Guest guest Posted March 28, 1999 Report Share Posted March 28, 1999 Hi to all I'm hoping that some of you have answers for a problem that is affecting me. What is the most comfortable and effective position for meditation? I can do it ok lying down in corpse pose, or sitting in a chair, but if I try and use, say, easy pose, to help my grounding, I find after a few minutes that my legs start to become uncomfortable, and that is after doing all the normal preparatory leg stretching exercises. What advice can you give? Sat Nam! Gordon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 28, 1999 Report Share Posted March 28, 1999 Hi Gordon, I love what happened to this list! I've got the same problem. I use pillows, I sit on a small cushion and I have wool blanket folded under me so the hardness of the floor isn't a problem. Experiment with the position of your legs to find out which is more comfortable for you! Personally I have always found the half lotus much more comfortable than easy pose. Easy pose always hurts my ankles. Experiment with which leg goes on top , also which leg is pulled in toward yourself first. The benfits of sitting on the floor are excellent, it locks you and grounds you like a tipod, and helps keep the spine straight. Be pataint and keep working with it until it becomes more comfortable. Of course one can sit in a chair and meditate, but in my opinion sitting on the floor is more benficial, and with diligence can be accomplished. I reached the point where I was sitting in perfect comfort, and had been doing so for many years, then my left knee (blew out I'm a runner)and I had to rearrange everything when I sit to be able to meditate but I was able to do this by just slightly altering a few things and by putting a small pillow under my kneee when I sit. Experiment with slightly different variations, have patience and diligence. Good luck! This was a big problem for me for years until I just sat down and made myself do it. Sitting on the floor isn't a big thing in Occidental culture we aren't used to it. Namaste Larry --- gordon lamb <gordon wrote: > "gordon lamb" <gordon > > Hi to all > > I'm hoping that some of you have answers for a > problem that is affecting me. > What is the most comfortable and effective position > for meditation? I can do > it ok lying down in corpse pose, or sitting in a > chair, but if I try and > use, say, easy pose, to help my grounding, I find > after a few minutes that > my legs start to become uncomfortable, and that is > after doing all the > normal preparatory leg stretching exercises. > > What advice can you give? > > Sat Nam! > Gordon > > > ------ > Ideas on how we can improve ONElist? > > Check out the Suggestion Box feature on our new web > site > ------ > To from this list, go to > ONElist Member Center, or > Kundaliniyoga- > _______ Get your free @ address at Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 28, 1999 Report Share Posted March 28, 1999 >"gordon lamb" <gordon > >Hi to all > >I'm hoping that some of you have answers for a problem that is affecting me. >What is the most comfortable and effective position for meditation? ... > >What advice can you give? Gordon and all, I agree with Larry's advice advice about the blanket and cushion. When I first began working with a Zenish group that did an hour of sitting in the early morning, I'd thought I'd die. Or hoped I would before the hour was over. Now, what I recommend to students is that they either sit upright in a firm chair (if they are old or infirm) with their hands, palms up, on their thighs or, if they are reasonably fit but not quite up to full lotus, that they sit in easy pose or half-lotus for as long as they comfortably can. *Then* the work starts. When you reach the point where the discomfort is interferring with the meditation, focus on the discomfort itself. See is you can allow the muscles and tendons around the discomfort to relax. Just imagine them as becoming warmer, softer, more elastic, more relaxed. Spend maybe 3 or four minutes doing this. I know it interferes with your regular meditation, but you won't have to do it forever - just while you are stretching out these muscles. This is also how I was taught to practice yoga - go to the edge of real pain, relax into it as much as you can, and then back out again. That way one's limits keep expanding until they really aren't limits any more. The same principle is at work here - go to the point of pain, relax into it as far as you can, and then, gently retreat again into comfort. After you've reached that point, I recommend that you continue and complete your meditation time in the chair position. It really isn't a good idea to meditate in corpse pose or other reclining positions. The reticular activating system (RAS) at the base of the brain has spent years becoming conditioned to the idea that lying down = sleepytime. The RAS has a switch that takes the nervous system into sleep mode then, and it is very difficult to meditate *alertly* while lying down. It really makes it much easier to have the spine erect, but not tense, and the neck very slightly flexed so that the eyes are naturally looking slightly downward rather than straight ahead. Experiment to make sure your position is well-balanced because that will produce the least physical stress in the long run. I suppose I should mention that there are special meditations (like Yoga Nidra) that are to be done in the corpse pose, but they are for special purposes and don't take the place of upright one-pointed type meditations (or vice versa). After a while of this kind of practice, you will find that you can sit comfortably in this half (and eventually full) lotus for your full meditation time. HTH! Jesa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 29, 1999 Report Share Posted March 29, 1999 Larry and Jesa Thanks for coming back to answer my query - you've certainly given myself, and, hopefully, some other rs, quite a lot of food for thought. I'll try out the various suggestions that you have both made and see how it goes from here. I'm glad you're enjoying the list. It is progressing well - not always immediately evident on the surface, but we have a lot of new stuff coming through very shortly. To everyone else, please keep the posts coming - the more folk can talk through things on here the more we can all learn from their experiences. Sat Nam! Gordon >laurence beyer <larbeyer9 > >Hi Gordon, > >I love what happened to this list! > >I've got the same problem. I use pillows, I sit on a small cushion and >I have wool blanket folded under me so the hardness of the floor isn't a >problem. Experiment with the position of your legs to find out which >is more comfortable for you! Personally I have always found the half >lotus much more comfortable than easy pose. Easy pose always hurts my >ankles. Experiment with which leg goes on top , also which leg is >pulled in toward yourself first. The benfits of sitting on the floor >are excellent, it locks you and grounds you like a tipod, and helps keep >the spine straight. Be pataint and keep working with it until it >becomes more comfortable. Of course one can sit in a chair and >meditate, but in my opinion sitting on the floor is more benficial, and >with diligence can be accomplished. I reached the point where I was >sitting in perfect comfort, and had been doing so for many years, then >my left knee (blew out I'm a runner)and I had to rearrange everything >when I sit to be able to meditate but I was able to do this by just >slightly altering a few things and by putting a small pillow under my >kneee when I sit. > >Experiment with slightly different variations, have patience and >diligence. > >Good luck! This was a big problem for me for years until I just sat >down and made myself do it. Sitting on the floor isn't a big thing in >Occidental culture we aren't used to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 30, 1999 Report Share Posted March 30, 1999 Favorite sheepskins - Always ~~~~~~~~ Trees and Wateredge Standing - Grace of God Movement ~ Frog post for elimination process. Bann U.S. tradtitional toilet. Sat Siri Akal! Whae Guruji Ka Khalsa S A T N A M mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Breath - (hi gordon) gordon lamb wrote: > "gordon lamb" <gordon > > Hi to all > > I'm hoping that some of you have answers for a problem that is affecting me. > What is the most comfortable and effective position for meditation? I can do > it ok lying down in corpse pose, or sitting in a chair, but if I try and > use, say, easy pose, to help my grounding, I find after a few minutes that > my legs start to become uncomfortable, and that is after doing all the > normal preparatory leg stretching exercises. > > What advice can you give? > > Sat Nam! > Gordon > > ------ > Ideas on how we can improve ONElist? > > Check out the Suggestion Box feature on our new web site > ------ > To from this list, go to > ONElist Member Center, or > Kundaliniyoga- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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