How To:

Kneel and fold your feet under so that your toes are pointed straight back and the bottoms of your feet are facing towards the ceiling.  Allow your knees to be spaced close together but comfortably so; usually one to two fists apart is best.  If you desire you may place a meditation seat or cushion onto your calves before you fold into the full pose.  This cushion takes some of the pressure off of your knees.  Allow your bottom to sink down until it rests comfortably on the cushion or on your calves.  This position should allow you to keep your head, neck and trunk straight and comfortable.  If it doesn't, you will need to add thicker padding in between your bottom and calves.  Rest your arms comfortably upon your thighs with palms down, relax your shoulders so that they are still broad and not hunched, but are resting in a natural position. 

Benefits:

This posture is not designed for complete rest or relaxation, but it is calming and provides your body with the straight spine that is needed for proper meditation. 

How To: 

Sit in a chair so your back is not touching the back of the chair.  If this is not comfortable, use the back of the chair making sure your back is very straight. Place both feet flat on the floor about shoulder width apart. This keeps your hips balanced and in provides a stable base for the spine. Allow your shoulders to relax and rest your palms on your thighs. You can let your eyes rest closed or bring them to rest on a point a couple feet ahead of you on the floor.

Benefits:  

This posture provides a straight spine for people who are not limber enough to sit on the floor.  There is no strain or weight placed on the knees allowing more people access to meditation.

How To:

Sit on your cushion with legs straight out in front of you.  Cross your left leg in to touch your right legs thigh.  Cross your right leg in and put your right foot under your left leg. You will want to try and sit more often with the leg that is most uncomfortable to you on top.  This will balance your body.  If sitting in easy pose is to difficult  you can sit with your back flat against the wall.  This will help you sit with your head, neck and trunk in alignment and also give you support.  After a week of practice you should sit with out the wall.  You want to be able to sit comfortably with out any outside support.  That way you will be able to meditate at a park, by the ocean or on a mountain. 

Benefits:

This is a beginning pose, you will see unbelievable benefits from your meditation as you sit upon this stable base.

How To:

Sit on your cushion with your legs straight out.  Fold both knees to one side.  If you need more support, try sitting on both a head cushion and your regular meditation cushion. If you find that you need more cushion on your highest raised leg, you can place a head cushion under your knee as shown in the photo in the posture below.

Benefits:

This alternative pose is for people who have less flexibility in their knees.  It allows people to sit for meditation without causing undo strain on this body part.

How To:

This alternative pose takes some of the strain off of your hips and knees as well.  Sit with one let folded as you would for your regular cross legged meditation pose.  Simply bring your other leg up so that the foot is flat on the floor with the knee straight up and pointed straight ahead.  For this pose, you will need to be elevated more so than the other cross legged poses.  We suggest using two meditation seats piled on top of each other.  Every time you meditate you should switch  which leg you have crossed so that the body maintains its natural balance.

Benefits:

The main benefits in this posture are in its ability to take strain off of the hips and knees, thus allows the mind and body to reach comfort and stillness.

How To:

Begin by sitting with your legs outstretched.  Bend your left leg in towards you and place it by the right thigh.  Bend your right leg towards you so that it rests under your left thigh.  Pull the toes on your right foot up so that they rest between the calf and thigh of your left leg.  To protect your ankles from rubbing uncomfortably together you can us our mulabandha cushion to place between your two ankles.  The mulabandha cushion will also reach to the perineum for any practices that you are undertaking that require you to hold your root lock for long periods of time.

Benefits:

When you have perfected the advanced posture you can sit in it for long periods of time.  Your body will be comfortable and will stop being a distraction to your mind.  This is a pose you will not want to try until you feel comfortable sitting in easy pose.  If this posture does not become comfortable stay with easy pose.  Remember you do not want to create obstacles for your mind.  If something is not comfortable do not push yourself. 

How To:

Lie flat on your back with your legs shoulder width apart.  Rest your head on a relatively thin cushion such as our mini cushion.  This keeps the neck comfortable as well as provides a slight incline for the esophagus; removing the possibility of irritation from stomach acid slipping into the esophagus.  Your arms should be spread to allow roughly 30- 40 degrees between them and the body.  Squeeze your shoulder blades together and allow your arms to rotate so that your palms are facing toward the ceiling.  

Release all of your muscle tension, including your shoulder blades, and let the floor hold all of your weight.  Keep your eyes gently closed with the facial muscles relaxed and breath deeply and slowly through the nostrils.  Starting at the top of the head and working your way down to the feet, bring your attention to each part of your body, consciously relaxing each part in turn.  If thoughts pop into your head (I need to get groceries and pick the kids up by five) recognize them by simply telling yourself, "I'm thinking about ..." then let them pass by refocusing on the flow of the breath.

Remain in  corpse pose between 5 and 15 minutes.

Exiting corpse pose gently after relaxation is also important so that you do not jar your nervous system and body.  When exiting corpse pose you should begin by wiggling your fingers and toes gently.  Follow this with gentle movement in the ankles and wrists, knees and elbows and the hips and shoulders.  Allow your spine and neck to move after this.  Do any cat stretches you feel like at this time.  You know the sort; languid full body stretches with maybe a judicious yawn or sigh thrown in for good measure.  Next, rub your hands together vigorously to produce some heat and place your open palms over your still closed eyes.  Your palms should warm your eyes for a bit before you open them.  The palms allow your eyes to be shaded from the light in the room and allow you to slowly pull your hands away and let the eyes adjust to the light slowly.  Roll unto your left side for 20-60 seconds to allow your body time to re-pressurize and coordinate.  Stand and continue your day with renewed energy and less tension.

