Meditation posture
Below is an excerpt from my forthcoming book… © Mahabodhi Burton 6 minute read This excerpt is from the chapter ‘Buddhist Practice’ and it explores key principles around meditation posture and the ‘body scan.’ It follows on from ‘Contacting the Tangible,’ which led through a physical warm-up followed by a grounding meditation. Meditation posture: the bigger picture People normally think of meditation posture as being the best position that the body can adopt for meditation, for example sitting cross-legged or kneeling astride a cushion, but we can see meditation posture more broadly than this, as being whatever we might do with our body—inside and outside of seated meditation—that supports our mind to be calm, awake and productive of happiness. In other words, anything that supports us practising the four foundations of mindfulness. Regular trips to the gym, having a relaxing Epsom salt bath, the Wim Hof Method, practising Yoga, Tai-Chi, Martial Arts or body-related therapies such as the Alexander Technique all count towards meditation posture in this sense, to the extent they develop vitality and relaxation in our body that is supportive to our meditation practice and our life in general. Perhaps I am risking the wrath of Do-in and Chi-kung teachers here, but I believe the central point in following the exact form of such exercises is less important than our being sensitive to the state of the body being created; our body needs to feel better in our experience. The Buddhist tradition warns meditators against consuming too much or too little food, or having had too much or too little sleep, before meditation for similar reasons. We need to make our own call, in relation to what really works for us from the body’s perspective. Meditation teachers often teach posture extensively before leading people in their first meditations, but I deliberately don’t, as I am wary of encouraging people to think of meditation posture as something to impose on their body, rather than being where one aligns oneself with one’s body’s needs. By leading the Grounding meditation before I teach them more detailed posture, I emphasize the paramount principle that what comes first is listening to what the body needs, and only then choosing a particular way of sitting. More on sitting posture Once meditators understand this, I show them the more comfortable ways that they can sit in meditation. Sitting on cushions, or a chair, is generally better than lying on the floor, as we are less likely to fall asleep; having said this, if we have a bad back or injury, we need to take this into account. We...
Super Relaxation Week
Three principles behind relaxation Following on from the YouTube sessions on stimulation which I taught six months into the pandemic and which featured the ideas of Wim Hof, I taught three sessions on relaxation. I called these ‘Super Relaxation Week.’ The sessions are available below: Day 1 This session contains a led semi-supine relaxation from the Alexander Technique. Day 2 In this session Nishpara, a yoga and meditation teacher who has worked with me at the Manchester Buddhist Centre, leads a very detailed body relaxation and breath meditation. Day 3 In this session I review three principles behind relaxation and introduce the Super Relaxation Week worksheet. Download it...
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