Introduction
Science states many reasons you would want to add a meditation pillow to your routine. Science has shown that a meditation pillow can massively increase your comfort and focus during your meditation routines. Ranging from special seating cushions to commercial back braces, different devices are said to be able to improve your posture, so it’s hard to say it is not true that posture is pretty important, including meditation. Whether you meditate frequently or not, the pain of sitting cross-legged on the floor is pretty familiar to many yoga enthusiasts of this mental skill. When you’re sitting on the floor, the bad pressure from your feet pins into your inner thighs, and your joints begin to tense. You might start to feel numb in your legs, feet, or back. This is not good for anyone and can destroy the purpose of meditation. Finding peace and comfort in the present moment is the best priority. This not only contributes to poor posture interrupting your meditation routine over and over again but also leads to back problems like sciatica, including chronic pain and uneasiness.
The mediation pillow has immense benefits. Let’s see what ways to use them in their entirety.
Padmasana Position
The lotus position is the most iconic of all meditation positions. It is pretty perfect symmetry for the human body can stretch. However, it might be the most difficult position to perform properly and maintain for longer periods. Although, there are many versions of padmasana, with each being less hard and excruciating than the full lotus to keep practicing and mastering it.
The two different versions of the full lotus position are the half-lotus and the quarter-lotus positions. An easier way to think of these positions is as an increase from easiest to most difficult, with the quarter-lotus position being the meditative position for freshers, the half-lotus being for advanced practitioners, and the full lotus is for experts.
The full lotus
The classic meditation pose awakens images of long-bearded yogis easily twisting themselves to pretzel-like shapes. The fact is that a properly performed full lotus position is hard to do, let alone handle for long meditation sessions. Imagine it being full lotus as the true form of sitting cross-legged.
The defining aspects of a full lotus sitting position are fully-crossed legs with each foot laying on the opposite leg’s inner thigh. Using a meditation pillow within this position helps to vertically correct the hips, spine, neck, and head.
You can do this as follows:
- Set the meditation pillow on the floor in the region that you have made as your personal meditation space.
- Make yourself sit comfortably on the forward part of the pillow with your knees bent to sit cross-legged.
- Bring your left foot toward you and rest it on top of your right inner thigh.
- Take your right foot toward you and rest it on top of your left inner thigh.
- Bring your right foot above your left foot.
- There are three major points of contact for the full lotus position: your buttocks on the meditation pillow and your knees on the floor.
- It is a good idea to switch feet frequently. So each foot spends an equal amount of time above the other feet.
Half-Lotus Position
The half-lotus position is the medium version of the full lotus. It is the best way for meditation practitioners to get used to having one foot lie on the inner thigh of the opposite leg. By switching the foot that is raised, enough flexibility can be used to enable the full lotus position.
The Quarter-Lotus Position
The easy lotus position trio is the quarter-lotus, which only needs one-foot rest on the opposite leg’s calf. While the other foot lies on the floor. For those who are not very reachable or have a limited range of movement in their knee and hip joints, this is the best comfortable position to get in for meditation. Both feet lying on the floor while crossing your legs is an alternative to the quarter-lotus.
Easy Pose
A meditation position is very similar to a quarter-lotus pose with the same level of challenge. On the first try, the two positions are the same. The major difference is the position of the high foot and the exposed toes.