How to Sit for Meditation: 8 Options

Quarter LotusThere is a myth that you have to sit in full lotus pose or look like a human pretzel to meditate. The reality is that you can meditate in any position as long as you’re comfortable. With that said, there are some important guidelines when you’re finding a seat for meditation.

The first thing is simply to sit up straight—on the floor, on a cushion or in a chair—it doesn’t really matter where, but a straight spine will help you to stay alert for your meditations. You want to feel alive and energetic while you meditate—physically and mentally—and sitting in a physical position that is upright encourages that alert state of being.

Try it out so you can experience the difference. You’ll likely find it’s actually much easier to sit for longer periods of time when your spine is stacked properly, as opposed to slouching. When you’re hunched over, not only will that promote a tired feeling, it’s hard to maintain for longer stints of time and you can hurt yourself, causing pain in the back and neck as gravity pulls you down.

If sitting up straight is painful or uncomfortable in any way, lean against a wall or piece of furniture for support to encourage your vertebrae to be stacked. Remember, your number one rule for meditation is to be comfortable, so feel no shame for using props.

If your hips are tight or your knees feel achy when you sit on the floor, you have options. Sitting in a chair is a great place to start meditating, just find a chair that doesn’t invite you to slouch. Notice if your favorite love seat encourages you to sink, and make a choice that will better support your upright position. Over time, you may find that you become more flexible and may want to explore other positions.

Laying down is not the best option for meditation, but if you are in pain or there is some reason where you cannot sit comfortably, it’s absolutely fine to lie down. There are some meditations that actually call for lying down, such as the body scan. But typically, this is not the position you’ll use for your consistent practice.

Check out these eight variations for seated meditations. The list starts with the easiest variation and gradually gets more difficult. Remember that everyone has a different body—you may find that crossing your legs for more than five minutes at a time makes your right shin fall asleep or your big toe go numb. You may find that one variation allows for a straighter spine. Try them all to find out what will work best for you.

8 Ways to Sit for Meditation

In all of these variations, make sure your head is directly over your heart, and your heart is right over your hips, so your vertebrae are stacked. I recommend that you sit on the front edge of a rolled-up blanket, pillow, or cushion; this supports proper alignment—bringing the hips slightly above the knees and allowing the pelvis to tilt forward. Positioning in this way will emphasize the natural curvature in your lumbar spine, bringing stability to support a straight spine for extended periods. Plus, cushions also make your seat more comfortable, which is the #1 rule.

In a Chair

How to meditate in a chairChairs make it easier for most people to sit still for longer periods of time, especially those with knee issues who have trouble in some of the floor-bound postures. If you choose to sit in a chair, make sure both feet are firmly on the floor. If your feet don’t reach the floor, you can use a blanket or blocks under the feet, so they feel supported. You can either sit up straight toward the edge of your seat, or use the back of your chair for support if you need it. In either case, pay attention to the alignment of your spine, and note that it can be easier to sit up straight without using the back of your chair. A cushion or pillow under you may provide more comfort, and will bring your hips slightly over the knees so you’re well-stacked and supported.

 

Against a Wall

Sitting cross legged against wallSitting against Wall, legged extendedYou can use the wall or a piece of sturdy furniture to help you sit up straight. Cross your legs or extend them out in front of you, whatever feels most comfortable. A cushion (zafu) or blanket under you works well here, too.

 

 

 

Kneeling with Support Between Knees

kneeling meditationWhile you don’t need to use a prop between your knees when you’re kneeling, it takes the pressure off your knees and ankles, and is quite comfortable. You can use a pillow, a zafu cushion turned on its side, a rolled-up blanket, or a yoga block, and place it right between the knees and under your buttocks.

 

 

 

 

*For the following cross-legged variations, I’ll use references to “right foot” and “left foot,” to make instructions easy to understand. Feel free to swap right and left in any cases to meet your optimal comfort level.

Easy Pose

SukasanaEasy pose is a simple cross-legged position, where your knees are wide, your shins are crossed, and each of your feet is below the opposite knee. You probably loved this pose when you were a kid. I don’t recommend easy pose for meditations over a few minutes, it isn’t an incredibly stable seat, and it can be easier to round the spine in this position. Plus, I’ve found that my feet tend to fall asleep faster in easy pose than any other meditation posture.

If you want to try it out for shorter meditations, it’s great for stretching the knees and ankles, and opening the hips. Make sure to use a prop under you to elevate the hips.

Burmese Position

Burmese PositionThis is a variation of sitting cross-legged. If you’re just starting out, use a meditation cushion or pillow. Sit on the front half of the cushion or pillow, bend your knees in front of you, then rotate your knees out to either side, sitting in a cross-legged position. Bring your left heel to the inside of your right thigh, and your right heel to lightly touch the top of your left foot, ankle, or calf, so it sits slightly in front of you. The sides of your knees may touch the ground and if they don’t, you can use pillows or blankets under your knees for extra support.

Quarter Lotus Pose

quarter lotusUse a zafu or pillow here as well, and set yourself up in the same way as described for Burmese position, sitting on the front edge of your cushion, allowing your hips to open and legs to cross in front of you. Keep your left foot on the floor to the inside or below your right thigh, and your right foot to rest on the calf of the left leg.

 

 

 

Half Lotus Pose

Half lotusSame position as quarter lotus, except you place your right foot to rest on the top of the left thigh instead of calf.

Full Lotus Pose

Full LotusFull lotus is the most stable and symmetrical of meditation postures, but only if you’re flexible and it feels comfortable for you. If you force yourself into full lotus, you can injure your knees. To come into full lotus, begin in the same way you set up for quarter or half lotus, but this time you’ll bring your left foot to rest on your right thigh and your right foot to rest on your left thigh.

