question on posture

hey im realy unflexable and have a hard time holding the lotus postion, ive tried alot of stretching and have tried to get used to in but its so uncomfortable for me to hold that i find it very hard to not think about my body when i meditate and its extremely distracting. any words of advice?

 

Keep stretching, it will come.

Also stretch at night and in the morning, I did this for about a week until I had no discomforts.

Namaste

 

just sit in half lotus
it's much more comfortable for a while



HUT

 

Use a chair and sit upright.

Plenty do this, monks included.

Buddhism isn't asceticism
The main thing is to keep your back straight, lazy posture encourages mind-wandering

 

Can seriously harm your legs in the complete lotus. If you feel the pain in your legs, you really shouldn't do it.

 

Very true.

 

i thought it was supposed to be positive and negative

touch your hands together then feet not touching each other or try and make some exits
another negative would probably be something in your hands if u cant meditate to your self meditate a thought on something

you can see this in relegions that one where they touch the ground or that one where they put therte hands together to pray to jesus and so on

some where like into the air or go into yourself by connecting all your body parts together feet to feet hands to hands

or m

 

At the temple I visited, the monks said the only really important thing was a good straight back, and to make sure you have a posture, and you aren't just slouching.

Outside of that, it is whatever best fits your physical condition. I can meditate full-lotus because I've always been able to sit that way without strain, but there are no real benefits to it.

 

I sit in seiza (Japanese kneeling position). Just kneel on the floor, and rest your weight on your heels. Make sure your insteps (that would be the tops of your feet) are in contact with the floor - don't use the balls of your feet. You don't need to a lot of flexibility to do this.

The only drawback to this position is it cuts off blood flow in your legs. Which is why I only limit myself to around ten to fifteen minutes per session. And I give my legs time to wake up and then I walk around some.

 

For longer sessions, it can be beneficial to do kinhin, walking meditation, and then sit back down.

Keeps the legs alive