There is no ‘the best’ meditation posture simply because every person has different capability of body. One rule which shall be kept in mind for mindfulness meditation practice is that the posture has to be comfortable enough to support you for the 30 minutes practice.
The practice of mindfulness meditation is most essentially done by sitting down. However, it can also be done while sitting on a chair, resting the spine against a wall, kneeling down and even lying down.
Sitting Down on Ground
If you can sit down on ground with legs folded in the lotus position then this is the most stable posture. However, this is not easy to do as it requires good deal of flexibility and good degree of hip-opening. If this cannot be done, please do not force doing it. You can go with quarter-lotus or half-lotus position or even with simple normal sitting (called Easy Sitting Pose). Once you start doing it, your body will tell the right posture for you.
Another position is kneeling down. This is a position in which you choose to sit kneeling down and sit on leg calves.
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Whatever be the posture of sitting down on ground, you shall take note of the straight position of spine. The head, neck and spine shall all be in the same line. You shall not be bending forward too much as it will obstruct proper breathing. While maintaining straight posture it is also important that there is no undue stress or strain while keeping the spine straight. It has to remain comfortable.
You can take support of a wall in order to ensure that posture is straight.
You can even take support of some props, such as cushioning for remaining comfortable while sitting. During winters, you shall wear proper clothing to ensure that long-duration meditation remains comfortable all through.
Sitting on Chair
If you are not able to sit down on ground, then you can also use chair for sitting. Again, the selection of chair shall be such which will help in keeping your spine straight. While sitting, the feet shall rest on the ground and the knees shall make a right angle. To attain this posture, you can make some adjustments while sitting. Please ensure that if you sit on chair or sofa, you shall not slouch.
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Lying Down
Doing mindfulness meditation while lying down is not considered to be a good idea for those are able to do it while sitting. Lying down is the recommended posture only for those people who are not able to sit. While lying down the best mindfulness meditation benefits that can be done is of body scanning. If done with full focus, it has the effect of inducing great deal of relaxation. It also enables to have a very relaxed state of mind and sound sleep. So, for the people who are not able to sit for long period of time due to any illness, then this meditation is one of the best to be undertaken for physical and mental comfort.
These are the most commonly used postures for practicing mindfulness meditation. Straight and unstressed spine and comfortable posture are two most important considerations for practicing it.
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