Answers to Common Meditation Questions

1.     How Do I Sit During Meditation?

There are several different correct ways to sit while meditating, although there are several wrong ways to sit while meditating. The most important thing to keep in mind is whatever way you choose to sit, make sure you keep good posture.

Here is a list of a few good postures for meditation

·         Burmese Style

·         Tailor’s Posture

·         Full Lotus

·         Half Lotus

·         Sitting in a Chair

·         Lying Down

For more info on these postures, check out my post: 6 Basic Postures for Meditation

2.     What Should I Sit on During Meditation?

There are various ways in which we can sit during meditation. We can sit on a chair, a pillow, cushion, wood stool, or even just the ground. It is believed that sitting on the ground is the best for meditation as we are firmly earthed and we radiate balance and presence.  Unfortunately sitting on the ground without any support causes back problems for many people which would make it more feasible to sit in a chair or on a cushion to meditate.

Meditating on a Chair

This is a great way to start for beginners. Many people will start by trying a difficult posture like the lotus position and find that they can only focus on the pain instead of being able to relax.  If you want to meditate in a chair take one with a straight back that is not too high. See to it that your upper legs and your lower legs form an angle of 90 degrees and let both feet rest flat on the ground. If you do not meet these requirements there is a good chance that your body will start to compensate and you will begin to sit crooked or with a hollow back. And this can lead to aches and irritations. If it is possible try not to let your upper body rest against the back of the chair. If we are supported we will have to change our position sooner or later because we are sitting in a position that is not natural. It may help to choose a chair of which the seat slightly slopes down. If you feel you have to lean against something, then that is not such a problem at first. But, the more we can sit straight without any support the better we will develop alertness and awareness.

Meditation on a Cushion

Sitting in a chair for meditation is great, but sitting on the floor is even better! And you will be able to tell a difference when you try. Essentially, you could use any type of cushion to make it more comfortable for you to meditate as sitting on the solid ground could cause aches and pains. If you want to go all out and are planning on taking this meditation thing seriously, get a cushion called a zafu. These are great for meditation! Some tips when buying a zafu as well as any cushion you use, pay attention to the height. When the cushion is too high, we will often sit with a hollow back and when it is too low, we will have a tendency to bend. If you can sit up straight easily, the height is just right.

3.     What to do with the Eyes?

Seeing and observing through our eyes is one of our five senses which influences our meditation. Our eyes will direct our attention outwards. Our eyes have a direct relation with the activity of our thinking so whether we choose to meditate with eyes open or closed is important. We have three options. We can meditate with our eyes open, closed, and half open. There is a different experience for each one so experiment with the various possibilities and discover your own favorite eye position. Here is a detailed description of the characteristics of eye position.

·         Closed eyes
When we keep our eyes closed, it helps us to direct our focus more inward and we are not easily distracted by things or situations that we can see in front of our eyes. A disadvantage of closing eyes is that we will more easily start to daydream, to think or to fall asleep.

·         Open eyes
Keeping our eyes open will help us to focus more on things that are taking place outside ourselves. This makes it easier to apply the technique and the philosophy of meditation in our normal daily lives. But, a good concentration is a necessary requirement. Both internal and external stimuli can distract you and this makes this position for many people a bit more difficult than the closed eyes position. If you prefer to meditate with your eyes open it may help to sit down in front of a wall or in very peaceful surroundings to minimize the risk of distraction. Keeping your eyes open is also useful in avoiding sleep during meditations.

·         Eyes half open
The half open but staring position is a combination of the possibilities mentioned above. As we get more restless we close our eyes a little more and as we get sleepier we open our eyes more. This position is also called looking with a soft focus. Sometimes during your meditation your eyes will automatically open or close and that is fine. Those who wear glasses should do their own experimentation as regards the question whether they like meditating with or without their glasses better. However, meditating with your eyes open without wearing your glasses can cause sleepiness.

4.     What to do with your Head?

The way your head is positioned is very important. Just imagine as if a string is attached to the top of your head and that this string keeps your head in its position. The head should be well balanced and without effort it should be suspended on the top of your spine. Make sure to have your chin a little drawn back which will help the neck and shoulders relax. If your head falls to far forward, this makes you sleepy and bored. If your head is too far backwards, this makes your thoughts become more active and your become restless. It is important to be well balanced so that you can be aware of your thoughts without them getting out of control.

5.     What to do with your Mouth, Jaw, and Tongue?

When meditating, the position of our mouth is important for several reasons. First of all, we want our mouth closed just enough that our lips are touching but not our teeth. If we clench our teeth together, this will cause tension in the jaws. The perfect place for the tongue is to gently touch it to your top palate. This will help prevent salivation so you will not have to need to swallow several times during your meditation. Also, this prevents your tongue from rolling and helps to stop inner dialogue.

6.     What do we do with our Hands?

The arms are very heavy. When the hands do not rest on something the shoulders have to carry everything. During our meditation our hands rest on our knees or in our lap. As a result of this, the arms can relax. The tradition is to let the hands rest on the thighs or the knees with the tips of the thumbs and the forefingers of either hand touching each other in chin mudra. In the chin mudra position the Chi, Ki or Prana (energy) in the meridians is supposed to be able to stream freely to the fingertips and back through the arms. If you do not like this position then you let your hands rest in an open position on your thighs or knees.

The Dalai Lama and many monks often meditate in the position of meditative equilibrium. In this position you place your hands four finger-widths under your navel, the right hand on top of the left hand and you put your thumbs together in such a way that they form a triangle. The placing of the hands in this way has to do with the area in the body where the inner warmth is produced.

In magazines you often see pictures of hands in a prayer posture. Some people use this position before or after a meditation to express their gratitude for the session or for other things but this is certainly no obligatory part of every form of meditation.

It is good to experiment with various positions of your hands. In the long run it is important to get a fixed pattern in your posture so that your body will recognize this posture as a meditation posture and will associate it with relaxation. This will help you to get into a deep meditative state more easily and faster as soon as you start to meditate.

7.     How to Deal With Physical Pain?

When you are meditating it is generally advisable to resist a first impulse to change your posture as soon as you experience physical pain. We direct our attention to the experience of the ache and try to welcome it as a challenge instead of something unpleasant. This gives us a chance to observe our automatic reactions and the process that we go through when our concentration is disrupted and we get irritated. Observe how the body and the mind react to each other. Learn to accept the aches and learn to stay relaxed in spite of the aches. If you accept the pain, the character and the intensity of the pain will change. If you cannot avoid it, then change your posture. Do this with great awareness. Starters in the field of meditation experience most trouble with aches in the back, the legs and the knees. The right meditation posture may be hard for them to put into practice because they have little experience with meditation. When you are a beginner do not make things too hard for yourself and do not hesitate to start meditating on a chair or a cushion. Realize that when you meditate more often in the course of time most aches will disappear.

Tip: When you regularly experience slight aches in your body while meditating it is advisable to do some stretch exercises before you start meditating.

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To learn the basics of Meditation check out my post: How to Meditate: The Beginner’s Guide

If you also want to learn how to greatly enhance your meditation check out: 3 Simple Ways to Help You Meditate Like a Buddhist Monk