Your search for Effective Meditation, The Missing Link

Once upon a time, thirty some years ago I began my meditation practice. It all started in my junior year of college at chilly Northern Michigan University. I was initiated into a popular meditation tradition. In the intervening years, I have struggled to keep this practice going and over time because of the struggle, I have invested a lot of money into other types of meditation that promised to help me clear my mind of thoughts.

It was not until very recently that I was introduced to the traditional meditation cushion. What a revelation!! I did not realize all those years of struggling could have been avoided by simply having a proper meditation cushion to assist me in getting into the proper posture for optimizing the breath and aligning the spine.

It turns out that when you sit cross legged on the floor, your knees are positioned above your hips and your pelvis is tipped back making it nearly impossible to get a deep breath or get the spine to stay straight! But by simply sitting on a firm meditation cushion that is right for your size and flexibly level, your knees easily rest on the floor, your pelvis angles slightly forward and your spine is automatically straight and it will stay that way with ease throughout your meditation session.

So after 30+ years of struggling and umteen dollars spent on more and more techniques promising to help me meditate, I have finally found the solution to my meditation dilemma! Meditation Cushions! I never would have guessed it could be so easy!

The reason for this article is to perhaps help you in your search for enlightenment by introducing you to the missing link in your meditation practice.

The Zen Buddhist tradition is responsible for these magical meditation aids.

The Zabuton is a flat padded mat that creates the sacred space for your session while insulating you from a cold floor and providing padding for your knees as they form 2 parts of your sturdy tripod base.

The Zafu is the firm round cushion you set your bottom on for the third leg of the tripod.

Modern zafus have been invented that are more crescent shaped and provide support for the thighs as well and are heaven for older, larger or less flexible practitioners.

If you are new to meditation or have been practicing for years, be sure to try some traditional meditation cushions. If you have been sitting on the floor or in a chair, remember the knees need to be below the hips to get the spine to stay perfectly aligned and easily straight for long sitting sessions. I know you will be amazed like I was that meditation cushions can actually help you get your meditation practice to the next level, whatever you want it to be. Best wishes to you all.