According to the Buddha—the gold standard of meditators—there are four acceptable postures for meditation: sitting, standing, walking and lying down (if the Buddha says you can meditate lying down, you can take his word for it). Among these four postures, it’s most common to sit while meditating. You’ve probably seen the meme of the modern meditator who knows how to sit in the lotus position, but many people can’t even sit cross-legged comfortably. What are the options? How should you sit for meditation?
You can sit on a cushion or meditation bench on the floor, or on a straight-backed chair. It’s important to sit comfortably for meditation because you should enjoy your practice time, and because the posture of the body has a direct impact on the functioning of the mind. For this reason, meditators usually try to sit with their backs straight. Sometimes it’s helpful to use a cushion to support the back or to sit against a wall for support. Most people find that it’s much easier to focus—and even to relax—once they’ve found a posture that works for them.
For the best course to learn the best posture for meditation, we recommend Meditation Fundamentals.
