I want to be able to meditate but my posture makes me uncomfortable. I have spent many years with a bad posture/back. I have not had severe back problems like hurt discs, but pulled muscles used to be frequent. It is just sitting in that posture is hard, any suggestions
Posture should be comfortable and steady is the classical yoga definition of yogasana for meditation. It is not determined by sitting on the floor or crossing the ankles. sitting in a chair, on an elevated cushion (zafu) or upon a meditation bench is fine. the key is comfortable so your mind can be free of body awareness. Without this subjective feeling present no one can meditate. while sometimes students report that my Joint Freeing Series (described in my book Structural Yoga Therapy) does make a difference and they can sit on the floor freely, it is not really necessary to do asana to meditate. Meditation is a deeper practice and therefore should not depend on sitting a particular fashion. namaste mukunda stiles www.yogatherapycenter.org
thank you for your reply Mukunda,
I went to a class last night for the first time and I liked the instructors style so I will be continueing with that. He also gave me some insight on the subject. Me trying to learn it on my own in my house is probably not the way to go.
attending a class is definitely a good idea. the qualities to look for are to receive a good overview of the types of meditation and begin to feel your own direction. One’s spiritual path will evolve from learning how to profoundly relax into your body and self. being in the field of meditation energy is also something to look to. some meditations do not create that an awareness of the spiritual or pranic energy field. be sure you get exposed to that to discover if it attracts you or helps you to be free of deeply seated tensions. You are welcome to experiment with my lessons on tantra meditation which you can sign up for on my website email list www.yogatherapycenter.org namaste mukunda