Most People I Coach Don't Know Key Things About Meditation Posture

I blame Hollywood for that. How we see things is influenced by the mass media. If you Google meditation, the top images will probably show either a woman sitting cross-legged on the beach, drenched in sun and beauty, or a guy with a clean-shaved head, sitting again, cross-legged, somewhere in the mountains. You look at them, and your heart instantly yearns to drop everything and run away to join them.

Most people I coach are over 30 and can't sit cross-legged without feeling discomfort in their hips or knees. It is a very unnatural position. Moreover, down the road it may lead to knee surgeries and hip replacements.

I assume that most people meditate to:

1. Take a break from the daily mayhem and calm the nervous system.
2. Get in touch with their dreams, hopes, and aspirations.
3. To find support in times of challenge (eg, sickness, work difficulties, spouse or kids problems).
4. To connect and commune with the infinite, transcendental, Divine (however you describe the mystical and eternal).

The cross-legged pose would provide little, if not nothing, that you can't achieve sitting on a chair.

The truth is that you can meditate in any position. It all depends on where you are, your level of energy, and what you are looking for.

1. Movement meditation, Tai Chi, or walking meditation is great for when our energy is blocked or excessive or we spend too much time sitting indoors.

2. Sitting on a chair or anything with back support (couch, car, etc.). As long as your feet are on the ground and you have good back support, this pose works well for most people (ie, no discomfort).

3. Cross-legged pose is great when you want to sit on the ground. At any sign of discomfort, shift positions, shuffle, stretch your legs, etc.

4. Laying down (reclining or with a flat back) works wonders when you are tired, sick, low on sleep, or want to dissolve completely.

Some people love sitting cross-legged. Lucky you to have that flexibility!

For the rest of us who are not super flexible or yoga aficionados, here are 4 things to remember

1. Prolonged cross-legged sitting can damage your joints.

2. You don't need to sit cross-legged to meditate. Meditation is not about overcoming physical discomfort. It is about making the body as comfortable as possible so that we can let go, dissolve, and reap the benefits of deep rest.

3. Give yourself the freedom to pick any position that works for you.

3. It's not about how you look on the outside. It is about your experience in the inner world. The calm, the joy of being at One with the Universe, the pang and ecstasy of realizing you are just a mortal human, sailing your little boat on the vast seas of infinity.

P.S. Some meditation techniques require having an upright spine.

P.P.S. There are many approaches to meditation. Listen to your gut feelings when you read or hear something about it. Take what works for YOU and ignore the rest.