I used to have a very relaxed attitude about meditation.
Some of that I have held on to as my meditation practice evolves.
For example, I decided to stop using a timer.
I just meditate as long as I need until I feel alert and awake, in the present moment.
The feeling I shoot for is the type I get right after exercise, like swimming, where I am relaxed but alert at the same time.
Over the couple of years I have been meditating, I have tried out many different positions.
My favorite and least favorite are lying down.
This is best when lying down on the floor, because it is a relaxed position and lets me focus on my breathing.
A word to the wise - do not do this meditation position on your bed.
I have done this meditation right after I woke up.
It was a recipe for disaster, of course, because I immediately fell asleep instead.
There is also the position of sitting in the chair.
I have tried this but tend not to like it.
On the surface, it seems like a great position for meditation.
Your back is straight with the back of the chair, your feet are resting on the floor, and you can feel as you breathe.
The issue I have with this meditation is slouching.
Every time I sit in a chair and meditate, my body does not want to be alert.
Naturally, all I do is slouch down, rest my feet on the desk, have a collapsed posture, and breathe more shallowly.
Recently I have discovered the best position.
It is the lotus position.
What I do for the lotus position is cross my legs or make a diamond shape with my legs and put my two feet together.
By sitting like this on the floor, it forces my back to be straight.
This is difficult at first.
Eventually my back is straighter more naturally.
What's great about this position is it forces me to focus on keeping my back straight.
When my back is straight, I can breathe more deeply, and then focus on my breath and alternate nostril breathing.
The purpose of this article is to reveal a couple of useful meditation positions.
Of course, no meditation position is inherently better than the other, because people have their own preferences.
I have found through my experience that lying down or using the lotus position for meditation make my meditation practice much more successful.