Let me make it clear right at the start. There is no perfect posture for meditation that can be recommended for everyone.
But there is a posture that’s perfect for you. And finding that posture is what you should keep working towards, until you do find it one day.
I myself have done my fair share of experiments with various postures and techniques. I paid attention to the tiniest of things related to posture at one point.
And let me tell you that all that doesn’t matter in the end. Being too much finicky about your posture isn’t something that you should be doing, especially when you are new to meditation.
So while I’d recommend you to continue to experiment, to find out that posture that’s perfect for you, at the same time I’d also say that you keep practicing and moving ahead in your meditation, even if your posture doesn’t seem perfect to you.
When I was new to meditation, I so often slouched while meditating, and now that I look back at that time, there is nothing to be ashamed of it, or to regret. Because if I had worried too much about sitting in the right posture at my early stages of meditation, my practice may not have lasted beyond few minutes.
But by being flexible with my posture, I paid attention to the most important thing that’s required to be paid attention to in meditation – the object or focus of our meditation.
There are dozens of ways to meditate and dozens of things one can focus on while meditating. You can focus on your breath, or at a particular point in your body – say between your eyebrows – , or a mantra, or an image of your God, or a thought, or a word.
What’s your point of focus doesn’t matter. What matters is that you stay fully focused on it, or at least as much focused as it’s possible for you, for as much time as you can.
So, if you are new to meditation, and just because of no prior practice you find yourself slouching over, then let me tell you that it’s alright to do so. Just keep getting back to the right posture whenever you become aware about your slouchiness. That’s all. The more you do it, the more you will keep getting aware of your posture, and the more you can keep correcting it.
But do it gently. No need to be angry at yourself when you find yourself in a wrong posture.
And to know what’s a right posture there are a few guidelines we can follow, so here’s what I’d suggest:
1) Try to find a quiet environment for your meditation. It doesn’t have to be perfectly quiet, but the quietest place that you can find at your home.
2) Try to sit cross-legged on the floor if possible. Some people say they find it difficult to sit cross-legged on the floor. In that case, you can sit on the bed or a chair. Don’t use something too much comfortable to sit on though, like a sofa, or some soft thick mattress, otherwise you will feel tempted to lie down or sleep.
The ancient Indian Yogis used to do meditation while sitting, standing, and standing even on one leg. So it’s OK if you start out with sitting on a chair or something. If possible, I’d suggest to keep trying to sit cross-legged on the floor/bed though, just as most of the Yogis used to sit.
In the long run, you’ll need to do it at some point. And it’s sitting cross-legged on the floor, on a thin mat, that I find to be the best for doing my meditation for as long as possible.
3) Keep your back as erect as possible. The key word here is “as possible”. Because if you are not used to sitting erect, then you’ll find yourself slouching after every few seconds. Just get back to sitting as erect as possible when you notice that.
While sitting fully erect isn’t that important when you are starting out, it is tremendously useful as you advance in your practice. So when all the Yogis/Meditators recommended you to sit fully erect while meditating, there is a good reason for it.
And this reason you’ll only know when you advance a lot in your practice. Today, even when I am not meditating, if I simply sit fully erect, meditation automatically starts happening.
I read a long time ago, from some meditation master, that if you only sit erect, and even if you do nothing, meditation automatically happens. At that time I didn’t understand it. Since even if I sat erect back then, it didn’t do much to stop my thoughts from wandering, or made me feel meditative in any way.
But now that I have been meditating for 19 years, I have reached that stage where even if I just sit fully erect, meditation automatically starts happening. So now I understand what that meditation master meant.
So make a mental note of it for now, and try to sit fully erect whenever you can. Besides having a positive effect on your posture, it will also have a positive effect on your meditation practice. So, while meditating, try to keep your back, your neck, and your head straight.
4) Next come the hands. Again, there are multiple things you can try here, and I myself have tried them all. You can place your hands on your knees, or you can place them on your lap.
If you place them on your knees, you can place the palm side on your knees, or you can make the palm face upwards. You can touch your index finger with your thumb.
If you place your hands on your lap, you can put one hand over the other, or you can cross the fingers of your hands with each other.
Even with regards to your legs, you can put one leg over the other, or sit cross-legged – whichever is more comfortable.
There are so many Asanas(postures) even while sitting and meditating, that it will only confuse you if I tell you to check them all out. So just try to keep things as simple as possible for now.
With your back and head straight, your legs crossed, your hands placed properly, you are set to do your meditation.
Just try out the things I mentioned above, and see which one works out the best for you. There is no right or wrong here.
But you want to know an ironic thing? Once you advance in your practice, you’ll be able to meditate in a variety of postures without any trouble. I myself keep shifting between the postures every now and then, depending upon where I am. While sitting on a chair, even while eating, or when I am chatting with others, I place one leg on the chair while the other one remains in contact with the floor, and I sit fully erect. And even then meditation automatically happens. So meditation becomes a part of your life if you keep practicing it as often as you can.
But my favorite way to meditate is to sit on the floor, with one leg placed over the other, and my palms resting on my lap, one over the other. It’s so simple, and I don’t have to even think about it. I just sit like that, and boom – meditation begins instantly.
But the important takeaway from this is that this particular posture is the perfect posture for me. It may or may not be the perfect posture for you. That’s why I suggested you some other options, and if you are not satisfied you can explore more options on your own.
There are tons of resources and pictures and guides you can find on postures. But all those will likely confuse you more than help you at the beginning.
So think about it for yourself. Experiment a little every now and then – no need to be too much obsessive about it. Take it slowly. Keep meditating. Keep improving. Keep adjusting. Keep going back and forth. And, with time, I am sure you’ll figure out your perfect posture.
Just as there are many paths to reach the God, and many ways to meditate, the same way there are many postures that can establish you deeply into your meditation practice. It’s all about tuning and refining these things, and keep doing so, till you find the perfect ones that work the best for you. And find that you will, if you keep going every day at it.
These are all means to the same end, the ultimate end – call it enlightenment, becoming one with God, becoming liberated, or whatever.
Just don’t forget that these are just the means, and not the end in themselves. Don’t lose sight of the end as you get too much obsessed with the means.
Keep meditating, keep growing, keep getting closer and closer to enlightenment with each passing day, and the posture will continue to evolve and adapt as you move ahead in your journey.
And one day it will become perfect. It has for me, and it has for all the Yogis and Meditators before me, and so, it will become for you.
And you’ll know it for yourself when it does. Till then, keep meditating. That’s all there is to it.