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 meditation 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 poses are natural and comfortable right off the bat for most people in the orient who are used to sitting on the floor, 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. With practice, sitting cross-legged on the floor will become easy and comfortable even without a cushion because it really is the most natural way for humans to sit.

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

• it raises our buttocks off the ground making it a little easier to sit cross legged
• 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 as mentioned already 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 both in the East and the West.  Keep in mind that if you are unable to sit cross legged at all, even with a cushion or pillow, 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 meditation just as effectively even on a straight-backed chair or a kneeling bench (or meditation bench).  What really matters is that you are able to achieve the main requirements which are:

• stability & stillness
• spine straight
• comfortable

Cushion types
There are a wide range of meditation cushions available in several sizes, shapes and materials and the best one for you will depend on a couple of things--what type of surface you will sit on 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) with a smaller one (called a zafu) on top. If you meditate on a more forgiving surface like a carpet or even oudoors on the grass, you can use just the zafu or other small cushion or pillow.

How firm or high you want your cushion to be is a matter of personal trial and error but in general, if you are new to sitting cross legged, you will do better with a thicker and taller cushion or pillow. You can find out the correct height 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. Of course, synthetic cushions can also be used but they are not as easily adjusted for thickness.