Meditation Posture

Question

I can only feel comfortable and relaxed when I set slouching. Whenever I sit perfectly upright I feel knots of tension in my stomach and mind which prevents me from meditating. Any advice?

—andrew, us

Answer

Dear Friend,

I would try sitting upright for just a short period of your meditation. This will help to strengthen your muscles and allow you to sit upright more comfortably. You can also put a pillow on your chair and use it to tilt your upper body so that it is easier to keep your spine upright. Also, doing yoga postures will help you to strengthen your back. Many people feel uncomfortable sitting upright when they begin to meditate but this is overcome as they continue to meditate. Hopefully this will be your experience, too. There is an excellent article on the Ananda Meditation Support site on how to sit comfortably in meditation. Go to www.learn-meditation.org and look under the meditation articles.

In divine friendship,

Bharat