Thursday, October 01, 2009

Meditation: Choosing the Right Meditation Pillow

By Chris Le Roy

Whether you realize it or not choosing the right meditation pillow can make a huge difference to the success of your meditation session. Most people when starting out on learning the technique of meditation will simply sit on the floor and try to meditate with no support at all. However, trying to maintain the right posture for any period of time is quite a challenge and will simply lead to an unsuccessful meditation session.

Before choosing a meditation pillow you must first understand where you are going to be undertaking the meditation session. For example, you will need a different style of meditation pillow for soft grass to meditating on wooden floors or on concrete.

If your meditation session is to be undertaken on grass then you simply need a light weight pillow which has a soft inner fill. Generally a nylon based fill for this type of session will suffice. It is also worthwhile getting a meditation pillow that is machine washable as well because if you are sitting on this pillow on the grass it will get dirty and if you do not wash it, you may find that the grass stains will not wash out after a while.

If you are meditating on harder surfaces like wood or concrete, I recommend using a two stage pillow. Essentially, the base of the pillow is a solid style foam, with the top part of the pillow being made of either duck down or a soft synthetic inner fill. You will find that if you use a normal pillow on harder surfaces for any period of time that you will find it difficult to get up or more so, a sore rear. If you are not comfortable during your meditation session then the bottom line is that you will focus on the discomfort rather than the meditation.

If you find sitting up straight on the floor difficult to do, you can purchase from quality meditation suppliers, meditation pillows that also include a back support as well. The meditation pillows that contain this are almost like chairs for the floor. The key advantage of this style of meditation pillow is that by keeping your back straight, during the meditation session you will be helping ensure that you control your breathing more effectively.

I certainly encourage you to try out your meditation pillow before you buy. Ensure that when you sit on the pillow that it supports your weight and that you are not sitting directly on the floor. Make sure also while you are sitting on your pillow that it does support your back and that you do not naturally slump over on the pillow.

For an effective meditation session, you need to ensure that you have a well structured posture, that you are comfortable and that you can relax without any niggling pain or pressure. Be aware that if you feel an unusual pressure as you sit that this is the first warning sign that you are about to experience pain in that area.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Are Meditation Chairs Really That Good?

By Tia Ormond

Meditation is a simple ancient art to clear the mind and refresh the soul, so why would you need to buy a meditation chair ? Read on to find out why it is money well spent!

The health benefits of meditation are well known, but so many people give up before they enjoy them because they find that sitting in traditional meditative or yoga-style poses gets very uncomfortable, very fast. It's difficult to relax and unwind your mind when your back is hurting, your legs are stiff and sore, your ankles are pressing into the floor or your bottom has gone to sleep!

When you are new to meditation these problems can be worse, because your body is not accustomed to being in meditative poses. These aches and pains may prevent you from achieving a deep and calming meditative state, and may mean you abandon the practice before you realize all the tremendous benefits of meditation. Being more inflexible because of age, injury or medical conditions like arthritis may also prevent a comfortable and productive meditation.

It would be a shame to give up because of these discomforts, because meditation can help ease and even prevent some of these conditions. So whether you are a beginner or experienced, young or old, healthy or injured, a meditation chair will help to make your sessions much more enjoyable and productive .

Meditation Chairs are specially designed to make your meditation experience more rewarding. They can help you maintain an upright but relaxed and comfortable state, where you can fully appreciate and enjoy your meditation experience .

Meditation chairs help relieve aches and pains by supporting your body. Most have ergonomic angles that relieve the pressure on your lower back, or cushions that raise the hips and provide padding for the ankles.

The early Chinese Meditation chairs were simply a chair with a widened seat to allow the legs to be drawn up and crossed. They didn't look very comfortable, but they did give support to the back and the option of meditation up off the floor.

You can still find simple, wooden meditation chairs which are designed to support your body . But there is also a wide range of softer, more supportive meditation chairs available now, each with various features that suit different body types and meditative positions.

Meditation chairs can help both beginners and the experienced achieve a comfortable, more rewarding meditation, which is why many feel that a specialized meditation chair is well worth the investment .