Are you sitting comfortably…?

I came across this meme today which I really like…

Person seated looking at view with words about sitting in meditation
Sitting meditation meme.

The whole idea that the busier we are, then the more time we need to give ourselves a break.

But then the sitting aspect of the meme, started to jar with me a little.

While most of the meditations I guide are indeed seated, you don’t have to sit to meditate.

It’s one of the myths of meditation I talk about a lot.

You don’t have to sit in a particular position (crossed legged or otherwise), or hold your hands in any particular way – the important thing is to find a position that’s comfortable for you.

If you’re uncomfortable, the more likely you are to fidget and be distracted.

It also very much depends of the type of meditation you are doing, as there are so many different ways to meditate.

How about Qigong or Tai chi?

They are both forms of focused moving meditation.

Tai chi aims to concentrate and balance the body’s life energy (or qi), providing benefits to mental and physical health.

Qigong involves coordinating slow-flowing movement, deep rhythmic breathing, and a calm meditative state of mind.

Then there are walking meditations – involving mindful walking – or silent walking.

Yoga Nidra (or yogic sleep) is generally done lying down in corpse pose (Shavasana or Savansana).

So there really isn’t one position you should take to meditate.

But coming back to the meme – if we ignore the focus on sitting, the message is very strong.

The more we feel driven to ‘do’ because we are so busy, the more we really need to stop and slow down for our overall wellbeing.

This can be for just a few minutes to take a few deep breaths, or look out of a window.

It’s just taking that first step to say to yourself ‘I need to pause for a moment’.

I recently listened to a conversation with British meditation teacher and academic, Peter Russell, who suggested sticking post-it notes around your home or office with the word ‘Pause’ written on them.

A reminder to stop – and reset – every so often.

Stop. Take a few deep breaths. Or follow your breath for a few moments.

Whatever you have to do, it’ll still be there, but you will feel better for taking that break.

Peter says: “It’s not about constantly being in this state, but returning to it often”.

Gradually you can extend those pauses or breaks and this becomes part of your daily meditation practice.

Sitting or otherwise.

Ann 🙏

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