I was listening to a radio program in which a journalist interviewed Chilean writer Isabel Allende about her experience carrying the Olympic flag with seven other women at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. One of the other women in the group was the famous Italian actress Sophia Loren, and during the interview, Isabel Allende said that while preparing for the ceremony, she asked Sophia Loren what her secret was to maintaining her youthful appearance well into her eighth decade of life. Sophia Loren gave an answer that surprised me. She said: “The most important thing is good posture.”
Good posture is important for a variety of activities in life, including work, sports, leisure and even rest. In meditation, it is the foundation of one’s practice. However, the term “good posture”, especially in the context of meditation, is very open to interpretation and can easily be misunderstood. I know that when I first started meditating, I had images of great yogis sitting in padmasana (lotus pose) or siddhasana (perfect posture) and I felt I had to emulate them in order to meditate well. Have you ever seen Edvard Munch’s painting “The Scream”? These paintings clearly reflect my meditation experience at the time. That is, after 15 minutes of meditation, acute pain shot through my knees, ankles and legs – meditation?
When meditating, it’s good to eliminate distractions as much as possible, and pain wherever it occurs – in the ankles, knees, hips, back or shoulders – can end many valiant attempts at meditation. So what do we mean when we use the term ‘good posture’ in meditation? For me, it’s important to find the happy medium between comfort and support. You don’t want to sit so comfortably that you slip into Zzzzzz land instead of meditating. You also don’t want to sit on something that supports you well but is so hard that you’re in pain most of the time you’re meditating.
To figure out what works for me, I’ve had to experiment with different supports to find what gives me a comfortable yet supportive sitting posture throughout the meditation session.
Here are some examples I’d like to share with you, using different props that provide support and comfort for a relaxed meditation practice.
A big thank you to Stephanie Williams who is an excellent ambassador for good posture.
The zafu and the zabuton are traditional Japanese meditation seats. The smaller zafu helps to tilt the pelvis and reduce pressure on the lumbar spine. The zabuton cushions the ankles and knees if you are flexible enough to bring them into contact with the zabuton.
Yoga blocks or blankets under the thighs support the thighs and provide an overall more comfortable posture (if the knees do not come down to the zabuton).
If you are leaning against a wall, a lumbar support such as a rectangular Zafu can make your posture easier.
Our new Wave cushion is well suited for those who prefer a kneeling posture (Virasana). It helps to keep the posture upright.
An alternative for Virasana is to use a normal yoga bar.
For many of us, it is more comfortable to use a chair. Remember to make yourself comfortable and keep your spine upright.