Meditation positions have always been emphasized by gurus. It can be done anywhere and anytime. Let me tell you that posture is the most important part of meditation.
Often, we feel drowsy or fall asleep during meditations. Not only that often our legs get numb, and feel sensations in the butt.
But, we see people sitting in meditation for long at times even for hours. What is it that they do it right?
We have curated the 5 best meditation positions that can help you meditate without getting drowsy or feeling numb.
So, if you’re one of those who want to master the art of meditation, these poses will improve your meditative experience and transform your daily life.
What is Meditation Posture?
Meditation posture means the correct body position that you have to maintain during the meditation.
To eliminate drowsiness, you must have to adopt the best meditation postures.
Lotus and Kneeling Meditation are two of the greatest Meditation Postures that creates a close relationship between your body and mind.
So, to get all the benefits from Meditation posture, add meditation to your daily schedule and live a stress-free life.
Importance Of Meditation Positions
Meditation is a discipline of the mind along with proper posture of the body.
To learn this discipline, you must have a light body and an alert mind. Proper posture makes it easier for you to get there.
It refreshes your mind and gives new positive vibes. Apart from that, it reduces the effects of anxiety and keeps you away from drowsiness.
Seven Points Of Meditation Posture
The sitting posture during meditation is known as the Seven-Point Of Meditation Posture. It can be achieved by following these seven poses.
- Sitting
It is important to choose a comfortable place and pose to focus well during meditation.
With the degree of flexibility of your hips, You can adopt a half-, full-, or quarter-lotus position while sitting.
Sitting with a meditation cushion, towel, pillow, or chair will allow you to sit cross-legged with your hips. Ensure that your hips are higher than your heels.
Benefits You Get From Sitting Posture
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- Increase joy and happiness
- Improve physical health
- Resolve worries
- Deepen your spirituality
- Spine
During meditation, try to keep your spine as straight as you can. So, you will increase your concentration.
If you tend to lean forward or sway slightly backward, set a reminder to come back into the correct posture.
With each breath in, raise your body and stretch your spine. And With each exhalation, keep falling your body.
Feel the energy line extending from the base of your spine to the top of your head.
- Hands
You can maintain the position by placing your hands on your thighs with the palms facing down. In addition to recharging the body’s energy flow, you can rest in this position.
Alternatively, you can try other poses as well. With both thumbs touching, place your right hand on top of the left hand and place it in your lap. So, It will help you generate extra heat and energy in your body.
- Shoulders
You need to have an open chest in meditation to provide the best conditions for being aware, with space between your shoulders across the front of your chest.
As a result, You can breathe easily and the blood can be oxygenated.
While meditating, you may notice your shoulders rising and falling as you breathe in and out.
You can assist your shoulders to relax more completely if you pay attention to the sensation of your shoulders.
- Chin
Keep the back of your neck free while keeping your chin slightly tucked in.
Keep your chin position correct if you want to keep your posture straight. It will relieve all your mental stress.
- Jaw
To make the best meditation positions with your jaw, Keep it slightly open. And pressing your tongue towards the roof of your mouth.
This automatically relaxes the jaw, promotes healthy breathing, and slows down swallowing.
- Eyes
You can meditate with open or closed eyes.
During open-eyes meditation, keep your eyes focused on the floor. It will give you a peaceful and pleasant feeling.
Most people like to do meditation with closed eyes. But, don’t close your eyes tightly, Keep them a little bit open. It will provide relaxation to your face, eyes, and eyelids.
Types Of Meditation Postures
Good meditation postures keep you alert during each session.
A straight (but not too rigid) spine, neutral hips, a slightly tucked chin, and shoulders away from the ears are all characteristics of a good meditation posture.
5 different types of positions can be used for meditation: sitting, standing, lying down, Kneeling, and walking.
Numerous asanas (poses) are available for each category. But each meditation poses required appropriate posture as we go over the various positions.
Keep scrolling to learn more about the 5 types of meditation postures.
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Sitting Meditation Pose
Sitting with the cross legs and starting meditation is the most popular meditation posture one can adopt.
If you decide to do this, be sure to sit on a soft cushion. Then, Adjust your posture like your hips remain a little higher than your knees.
This avoids you from bending and can protect your legs from dozing off.
