Discover Four Different Meditation Positions

By: Laura Whitelaw Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Meditation has been practiced since ancient times for the advantages it brings. Incorporating meditation into your daily life can have a dramatic affect on your peace of mind and attitude toward life. There are as many forms and techniques of meditation with many different postures or positions that you can take during your practice.

One of the most well known positions for meditation is the cross legged position or lotus position. Many instructors teach their students this position which requires that you sit tall with a straight spine. You must avoid slouching because it can disrupt the free flow of energy or life force through your body.

Since Westeners are often not comfortable sitting in the lotus position, a popular meditation position is to simply sit in a chair with feet planted firmly on the floor and legs uncrossed. Your hands can lay comfortably in your lap or with your palms facing upward. Again, you must keep your back straight and tall and your head in alignment when taking a seated position.

With a kneeling meditation position, the meditator kneels while seated on the backs of his or her heels. The hands rest on his or her thighs. Once again, this position is one that is often difficult for Westerners and if you're not used to it, it can cause damage to your knees.

The corpse pose (which may sound morbid) can also be referred to as the lying down position. The meditator lies on their back on the floor, preferably on a carpet or yoga mat and allows their arms to rest at their sides and their palms to roll upward. Their legs are straight and their feet are gently turned outwards. This is a wonderful meditation posture for stress relief but it is much easier to fall asleep in this position.

You can also add hand positions to your meditation practice. For example, you can rest your right hand over your left with your thumbs pressed together. Another is to form a circle with the thumb and index finger of each hand. You can further induce a state of deep meditation by using a mantra or by focusing on your breathing. There are many ways of meditating born out of many traditions. The hardest part in meditation is finding a technique that works for you but you need to stick with a technique for more than a few weeks at a time before changing it.

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About The Author: Did you know that stress is most often the cause for major illnesses including cancer and heart disease? To learn how to reduce your stress using meditation techniques, visit Stress Reduction Meditation Laura Whitelaw is a Certified ZPoint Practitioner and Meridian Tapping Coach. Visit The Way To Bliss Now to get access to a free prosperity audio to shed your stress and manifest the life you dream of!