Reflections on Key Meditation Text

1- I sit on about 3 square feet blanket, while facing a big mirror or a wall. You may experiment recommended postures to see which one suits you the best as long as you can sit 20-30 minutes in stable fashion, without movements and discomfort. If you cannot sit on the floor, you may sit on a chair, adopting the essential features of the relevant posture. I also place thick cushion under the buttocks and ensure it does not reach the thighs. This placement helps me sit well. It also helps to wear loose clothes that do not tighten any part of the body.I use the mirror, to go back to it, to correct my posture. When I visit meditation centers, I notice the Zafu, cushion, and Zabuton, the blanket-like thing that the cushion sits on, enhances my chances of sitting well, as well.

2- One can get them around $70, if one desires them. I intend to do so sometime in the nearer future. In the mean time, I shall use an ordinary cushion and blanket. They are not necessarily designed for prolonged period of sitting, but they will suffice for now.

3- I either sit in straddling position or in the modified Burmese style. I generally start with the former and end up with latter, usually after 45 minutes or so. I sandwich walking or running between them, depending on my inclination and opportunities available a the time. Doing so, in any case, helps me stabilize.

4- I straddle the cushion just as a person straddles a horse and then I fold my feet backward, not letting the feet sit on the cushion sideways, but placing their upper side on the cushion. Afterwards, I push the waist forward, as the author recommends it, thereby bulging the stomach forward. To do this more effectively, I tilt the pelvis a little bit forward and then push the waist forward. If I do this, then the belly will protrude forward. The spinal column, viewed from a side, in this scenario, is not straight, but curved.
5- Doing so had allowed me to solve one of my biggest challenges: I have habituated stressing my shoulders when I deal with challenging situations and by implication, I have subjected myself to some degree of physical and mental instabilities.

6- The author identifies a causal mechanism through which stress placed on the upper part of the body leads to mental and physical instabilities: disturbance of the balance of the internal organs located on the upper part of the body. Pushing the waist forward shifts the stress from the upper part of the body and places it on lower part of the body, especially the lower abdomen, where stress contributes to physical and mental stabilities.

7- I also ensure the buttocks and the knees form a triangle that holds the weight of the body, as recommended by the author.

8- My mind,I noted, after meditation session, in which among other things, I placed stress on lower part of the abdomen, becomes quiet and slow, and by implication gains a capacity to labor slowly but surely.

9- This generally allows me to maintain stable posture and very quite mental state, provided I still, that is I make no movements, and breathe as recommended.

See the link below to get the text:


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