Why is this important?

Good posture in meditation practise is important for a number of reasons. If you try to meditate with a collapsed body posture, you will not get the benefits that mediation can bring. If your shoulders are slumped forward or to one side, and your chin is protruding forwards, with the back of your neck closed, you will cause yourself problems. You will be less alert, you will probably experience some pain, your body and your energetic channels will be compressed and you may even find that you are damaging your health.

The best position for meditation

I run online meditation classes, as well as Qigong classes that include some meditation practise. In these classes we largely use sitting and lying down meditation techniques We always begin by stretching and opening the spine. This helps us to get good results, and feel more comfortable. if you can sit in full lotus comfortably, this is the best option. But for beginners, or anyone who cannot sit in full lotus, the best way to meditate in a sitting position is to use a chair. This allows your hips to be at the same level or slightly higher than your knees. If you try to sit in full lotus, but your body is not really ready, you will again find you have problems with your posture. If you sit in half lotus, your spine will not be straight, but offset to one side.

Here are a couple of links by other meditation teachers which discuss the problem.

https://www.yogainspires.co.uk/meditation-positions-how-to-stop-slouching-when-you-meditate/

https://www.wildmind.org/posture/slumping

How to prepare for meditation practise

While classes are paused during the summer, this is a great time to practise your sitting meditation position. Here is a link to a You Tube video made by me. It takes you through the preparation for a sitting meditation. It looks at how to sit, how to use your feet to lift and open your spine, and how to work gently through different areas. You will need to do this for a few minutes before your meditation practise. You can also just practise the stretch without doing any meditation, just using it to open up your body and improve your posture.

Enjoy your practise and we will catch up again in September.