If you meditate in half or full lotus, make sure you’re able to sit with a straight spine and with your knees close to the floor. If that isn’t the case, take a modified meditation seat until you’re open enough to maintain proper alignment in lotus. I also recommend alternating legs, from day to day or half-way through your meditations—so that the bottom foot spends some time on top—to create an even stretch and weight distribution.

Try them all before deciding which variation is best for you. Happy meditating!


*This post was adapted from the book, The Type A’s Guide to Mindfulness: Meditation for Busy Minds and Busy People. For more tips on how to get started in a meditation practice, get your Kindle or Paperback copy today!  Buy on Amazon>>

Melissa Eisler

Melissa Eisler is an ICF Certified Leadership and Executive Coach, certified meditation and yoga instructor, and author. She created Mindful Minutes to offer practical, relatable anecdotes and tips on how to bring mindfulness into the busyness of the digital age. Her intention is to share what she learns about overcoming her own challenges with meditation, mindfulness, and life balance while maintaining a challenging schedule and career. Learn more about Melissa here.

15 Comments

  1. anita barbero on December 6, 2015 at 5:10 pm

    thank you so much for sharing your special gifts and talents to the world which is the only reason I found you!
    I am so grateful to receive this for inspiration as well as your personal story…you give me such hope as I too am in the corporate world full time at this point in my life…it is a true balancing act. I appreciate your enthusiasm and outlook…it has allowed me to see with new lenses this world in which I now live.

    Namaste

    • Melissa Eisler on December 9, 2015 at 3:05 pm

      Thank you so much for this comment. I’m very happy to hear you are inspired by my blog! My purpose is to help people find balance, and it brings me joy to know that I’m reaching people. :)

  2. Vicky on January 17, 2017 at 5:44 am

    Thank you!

  3. Patrick hyndman on February 13, 2017 at 10:03 am

    Hello I’m sorry to bother you with a silly question, I’ve been just recently having pain when sitting in the full lotus for extremes periods of time, 15-45 min. So much pain that I have to slowly unwind myself and still find it difficult to move for a while. I think it is the onset of arthritis becouse it’s worse when it’s cold and it has only recently started but do you have any recommendations. I was not using a pillow or anything for a long time and have recently scence the pain started and I’ve stopped using the lotus all together. How ever it still condemns me.

    • Melissa Eisler on February 13, 2017 at 5:06 pm

      Hi Patrick. Thank you for your question. I don’t consider any questions silly. :) I recommend trying to sit in a chair for support during meditation. Or, if the floor is your preference, try using a cushion for easy pose, or even Burmese position (my personal favorite). The last thing you want in meditation is to be distracted by pain. The good news is there are so many options aside from Lotus for meditation. Explore some other positions and let me know how it goes!

  4. John on March 26, 2017 at 11:13 pm

    I have joint pain and cannot get into lotus positions. But every posture recommended eventually falls back on those positions. I’m 72 years old. All of the people I see meditating in books are young and able to sit cross legged. My legs won’t do that and me back would be in so much pain meditation would be out of the question.

    • Melissa Eisler on March 27, 2017 at 8:56 am

      Hi John, Thanks for your message. Have you tried the first option presented in this article? Sitting in a chair with your knees over your ankles is a great option for those who can’t or prefer not to sit on the floor. I recommend it if you have trouble crossing your legs. Lying down is also an option if you can’t sit upright during meditation. Let me know how it goes! Best of luck to you.

  5. Jan McClure on November 26, 2017 at 11:26 am

    Hi Melissa,
    I work at the VA helping women veterans with mental health issues. This is a great page. May I use it and the photos to help teach women to meditate? I will give attribution to your website.
    Thanks,
    Jan McC

    • Melissa Eisler on November 27, 2017 at 5:20 pm

      Hi Jan! I’m glad to hear my content is useful for you and the women you help! May I ask what format you are using the content for? The short answer is mostly likely this is not a problem. There is just one exception. Please email me at [email protected] and we can discuss! ~Melissa

  6. Joel on December 10, 2018 at 11:31 pm

    Dear Melissa
    I’m Joel from Switzerland. Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge about meditation postures. I meditate since 2 years on a daily basis and I feel it is time to improve my meditation posture. My problem is that I’m not really able to tilt my pelvis foreward as you describe it in this article. I meditate in the burmese posture. My back is really strait in this posture and I feel comfortable sitting also for extened periods but as I came across this advice to tilt the pelvis foreward often I feel I want to work toward beeing able to do it and see how it affects my practice. Do you have any advice on how to do it? I’m sure it’s not easy to answer this as you cannot see my body as I sit. But I thought maybe you have an advice or an idea for an exercice or anything. I’m grateful for any advice. Keep going with your page! Mindfulness is really needed on this planet I think! Thank you

    • Melissa Eisler on December 11, 2018 at 1:15 pm

      Hi Joel,
      Thank you for your message and questions! It’s good to hear you are consistent with your practice! Without seeing you, it’s difficult to give you feedback. My best advice is that if you are sitting for extended periods of time and are comfortable, than you are in the correct position for your body. :)
      Thanks again. Be well,
      Melissa

  7. Daniel on January 9, 2021 at 6:41 pm

    Wow! Your seated poses are incredible! Brava.

    Also, your clear instruction on body placement is perfect. So succinct and clear.

    Color me impressed and call me a subscriber!

  8. Ms Phumi M on October 13, 2022 at 9:08 am

    This was very helpful and easy to follow. Bless you for sharing it with us. Will be following up to learn more as I’m new to this and already in my early sixties!!
    Thank You, Melissa

  9. Eric J on August 26, 2023 at 4:19 am

    Do you inhale thru your nose and exhale thru your mouth

  10. Ori on August 29, 2023 at 10:06 am

    Thank you

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