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.
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davidbhayes — 12 years ago — permalinkShakuhachi, 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 — permalinkThe 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.