Sit Up and Take Note

If you're having difficulty meditating because of back pain, you could be sitting incorrectly.

By Judith Lasater

In order to enjoy meditation and sit satisfactorily in chairs, we must also pay attention to the position of the thighs. One of the problems with most chairs is that they force us to sit with our thighs in a horizontal position, or worse yet, with our knees higher than our hip sockets. As soon as we raise the knees to the same level or higher than the hip sockets, the pelvis tilts backward, and the lower back rounds. Not only does this position of the lower back become uncomfortable because it strains the muscles, but it also puts pressure on the intervertebral discs, those plump spongelike structures which help keep the vertebrae apart, thus allowing enough space for the spinal nerves to pass through into the body. When we sit with a rounded back, we compress and flatten the fronts of the discs, putting pressure on the spinal nerves, which in turn can cause pain and dysfunction of the spinal muscles.

According to Galen Cranz in The Chair: Rethinking Culture, Body and Design (W.W. Norton & Company, 1998) when we sit with our thighs at a 125 to 135 degree angle to the hip sockets, it is much easier to sit comfortably. A traditional meditation cushion like the Zen zafu helps us to do this. So does a Norwegian Balans chair—the one with a slanted seat and knee support.

Sitting in a chair can be improved by carefully picking the chair used for most sitting; it should encourage the normal lumbar curve and a neutral pelvis position. When driving, I have found that a bath towel, folded in half the long way, then rolled and secured with rubber bands and placed at the back waist can be helpful. Meditation, or just sitting on the floor, however, needs some more attention.

To improve your meditation position, first take stock. Sit in an easy cross-legged position on the floor without the use of any props and spend a few moments observing your posture. If you are like most of us, your knees will lift up higher than your pelvic rim, and your lower back will round. The first and most important step in correcting your sitting position is to elevate the pelvis. Start with three blankets which have been folded into a rectangular shape. Then sit cross-legged on the corner of the stacked blankets so that your buttocks are on the blankets and your thighs are off. (If you just sit on the edge of the blankets and not the corner, you may have many of the same difficulties you have sitting on the floor; everything is just raised higher.) Adjust the number of blankets in your stack until you find the appropriate height that allows your knees to drop lower than your hip sockets. (Remember the 125 to 135 degree rule!) Spend a moment noticing how your lower back feels. It should be arched slightly inward at the waist.

The next point of concentration is the arm position. If you place your hands on your knees, as is often recommended, the tendency may be for the weight of the arms to pull you forward. The arms can weigh as much as 15 pounds. So try placing the hands on the tops of the thighs near the belly; turn the hands so that the little fingers rest on the thighs and the palms face the abdomen; keep the fingers relaxed. Make sure that the elbows fall behind the side seam on your clothes, and allow enough space under your armpits to hold an egg.

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