Posture of Meditation, Part 1:
Sitting
Posture
of Meditation Series:
Posture
of Meditation, Part 3: Eyes
My
meditation background is largely buddhist, zen buddhist in
particular. In zen buddhism it is common to sit a lot every day
either in any of the cross-legged sitting postures or in kneeling
posture (seiza). It is common in that school to insist on particular
physical form of sitting, despite of physical troubles one may have
due to long hours of sittingfor days on end.
One
thing that has become obvious to me is that cross-legged posture or
even sitting on a meditation cushion, are not essential factors of
meditation practice, even though many schools of meditation say just
the opposite.
I
have found that the most important factors about the physical posture
are:
- erect spine,
- erect head,
- overall comfortability of the posture which
- allows free and relaxed breathing
When
these four factors are marked, you can choose to sit in any posture
without loosing any of the benefits that perfect full lotus-posture
(padmasana) is said to bring. There is no difference whatsoever.
Postures
Here's
what Daniel Ingram says on Postures, from Mastering the Core
Teachings of the Buddha:
”The
four postures for meditation that are mentioned in traditional
Buddhist
practice are those of sitting, walking, standing and reclining.
Each
has its own set of benefits and drawbacks, and each may be useful
at
one time or another. Looked at another way, this means that we can
meditate
in just about any position we find ourselves... Which posture we
choose doesn’t really matter from a pure insight point of view, but
there are some practical reasons why we might choose one or the other
for formal practice. Posture choice is mostly about finding one that
works in our current circumstances and which matches our current
energy level...
Sitting
has the quality of being more energy-producing than reclining
and
less energy-producing than walking and standing. It can also be very
stable
once we learn to sit well. However, many people find that
learning
to sit well is a whole endeavor in and of itself...
Many
traditions make a big deal about exactly how you should sit,
with
some getting particularly macho or picky about such things, but in
the
end it doesn’t matter so much. The things that seem to matter most
are
that you can sustain the posture, that your back be fairly straight
so
that
you can breathe well, and that you are not permanently hurting
yourself.
Aches and pains are common in meditation, but if they persist
for
a long time after you get up from sitting, particularly in your
knees,
seriously
consider modifying your sitting posture.
Standing
is an even more energy-producing posture than sitting, with
the
obvious advantage being that is it even harder to fall asleep when
standing
than when sitting. It seems to up the intensity of a meditation
session
even more and can be useful when the energy is really low. I
recommend
standing with the eyes slightly open to avoid falling over,
though
some people can do just fine with their eyes closed. If you are
sitting
and finding that you simply cannot stay focused and awake, try
standing.
Walking
is the most energetically active of the four postures and
also
provides a nice stretch for the joints and back after we have been
doing
a lot of sitting. Its strengths are its weaknesses, in that the fact
that
one
is moving around can make it easier to stay present and also lead to
a
lack of stable concentration. Some people consider walking practice
to
be
very secondary to sitting, but I have learned from experience that
walking
meditation should be given just as much respect as sitting
meditation.”
Cross-legs
vs. straight legs
I
once saw a documentary filmed in a Taoist nunnery in China. In the
documentary whenever the nuns were seen meditating they sat on a
particular kind of a chair where they had their legs straight (not
cross-legged). I thought this was something interesting as their way
of practice could well be older than buddhism and therefore might
have beneficial time-tested factors to it. Traditionally, buddhist
meditation is always encouraged to be practiced cross-legged on a
meditation cushion, unless one's body or health doesn't allow it. If
a cross-legged posture cannot be practiced, sitting on a chair as a
secondary option is used.
I've
recently tried to remember to sit down on a chair instead on a
cushion to try this out. And everytime I remember to do so, it's much
easier than sitting cross-legged with folded legs. Due to my hip
bones not being identical, it's pretty much always been challenging
for me to sit in one posture, although at some point I was sitting so
much daily that it didn't matter. I've always had to shift legs every
20-30-40 minutes. I've done that when it was allowed. Now, I wouldn't
join a training session where this was not allowed. Enduring pain and
physical discomfort is a big waste of time and energy. It is
counter-productive.
So,
I've had wonderful sittings when sitting on a chair. I have to admit
that I have also become habituated by thinking that ”real
meditation” only happens sitting cross-legged. I've told students
to use either postures for several years as a teacher but I never
tried it myself, until recently. This is a good example of becoming
conditioned to a training aspect of an old tradition, just because
”this is the way it always has been done and there is no other way
to do it”. So be careful and have common sense of what you are
told.
Mindfulness
of the body
Obviously
mindfulness of the body is a common issue to all styles of buddhist
meditation. We work with mind and awareness through the body because
body, mind and awareness are interconnected. Body is a good and
concretic tool. Imagine how it would be to concentrate or meditate
without a physical body. It'd be a different sport.
Comparing
cross-legged and chair sitting positions, the biggest difference is
in the posture of the legs. In the first legs are folded in a way
that the crus and thigh are right next to each other. In the latter
legs are also tilted in the knees but the angle is much wider, 90
degrees or more. This allows a lot more openness and relaxalation in
the body on purely physical level which cannot but have an effect on
the mental and emotional bodies, and in consequence on he recognition
of awareness itself. Especially for beginners, the open sky-like mind
is easier to find when the body is as relaxed and open as possible.
It can be very difficult to be focused or recognise knowing awareness
when the body is forcibly put into a posture where it's not used to
being in. This is basic logic, right. For this reason, I'd always
vote for sitting on a chair over sitting cross-legged.
Energetics
Usually
schools of meditation which are unanimous of the sitting posture, it
is common for them to prove their point by saying that in full lotus
the subtle energies of the bodymind circulate in an ideal way and
that this circulation, sometimes called as ”full body seal”
(mudra) is what meditation is. In a sense this is correct. It is true
in the case of a yogi who 1. can effortlessly sit in this posture for
an extended period of time and 2. who needs the support of this mudra
for his or her meditation. For those who cannot do it or for those
who don't need it as a support, this rationale is entirely
irrelevant.
It
is also not logical to say that one couldn't be openly aware and
meditate without sitting in some particular posture. It doesn't make
sense, does it. If this is the view in regards to sitting posture, it
is safe to assume that the one who insists on such views is 1. biased
to his view perhaps because of his tradition, in a similar way like I
was and 2. there is no sufficient understanding what the connection
of body and energetics (mind) to open awareness is.
Posture
and Tibetan Heart Yoga
Level
4 of Tibetan Heart Yoga concerns tantric (mantra, visualisation and
breathing) practice in the subtle centers and channels in all four
limbs. This practice can be done in a cross-legged posture, sure.
However, in my experience, it is easier to sense the body cavities,
the insides of the limbs, when legs are straight. This is a universal
notion, of course. For this reason I'd recommend those
THY-practitioners who practice this level, to try the practice
sitting on a chair.
Conclusion
All
in all, nowadays I tend to think that the cross-legged posture is an
unstudied habit of the Eastern meditation culture. There is a strong
emphasis on cross-legged meditation posture which can be seen
everywhere in meditation centers, temples, in paintings and statues
both in East and West but ultimately, just as Dan said, it's not a
big deal.
Have
a nice day,
-
Kim Katami,
26.6.2016
Open
Heart,