Use a chair, if you are uncomfortable with this position. Sit toward the edge, keep your back straight, and rest your hands on the top of your legs to make the best posture.
5 Types of Sitting Meditation Pose
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Quarter Lotus
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Also known as the “crisscross applesauce”. In sitting meditation, Quarter Lotus is one of the most common poses used for meditation.
In this position, the ankles are crossed and one foot is in front of the other.
A meditation bolster or chair can help you to maintain your pelvic bones front and move your hips forward, which will protect your lower back from bending.
Take the support of a wall or furniture, if required. You can also put soft pillows behind the back to make your spine upright.
Stretching your legs out in front of you will help if sitting cross-legged affects your knees.
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Half Lotus
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The Half Lotus posture is 80% similar to the Quarter Lotus position. You have to just change your leg’s position.
In the half lotus position, place your left foot on the right thigh, or vice versa.
However, this posture requires highly flexible hips. As a result, your knee joints cannot be stretched.
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Full Lotus
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It is the toughest meditation posture for beginners. In this meditation, put each foot upon the opposite thigh.
It is hard but gives the highest benefits to our mind and body. The posture of the Full Lotus meditation is stable and symmetrical, so it doesn’t require more flexibility.
If you have arthritis or any other problems with your feet, knees, or hips, don’t try full lotus meditation.
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Burmese Position
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It is a simple meditation position to get relaxation. For the Burmese position, Rest both feet on the ground in front of the pelvis.
It’s fine if you can’t sit with the crossed leg. Just sit in a comfortable manner on the floor with both feet.
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Chair Meditation
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Meditation on the chair provides all the benefits that you get with the lotus meditation positions.
While doing chair meditation, put your feet on the floor, Keep your shoulder wide, and arrange your shins perpendicular to the ground.
To maintain a straight position, sit closer to the chair’s edge. Use a pillow or cushion to sit in a straight position.
Note: Don’t try in the same chair you sit in just for work. because it is hard to keep a mental focus while meditating in the same chair.
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Standing Meditation Pose
Try standing meditation if you experience chronic discomfort and find difficulty in sitting meditation because of injury. It strengthens your body and provides a multitude of advantages.
Steps to do standing meditation:
- Start by placing your feet on the ground.
- Before starting meditation, bounce your knees and ankles slightly.
- To relax the body, sway the hips or arms from side to side.
- Relax the muscles of your legs, back, and shoulders. And keep your body strong and straight.
- Now, start meditation with open or closed eyes. If you keep your eyes open, search for the location where you can focus easily for relaxation.
While standing, keep your hands and arms linked in front of or behind you to avoid being distracted by the movements of your arms or hands.
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Lying Meditation Pose
If you’re honest with yourself, then choose lying meditation. Because it is possible, you can fall asleep in lying meditation.
The goal of lying meditation is to improve the mind and exercise the brain. A lying down posture can be the most beneficial for you if your purpose with meditation is to relax and eliminate drowsiness.
Steps to do Lying Meditation:
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- Locate a comfy position and rest on your back.
- Prop up your head with a pillow or place a cushion under your knees to relieve pressure from your spine.
- Hold your spine long and stretch your legs.
- Rest your hands by your sides or stomach.
Common Types Of Lying Meditation
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Inclined Savasana
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The posture of Inclined Savasana is similar to that of normal Savasana; the only difference is you need to lie down in an inclined position.
For support, take a pillow, blanket, or bolster under your shoulders, neck, and head. It relieves the pressure from the spine that arrives during lying.
Inclined Savasana also gives you more benefits than regular Savasana.
If you are pregnant, Inclined Savasana is the best choice. Place one hand on your belly and the other on your heart when you are attempting the Inclined Savasana meditation positions.
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Semi-Supine
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Lying down in the semi-supine position is the most convenient technique to get your body back into shape.
Move the head forward in relation to the neck and enables the spine to stretch and de-rotate.
To make the correct position – bend your knees, backward the pelvis, and flatten out the lumber.
So, it releases the tension from the spinal and abdominal. And also help the ribcage work with more efficiency.
Benefits of Semi-Supine Lying Meditation Pose
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- Realign and lengthen the spine
- Reduce unnecessary muscular tension
- Increased energy levels in the body
- Decrease muscular effort and excess tension
- Allows more regular breathing
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Savasana
Savasana, also known as “Corpse Pose” or “Mritasana”. It is a widely used meditation pose for relaxation in Hatha yoga (a branch of yoga).