What you are Stretching: 

This pose is not for stretching your body but is for stretching your mind.  The corpse pose is for relaxation and inward traveling.  You should be simply enjoying the peace and tranquility this pose offers as you allow your body to release muscle tension and mental stress. 

Benefits:

Provides a body position which allows a minimum amount of energy and muscular tension to maintain.  From this position great rest and relaxation can be achieved.  The benefits of rest on the health and mental state of a person are too numerous to mention.  The highlights of which are the reduction of stress in every physiological system of the body, the natural regulation of blood pressure, the cleansing of toxins and waste and a reduction in chatter of the mind!

How To:

Lie face down with your legs shoulder width apart and your toes pointed outward.  Stretch your arms out above your head shoulder width apart and cross your forearms so that each finger tip rests and your opposite elbow area.  Rest your forehead on your crossed forearms. Adjust yourself so that this pose is comfortable and relaxing.  While in this pose breath deeply so that your abdomen presses firmly into the floor. 

Allow yourself to take slow breaths.  You should practice this posture 5 to 10 minutes each day to make diaphragmatic breathing a habit.  Once you have learned how to breath properly laying down, it should come naturally to you while sitting in meditation.

What you are Stretching:

You are stretching the lower back muscles.  On your next inhale pay attention to your lower back.  The pressure from your diaphragm allows the back muscles to relax and stretch.

Benefits:

The benefit of this pose is for you to be able to learn diaphragmatic breathing.  When laying in crocodile pose you will be able to feel on your inhale your stomach pushing on the ground.  This is diaphragmatic breathing. 

It is the abdomen's pressure on the floor that provides meditators with two key benefits.  The first comes when you are teaching yourself how to breath diaphragmatically.  For many people a great obstacle is that they haven't done enough inward traveling with their mind so that they can isolate and feel each muscle of their thorax individually; they can't consciously control the different aspects of breathing.  *For those who practice yoga and meditation diligently it is this ability to first feel the different responses of the body and mind to situations and then the ability to consciously make changes in response that allows practitioners of meditation, yoga and the martial arts to accomplish such amazing feats of strength courage and productivity.* 

For those attempting to train their bodies to breath more diaphragmatically this pose allows them to feel the pressure on their abdomen when they breath deeply with their diaphragm.  This pressure is very easy to feel when you breath diaphragmatically and therefore allows you to breath properly and learn how to do so properly from other positions.

The second benefit for meditators is the pressure the breath puts on the internal organs of the abdomen.  This pressure helps to tone the muscles of digestion and to increase circulation of fluids in the area.  This combination of effects helps to optimize the function of the digestive system and organs of processing like the intestines, liver and kidneys.  With increased ability to assimilate nutrients and to get rid of wastes the entire body benefits from increased energy, vitality and health.

This pose is also great because you can do it a few minutes before work or before lunch to help calm you and to help get your digestive system primed before a meal.

How to:

Sit on your knees bend forward and place your hands along side your knees palms up.  If it is hard for you to bend forward, place a cushion or blanket to rest your head on. Please be cautious with this pose if you have any knee problems.  An Alternative pose if you have knee problems is to roll on your back and hug your knees into your chest.  Hold your legs around your thighs not your shines, this will put less pressure on your knees.

What you are Stretching:

You are stretching your back, neck and shoulders. Childs pose can relive back pain and is especially good for beginners to perform before and after they sit for meditation.  At first the body may have a little strain from the postures as the body acclimates to the new positions and as you experiment with different cushions and postures.

Benefits:

The Childs pose is great for helping you in your quest for diaphragmatic breathing.  Because you are bent over this compresses your diaphragm allowing you to feel your breath.

How To:

Get onto hands and knees with your toes pointed away from you. From this position you will sit backwards onto your heels while bending forward so that your head rests on the floor.  Your arms should end up outstretched in front of you with your forearms and open palms pressing with a medium force into the floor.  You will find that you will have to find a balance between the tension you are applying with your arms and the relaxation you are trying to achieve in the rest of the body.

To come out of folded leaf, simply bring your arms forward a little bit and return to all fours by pressing into your arms and using your legs against the floor. 

If you find that the folded leaf posture places too much strain on your thighs and back use a mini cushion to rest your head on as you fold down into the pose.

What you are Stretching:

Thighs, lower back and chest, especially the latissimus dorsi, serratus anterior and lower trapezius muscles.

Benefits: 

Folded leaf reduces tension in the lower back and provides a great stretch for the muscles listed above.

How To:

Lie on your back with your knees pulled up into a comfortable position.  Feet should be flat on the floor and shoulder width apart.  Place your arms comfortably at your sides and allow your neck to be supported by a mini cushion if you desire. 

As you inhale diaphragmatically, arch the small of your back so that your tailbone presses into the floor.  As you exhale press the small of your back into the floor.  Continue this motion for 5-15 breaths.  The breath should flow smoothly without hurry, jerks or pauses between the inhalation and exhalation.  Don't tighten the muscles involved in the movement too much.  This stretch should be gentle and relaxing. 

What you are Stretching:

You are primarily focused on stretching the muscles of the lower back, particularly the quadratus lumborum muscle.  This muscle is responsible for most lower back pain that may result from the sitting practices of your meditation.  This movement also provides a gentle stretch to the entire abdomen and hip area.

Benefits:

The movement provides increased circulation to the muscles of the lower back and helps to reduce pain and strain.