All posts tagged “position”

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Question for August 18, 2013: Hands
Medivate — 13 years ago — in Question of the Week

When meditating, what do you do with your hands?

Tags: meditation, position, posture, hands

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HandyBendy — 13 years ago — permalink
Check out some meditation Mudras - experiment with them and choose the one you feel most comfortable with. Dhyana Mudra or subtle variations of it is one of the most widely used.
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fredclaymeyer — 13 years ago — permalink
Putting them on my thighs feels like the "default." Joining them somehow feels a little more formal--preferable in some ways, I think. I think trying to keep a "Zen hand circle" thing going is too much work, though; it's a weird and not very comfortable shape, at least whenever I've tried it.
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HandyBendy — 13 years ago — permalink
Check out some meditation Mudras - experiment with them and choose the one you feel most comfortable with. Dhyana Mudra or subtle variations of it is one of the most widely used.
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davidbhayes — 13 years ago — permalink
You know, I'd never heard the term "mudras" before. Very interesting to learn about them.
Do you recommend them because they're comfortable to use, or for spiritual reasons?
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HandyBendy — 13 years ago — permalink
Well I personally find them very comfortable to use. They allow the arm and shoulder muscles to relax more easily (particulary Dhyana Mudra or the similar Buddha Mudra) and help to promote a feeling of serenity & stability. They are also considered to be symbolic spiritual gestures and to influence to flow of pranic energy through the body.
http://www.kundaliniyoga.org/mudras.html
Another very important aspect of Kundalini yogta mediation techniques is the use of body 'locks' or muscular contractions called Bandhas, applied for the retention and channeling of Prana.
http://www.kundaliniyoga.org/bhandas.html
Yoga Asanas, Pranayama, Mudras and Bhandas form a complimentary 'suite' of techniques used to achieve profoundly deep states of consciousness and to stimulate the kundalini energy to awaken.
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Kyletin — 13 years ago — permalink
I am perhaps the strange person who finds the Dhyana Mudra strangely uncomfortable! I think I am putting it "on" the wrong part of me, for it will never rest " flatly " on my lap. One foot always moves it up (depending on which which is on top). I apologise if that is explained poorly!

I tend to do something like in what I found in this picture:

http://www.hathayoga.co.za/yoni_mudra.gif

I wasn't even aware it was something that other people did, but hey. I googled "Yoni Mudra" and got something VERY different also in the google images pictures, so it could be a miss-labelled .gif on that hathayoga.co.za site, but at any rate, I find that a REALLY comfortable hand position.

Thanks for the information!
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How do you sit?
Shakuhachi — 12 years ago — in Meditation Questions

Chair? or on the floor with Pillow? No pillow?
I have sat in a chair with pillow behind my back for years because I thought cross legged on the floor uncomfortable. The danger is getting sleepy. But lately I have bben trying sitting on a pillow on the floor with the legs loosely crossed. It is called Bermese position. Much easier than half lotus and lotus. I find it keeps me more alert and able to relax more deeply without falling asleep. I ordered a zafu cushion and am eager to try it.

Tags: position

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davidbhayes — 12 years ago — permalink
Shakuhachi, this really resonates with my experiences with posture. The more traditional postures, with little in the way of comfort, seem to have a logic other than people have lacked furniture.
At times, for lack of energy or will, I lie down to meditate. And that has exactly the risk I think you've found in a chair, only far worse. Especially because I'm allowing myself to do it because "oh but I'm tired" it seems like I'm virtually certain to fall asleep in that posture if I try to do it for long.
I have a cushion that I've used in the past. It's relatively good and comfortable, but if I sit on it too much — in every posture I've tried — I end up with weird chronic issues with my knee. (Basically, I get "water on the knee", a collection of unknown fluid at the front of my knee.) Lotus and half-lotus seem worse for my knees than Burmese, but even when I've done a Burmese-like posture (I can't say how close I do it the book version) I have the issue.
So what I do a bit more now is a cheap kneeling chair I bought to use for my desk a few years ago but never really took to. It looks rather like what the Wikipedia page for the category describes as "low-cost kneeling chair". For me its big advantage relative to a more traditional backed chair is that I can't really relax and lean on anything, as is the case with most cushion setups, but I never seem to have knee issues from the posture.
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Shakuhachi — 12 years ago — permalink
The kneeling chair would seem ideal. I have seen them and even sat in one but not to meditate. Maybe a backless chair or stool also. As simple as that sounds I don't think I have ever tried one.
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