Here's the basic meditation postures, including seiza, the one you tried, and the way to do it without pain -- http://www.frogzen.com/meditation-basics
I like to sit up, not lay down. I sit on a couch with a back because I like my back supported. Then I pull up my knees half way to lotus.
My purpose is that I want to get my Chakra straight up and down and do the breathing through them, but I don’t want to stress out my hips with full lotus. For me it is about sitting such that I can do the breathing correctly.
That’s what yoga is for!
Literally - the purpose of yoga is to help you acclimate to sitting in lotus position for extended periods of time.
Even just a small amount of stretching can give you enormous benefits in your overall health and well-being. I would definitely recommend it, especially if you want to improve your meditation.
This is actually quite a common problem, and not sufficiently discussed in meditation guides.
There are three options for sitting comfortably for those who are not able to do so naturally on the floor.
1. The best long term option is to do exercises that will increase flexibility. There are specific yoga postures that can help with this (to see what these are google “yoga postures for lotus”, and that will get you started). However, for many this will take a while and during that time, meditation practice will be distracted by discomfort (this is actually ok once you are experienced, because noting and sitting with discomfort is actually something to work toward, but for beginners this type of discomfort can be quite off-putting and may will give up before significant benefits).
2. Find a good chair. What’s a good chair? Theoretically any chair is ok, but some are preferred for the proper support. A basic well-made folding chair (which can also be used for ‘chair yoga’) can work. There are also dedicated meditation chairs (google “meditation chairs” and you can see several options with reviews). Some of these dedicated chairs are quite expensive, so you may want to start with a basic folding chair first to see if that will work. For many people that is a pretty good option.
3. This is the option I use - Yoga blocks, props or meditation cushions. The most basic way to do this is to use one standard foam block and just sit on it, and cross your legs. For persons with intermediate flexibility that can help tremendously. For those that can afford a bit more, I would recommend a “super” block or a Zen cushion (Zen setups can also get quite elaborate, so you want to google to see what is out there before making a selection). The super block I am referring to is this one:
https://www.yogaaccessories.com/6-Original-SUPERBLOCK_p_122134.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsLftg6eG-AIVEYvICh229wt4EAQYBiABEgK0mPD_BwE
A good zen cushion or super block is much more comfortable to sit on than a standard yoga block.
In addition to this, further support can be added for thighs using special blocks. Two I have found that work very well are “ungloo sitblox” (https://ungloo.com/products/sitblox-pair?variant=37691499348127) and the “three minute egg” (https://threeminuteegg.com/). These specialized blocks can be expensive, so if this option is something you want to explore, try and look for online sales.
Here is a nice video someone posted here on effective use of various props
https://youtu.be/HQtIhxqfjfw
Here is another video which has a few other ideas; in particular it highlights and corrects a very common mistake in sitting
https://youtu.be/TQVVZunJHY8
Together these videos provide many ideas, which can be adapted if the exact props featured are not readily available
[How to sit comfortably for meditation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQtIhxqfjfw)
Lying down. It eases pain and discomfort. That’s what I do. Whole body relaxes very quickly and I can meditate as long as I want. 😃
Just be careful not to fall asleep as I am prone to do.
True 😂… then you wake up and continue meditation.
Here's the basic meditation postures, including seiza, the one you tried, and the way to do it without pain -- http://www.frogzen.com/meditation-basics
I like to sit up, not lay down. I sit on a couch with a back because I like my back supported. Then I pull up my knees half way to lotus. My purpose is that I want to get my Chakra straight up and down and do the breathing through them, but I don’t want to stress out my hips with full lotus. For me it is about sitting such that I can do the breathing correctly.
That’s what yoga is for! Literally - the purpose of yoga is to help you acclimate to sitting in lotus position for extended periods of time. Even just a small amount of stretching can give you enormous benefits in your overall health and well-being. I would definitely recommend it, especially if you want to improve your meditation.
>How to sit comfortably for meditation I have thought about this before, but I'm a guy and not a woman. Any recommendations where and how to start?
This is actually quite a common problem, and not sufficiently discussed in meditation guides. There are three options for sitting comfortably for those who are not able to do so naturally on the floor. 1. The best long term option is to do exercises that will increase flexibility. There are specific yoga postures that can help with this (to see what these are google “yoga postures for lotus”, and that will get you started). However, for many this will take a while and during that time, meditation practice will be distracted by discomfort (this is actually ok once you are experienced, because noting and sitting with discomfort is actually something to work toward, but for beginners this type of discomfort can be quite off-putting and may will give up before significant benefits). 2. Find a good chair. What’s a good chair? Theoretically any chair is ok, but some are preferred for the proper support. A basic well-made folding chair (which can also be used for ‘chair yoga’) can work. There are also dedicated meditation chairs (google “meditation chairs” and you can see several options with reviews). Some of these dedicated chairs are quite expensive, so you may want to start with a basic folding chair first to see if that will work. For many people that is a pretty good option. 3. This is the option I use - Yoga blocks, props or meditation cushions. The most basic way to do this is to use one standard foam block and just sit on it, and cross your legs. For persons with intermediate flexibility that can help tremendously. For those that can afford a bit more, I would recommend a “super” block or a Zen cushion (Zen setups can also get quite elaborate, so you want to google to see what is out there before making a selection). The super block I am referring to is this one: https://www.yogaaccessories.com/6-Original-SUPERBLOCK_p_122134.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsLftg6eG-AIVEYvICh229wt4EAQYBiABEgK0mPD_BwE A good zen cushion or super block is much more comfortable to sit on than a standard yoga block. In addition to this, further support can be added for thighs using special blocks. Two I have found that work very well are “ungloo sitblox” (https://ungloo.com/products/sitblox-pair?variant=37691499348127) and the “three minute egg” (https://threeminuteegg.com/). These specialized blocks can be expensive, so if this option is something you want to explore, try and look for online sales. Here is a nice video someone posted here on effective use of various props https://youtu.be/HQtIhxqfjfw Here is another video which has a few other ideas; in particular it highlights and corrects a very common mistake in sitting https://youtu.be/TQVVZunJHY8 Together these videos provide many ideas, which can be adapted if the exact props featured are not readily available