Guidelines for a Good Meditation Posture

1. Sit up straight.
   We try to keep our back, our neck and our head in a straight line. The tip of your nose is right over and in one line with your navel. When we sit up straight that is good for optimum breathing and energy circulation. Besides: a straight posture costs us the least energy. And a straight posture radiates confidence, independence, self esteem and alertness, exactly the qualities that we want to develop through meditation.


2. Back, neck and shoulders should be relaxed.
   The area of the upper back, the shoulders and the neck is the area where stress and tension easily manifest themselves. This tension often causes a worsening of our posture. On the other hand: when we have a hollow or bulging posture this leads to tension in the areas mentioned. We often hear that as people meditate more and more often the tense areas mentioned get more and more relaxed and it becomes easier for them to sit up straight. If we try to force ourselves to sit up straight through the use of force we often discover that we cannot keep doing this for a long time and soon all sorts of aches make our meditation more difficult.


3. We sit still.
   When we sit still we can observe our mind. We can also see how our body reacts to activity in our mind and visa versa.


4. During the meditation our hands rest on our knees or in our lap.
   The result is that the arms can relax. The hands can rest in an open position, with the thumb and the forefinger touching. (chin mudra). Or we can lay down our hands in any position we like.


5. We should keep our head well-balanced straight over our spine.
   It should feel like a string being attached to the top of the head that holds up the head. The chin is a little drawn back with the result that the neck and shoulders relax. The tip of the nose forms one line with the navel and is exactly over it and the ears form one line with the shoulders. When you sit up straight with a stretched out neck it feels a bit as if your head has become weightless.


6. The face is relaxed.
   Let the tongue get heavy and keep the jaw and all details of the face relaxed during the meditation.


7. As you wish you can keep your eyes open or closed.
   Closed eyes help you to direct your attention inwards. Open eyes direct the attention both inwards and outwards. Many people like a soft but staring focus during their meditations. We advise beginners to meditate with their eyes closed.

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