first2=Carlos T. |last3=Plaza |first3=Inmaculada |title=Wearable Sensors for Measuring Movement in Short Sessions of Mindfulness Sitting Meditation: A Pilot Study |journal=Journal of Healthcare Engineering |date=2018 |volume=2018 |pages=1–9 |doi=10.1155/2018/7275049 |doi-access=free |pmid=29854363 |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2018/7275049# |access-date=11 July 2025 |pmc=5964592}}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=220 heights=180> File:Zafu2.jpg|A zafu meditation cushion, often used in Buddhist practice File:雲水の読経.JPG|Buddhist monk seated in Seiza. Hōkō-ji temple, Japan File:20170208 meditation-stool.jpg|A simple modern meditation stool, used to assist in sitting with the back upright and the legs crossed </gallery>

==Other postures==

[[File:Walking meditation.jpg|thumb|right|Bas-relief in Sukhothai, Thailand depicting monks during walking meditation.]]

In various traditions people meditate in other postures. People who find sitting cross-legged uncomfortable can sit upright on a straight-backed chair, flat-footed and without back support, with the hands resting on the thighs, in what is sometimes called the Egyptian position.<ref name="Ginsburg 2005">{{cite book |last=Ginsburg |first=Seymour B. |title=Gurdjieff Unveiled: An Overview and Introduction to Gurdjieff's Teaching |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gQBAXndK3f8C&pg=PA59 |year=2005 |publisher=Lighthouse Editions |isbn=978-1-904998-01-3 |page=59}}</ref>

Orthodox Christians may practice the meditation of hesychasm sitting on a stool, as was recommended by Saint Gregory of Sinai.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kallistos-Ware |first1=(Bishop) |title=Jesus Prayer - Breathing Exercises |url=https://www.orthodoxprayer.org/Articles_files/Ware-7%20Breathing%20Exercises.html |website=Orthodox Prayer |access-date=2 November 2019}}</ref>

Theravada and Zen Buddhists sometimes vary their sitting meditation by meditating while walking, often very slowly so as to be mindful of each movement.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Maezumi |first1=Hakuyu Taizan |last2=Glassman |first2=Bernie |author-link2=Tetsugen Bernard Glassman |author-link1=Taizan Maezumi |title=On Zen Practice: Body, Breath, Mind |publisher=Wisdom Publications |pages=48–49 |year=2002 |isbn=0-86171-315-X}}</ref>

Standing meditation or ''zhan zhuang'' is practised in the Chinese martial art training system ''Yiquan''.<ref name=Marshall>{{Cite web| last=Marshall | first=Chris | title=Paradoxes of Standing Meditation | date=7 August 2007 | url=http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/four-paradoxes-of-standing-meditation/ | access-date=2007-10-23 }}</ref>

==References==

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meditative Postures}} Category:Meditation *