It is an essential technique for healing and the usual position for those who practice yoga Nidrasana.
The goal of Savasana is to restore the body, mind, and spirit. Savasana is being used for the resting pose because no yoga session is complete without it.
Steps To Do Savasana
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- Savasana is performed by lying flat on the back. The arms are at the sides with the palms up, so the body is completely at rest.
- Put a pillow or another type of support under your head or knees if that makes you more comfortable.
Benefits of Savasana Pose
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- Calms our nervous system
- Strengthens the immune and digestive systems
- Provide relaxation to our body
- Lessens stress, headache, fatigue, and anxiety
- Reduces blood pressure
- Encourages spiritual awakening
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Kneeling Meditation Pose
If you can’t sit comfortably cross-legged, you can try the Kneeling Meditation position.
Your back is automatically straight when you are doing kneeling meditation, which promotes positive energy.
To perform this, put a mat or two cushions under your knees to prevent knee pain after practice. Cushions will also support the spine and take pressure off the knees.
Then, Relax your arms and put your hands on your thighs or knees for a comfortable position.
Keep your neck relaxed. To relieve all the pressure from the neck, Look ahead and gently tuck the chin.
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Walking Meditation Pose
Walking meditation is a mindfulness practice that combines the physical experience of walking with a focused meditative state.
It allows you to focus on the mind-body connection as you pace or walk around a room or outside.
With this form of meditation, you can determine your walking pace and the length of your session.
The practitioner takes notes of every step for a certain length of time while concentrating on the body’s motions and feelings.
Benefits of Walking Meditation
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- Keep you in the present
- Improves awareness
- Decrease Negative Thoughts
- Mindful walking gets blood circulation
- Develops gratitude
- Builds strength and stamina
- Great for anxiety relief, stress management, and calming down any emotional
Things To Keep in Mind While Choosing the Best Meditation Positions
The correct posture is facilitative to a productive meditation session.
You’ll feel more relaxed if you’re in a comfortable position.
Sometimes a popular meditation posture or maintaining a position for a long time can be uncomfortable for some. It will not only be physically draining but also likely to lose concentration.
It occurs with all ages of people. Because meditation is for all. Experiment with various postures and evaluate which post increases your ability.
The ideal positions provide you comfort and give new fresh and positive energy to your mind. Here are the 5 tips which you have to look into the meditation pose.
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Provide Calmness
It is a highly essential feature of a good meditation session. Don’t make any position in a strict manner.
If performed correctly, exercises should lead you into a state of calmness.
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It will keep your Back straight
Ensure that your head, neck, and back are all held in a straight line. It will not only keep your frame in this position during meditation, but it also keeps you alert and mindful.
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Provide relaxation to your shoulder
You can’t aware of your shoulder position during meditation. But, note that keeps your shoulders loose and ensures it stays that way.
From time to time, check these postures. Don’t slouch and put it in a relaxed position. Adjust as required if any posture goes out of place.
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Offer your eyes some peace
Choose meditation positions that not only soothe your eyes but also relieve drowsiness.
As we said earlier, You can meditate with either open or closed eyes.
We preferred closed-eye meditation because it works better and eliminates all external distractions.
If you feel sleepy with closed eyes, you can also do it with open eyes. But make sure you have to focus your eyes on the fixed objects or on the floor.
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Removes all the tension from your face
While doing meditation, it is necessary that your face looks relaxed.
Don’t try to force your posture. Because doing violently will make you lose focus, which will show on your face.
So, if you want relaxation throughout your session, don’t bring any expressions like anger, sadness, or all other negative emotions that give you pain and tension on your face.
Conclusion
Meditation is becoming more and more dominating because of its numerous advantages.
In meditation, the breath will naturally develop its own rhythm as you pay attention to it. Do not alter it.
If necessary, adjust your position during meditation. With the proper atmosphere, right place, and best meditation positions, you will get everything you want from meditation.
With regular meditation practice, you can increase your happiness and awareness. You can take advantage of the daily meditation programs that WellHeal has created for you.
We are sure that you will get a great experience with each session. For further information, check the given link.
