| This section of the site will be devoted to articles, insightes, poetry, images, and anything else that will be useful in the pursuit of better meditation.  | | This posture, known as the Lotus Posture, is the most common used in Buddhist meditation. It is accomplished by sitting with legs crossed in front of you and then placing each foot atop the other leg's thigh. In this illustration, the meditator is in Half Lotus, meaning that only one foot rests on the other leg's thigh, while the other underneith the thigh or in front of it as illustrated. | | The purpose of meditation posture is to 'ground' oneself, such that one is greatly in touch with the ground and is very secure. One should be able to lose touch with their body durring meditation without worrying about toppling over. The best posture will form a sort of tri-pod with the body, a tri-pod being the most stable stance possible. To understand why a tri-pod stance is used, imagine a camera tri-pod only having 2 legs, or having 4. For meditation, the 3 points of contact are generally your buttocks or tailbone, and your two knees. To achieve this in Lotus posture, you may want to elevate your tailbone by sitting on a pillow or folded blanket, or by placing such padding under each knee.
| | A common alternative to the Lotus posture is the kneeling posture. In this posture one kneels with knees in front of them and ankles under their tailbone. Meditation mats called Zafu's are commonly used to rest between one's legs and provide support for the upper body (tailbone). Another common support for this posture is a meditation bench. One can create a meditation bench using 6"x 3/4" wood, cutting a top peice that is 14-18 inches in lenght and two sides, each approximately 7 inches tall at the back, and 6.5 inches at the front. This creates a slight tilt forward that helps to keep the tailbone tilted forward and the back arched correctly.
| | The key is blending Comfort with Alertness | | Once your posture is established, make sure that your back is straight, with a slight arch. This arch is created because your tailbone is pointed slightly forward, but your head should be directly above your pelvis, neither in front of or behind it. Next, tilt your head slightly forward, bringing your chin closer to your chest, so that the crown of your head points almost perfectly skyward. |  | |
Your hands should rest comfortably together in your lap. Once situated they should be able to remain as they are with absolutely no effort
| | on your part. The above illustration shows a common way of holding one's hands durring meditation. Many believe that this delicate connection of the thumbs creates an energy flow that radiates through the hands and arms, up into the shoulders, chest, and mind of the meditator. Chose a setting for your own hands that is most comfortable for you. Thank you Justin for sharing this info. with Silver Dragons. 10/04 http://ww .org/index.html | | |
