A common objection to sitting meditation is the difficulty of attaining the posture, and that this bodily contortion is essential for the act. The pose they have in mind, the “full lotus”, involves sitting with both of one’s feet on their opposing thighs, and indeed requires significant practice and flexibility to perform. But it’s not necessary. Most meditators in the West don’t sit this way. At Open Waves, members lie down, sit on cushions with their legs crossed, sit on chairs, or whatever else is comfortable. Posture is no impediment to sitting.

In How to Sit, Thich Nhat Hanh suggest we practice sitting meditation “in such a way that you feel light, relaxed, happy, and free”:

Sit in such a way that you feel completely at ease. Relax every muscle in your body, including the muscles in your face. The best way to relax the muscles in your face is to smile gently as you breathe in and out. Don’t make a great effort, or struggle, or fight as you sit. Let go of everything. This prevents backache, shoulder-ache, or headache. If you are able to find a cushion that fits your body well, you can sit for a long time without feeling tired.

Thich Nhat Hanh, How To Sit: Ease

A common feature of the popular meditation postures is the erect back, otherwise you tend to gradually tilt off centre, disturbing your concentration, and develop back ache.

When you sit, keep your spinal column quite straight, while allowing your body to be relaxed. When your sitting posture is relaxed and stable, you can sit comfortably for a long time. You embody solidity and this helps your mind to be calm. A stable posture grounds body and mind.

Thich Nhat Hanh, How To Sit: Sitting Uncomfortably

Please consider attending our in-person or online meditations to experience mindfulness meditation as part of a community. Meditating in solitude as a regular practice is important, but meditating in a sangha is a qualitatively different experience:

When we sit together, we create a collective energy of mindfulness that is very powerful. When we sit with others, we profit from their quality of being and we profit from everyone’s practice. We don’t need to say a lot, but we become a collective organism and together we produce insight. When we sit together, each one of us contributes to the quality of the whole. This collective energy is more powerful than our individual energy.

Thich Nhat Hanh, How To Sit: Sitting Together