Meditation Cushion

Meditation cushions are a must-have for both beginning and advanced practitice.

Why you need a meditation cushion
One of the most important relaxation techniques available to us today is the practice of meditation which involves silent and motionless introspection achieved by training the mind with a series of mental exercises. There are numerous different techniques to achieve a meditative state depending on our preferences and leanings but all involve sitting motionless with our backs upright for long periods of time and attempting to minimize mental distractions and maximize concentration while remaining alert.

The classical postures require one to sit cross-legged in a pose that provides optimal balance, comfort, steadiness and a straight spine. Of course, the term "comfort" is relative because while these are natural and comfortable poses for people in the orient, they are not easy at all for westerners to assume for even a few minutes, let alone for lengthy time periods. Luckily for us, this problem is solved to a large extent by a simple meditation cushion or pillow.

This crucial accessory does a couple of basic things very well:

• it raises our buttocks off the ground and makes it a little easier to sit cross legged and
• it provides support and protection on hard floors that makes it possible to sit for long periods with a minimum of discomfort.

As with all yoga exercises, we will get better with practice and the ideal is to reach a point where one does not need a pillow or cushion any more. However, this may take several years of rigorous practice and it is therefore good to know that nowadays, even very advanced practitioners use meditation cushions. Keep in mind that if you are unable to sit cross legged at all, even with the help of a cushion, this does not mean you will not be able to practice meditation--far from it.  One of the yoga meditation poses prescribed is Vajrasana and it is designed for people who cannot sit cross legged.  Many people practice just as effectively on a straight-backed chair which has no side arms or a kneeling bench (or meditation bench).  It really does not matter too much how you achieve a good meditation pose. The main requirements are:

• stability & stillness
• spine straight
• comfort for long periods

Cushion types for meditation
A wide range of meditation cushions are available in several sizes, shapes, colors and materials and the best one for you will depend mainly on a couple of things--where you meditate and how firm you want the cushion to be. If you practice on a hard wooden or concrete floor, you will need protection not just for your buttocks but also your ankles and lower legs. In this case, you may want to try out one of the two-piece cushion sets that have a larger support or area cushion, called a zabuton in Japanese, which is almost a small rug and related to the futon, with a smaller one called a zafu on top. If you will be meditating on a soft surface like a carpet or even oudoors on the grass, you can use just the zafu or other small cushion or pillow as long as it does the job as well as specialized cushions for meditation are designed to do.

How firm or thick (higher off the ground) you want your meditation cushion to be is a matter of trial and error but in general, if you are new to sitting cross legged, you will do better with a thicker cushion or pillow. You can find out what the correct height is for yourself by simply sitting on a meditation cushion and crossing your legs loosely. You want a height that will allow your knees to rest a little below your hips, preferably touching the ground. This will give you a feeling of being grounded and solidly rooted to the earth. Some cushions allow you to adjust the thickness by removing or replacing the filler material which will typically be either buckwheat hulls, kapok (a fluffy plant fiber) or natural cotton batting. Of course, synthetic cushions can also be used but they are not easily adjusted for thickness.

Which type of sitting posture or meditation cushion you use will depend on your specific needs and is discussed in greater detail in our buying guide.