Can’t appear to discover a comfy technique to sit in meditation? Right here’s one thing actually easy to attempt. It’s really a mindfulness apply in itself. It’s a technique to stability your pure skill to loosen up with the forces of gravity to discover a well-aligned posture that’s easy and free. I do that myself firstly of each sit, and discover it actually useful.
For a visible cue, think about your physique as like a bunch of kids’s wood blocks, stacked one on prime of one other. It will probably stand up fairly excessive, so long as you place every block squarely on the one under. Gravity exerts a pull straight down the center of the stack that retains it well-balanced.
Doing this in impact additionally creates an upward movement of power that lets you stack the blocks up excessive – definitely increased than when you piled them crooked. So despite the fact that we consider gravity as a pressure that pulls downward, when it’s used properly you may consider it as making a pure upward raise as properly.
We will do the identical factor with our our bodies. If we stack our backbone so that every “block” is squarely positioned on the one under, we will sit upright with ease, with out having to make use of a variety of muscular effort to carry us up. Gravity retains every a part of the physique rooted on the one under, and we discover a simple technique to stand up sitting.
Should you usually droop, you would possibly suppose that slumping is extra comfy. And for longer intervals of sitting, it most likely is best than attempting to carry your self up straight. However that form of holding is an ideal invitation for again rigidity and ache. And it’s NOT what I’m speaking about right here.
Right here’s find out how to do it. Consider your physique as like that stack of blocks. It’s really 4 blocks as follows:
- Hips
- Mid-torso/waist space
- Higher again/chest
- Head
So let’s begin by aligning the hips. First we have to discover our sit bones. Should you’re undecided the place they’re, attempt sitting in your arms. You’ll instantly really feel a bony protrusion from every hip digging into your arms. These are your sit bones.
Now do that experiment. Begin by tilting too far ahead on these sit bones. I imply to the purpose the place you’re feeling means off stability. Discover the muscular tissues behind your pelvic space interact to attempt to maintain you up. Clearly you received’t need to sit like this for lengthy. Now let’s attempt going too far within the different path – too far again. And see how your abdominals interact. Once more, it’s not the way you’d need to sit for lengthy.
Now attempt rocking backwards and forwards, from too far ahead to too far again, in smaller and smaller increments. Every time you move by the center, you’ll most likely really feel a spot the place all of your muscular effort lets go, and every little thing feels free and simple. Strive rocking round that middle level a bit till you discover it by really feel. Don’t attempt to analyze or suppose this by. It must be felt. That time is essentially the most easy, upright place to your hips – for YOUR physique.
Now let’s work on the mid-torso/waist space, doing the identical factor. Strive bending ahead on the waist, compressing the entrance of your abdomen and rounding out your again. You’ll be slouched ahead – and it’s most likely received’t be comfy for lengthy. Now attempt arching your again within the different path, opening up your stomach space and arching your again. Once more, it’ll most likely really feel like an excessive amount of. Now attempt swinging backwards and forwards between these two extremes in regularly smaller increments, passing by the center level the place it feels straightforward. That center is the place your mid-torso is stacked most optimally in your hips.
We will do the identical for the higher again/chest space. Strive alternating between having your shoulders slumped ahead vs. pushed again. Discover that straightforward spot within the center that’s good.
Then the top. Alternate between your chin being dropped ahead and tilted again (please watch out to not tilt too far again – you don’t need to injure it!) For every, we’re in search of that spot within the center that feels straightforward but additionally firmly positioned on the “block” under.
Now examine how your physique feels general. Does it really feel gentle and relaxed? Does your backbone appear to drift and raise upward with out effort? Don’t attempt to examine in a mirror to see whether or not you look straight. This isn’t about how straight you LOOK, however extra the way it FEELS. We’re aiming for the stability level between a felt sense of ease on the one hand and raise on the opposite.
Understand that the stability level isn’t one thing you discover as soon as and for all. Your physique is a dynamic organism, continuously shifting and altering. What you’re sitting on, and even your temper can have an effect on what feels greatest within the second. So that you’ll need to keep alert to those shifts, and alter as wanted to ever altering circumstances. In case your comfy posture appears slumped, don’t fear about it. Should you maintain working on this means, your posture will seemingly straighten regularly over time.
Should you strategy your sitting apply on this means, you would possibly end up mindfully interacting together with your physique and surrounding circumstances in a form of dance together with your current expertise. It’s your actuality, as skilled by your physique. And because it seems, that’s THE most direct means doable to expertise the current second – by certainly one of your senses.
I invite you to attempt it. It has woken me as much as an entire new world of expertise. Possibly it’ll for you too.