Should I Sit in a Chair While Meditating

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Welcome to the Eastwesticism podcast where our host Todd Perelmuter shares the lessons he's learned spending eight years living with gurus, monks, lamas, and shamans across 35 countries and five continents. Join in the journey as he brings the best scientifically proven methods for living your best life from the east and the west, straight to you. The path to peace, love, health and happiness starts here.

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Hello, hello, and welcome to path to peace with Todd Perlmuter. I'm your host, Todd Perelmuter, thank you so much for joining us today I'm going to talk about posture and what way we sit in our meditation. A lot of people wonder things like, is it okay to meditate while sitting in a chair?

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And the answer to that is, if that is what your body needs? If that is what you feel comfortable with at this moment, then 100% Absolutely, yes. One thing we have to remember is as much as we want to sit in perfect Lotus Pose with our feet, upside down on top of our thighs and sitting on a floor with no pillows and being a perfect yogi. 

1:29  
It's important to remember that people from the east are used to sitting on the floor all the time, many don't have chairs, or tables. In the Asia in India, they sit on the floor, they eat on the floor, they do everything on the floor, they cook, they chop vegetables, everything's done on the floor. So this is a comfortable position for them. They're used to it.

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Americans, Westerners, we've got back issues, we have a hard time getting on the ground and getting back up. This is one reason it's actually a great practice to sit on the floor. Or to crouch often, it's actually really good for your legs, your back maintaining mobility as you get older, your knees. So really, it's not a problem. 

2:28  
If you have issues sitting on the floor, it is absolutely acceptable to start out sitting on a chair. If you feel called to sit on a floor, try it out, try sitting on a pillow at first, try sitting with your back up against the wall. And you can slowly progress to that perfect yogi, full lotus pose.

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There is nothing wrong with listening to your body, trusting yourself. And you know, you don't want to add anxiety or stress to something like meditation. Be gentle with yourself, there's no wrong way to do it. Just sitting in meditation is perfect. 

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All of the posture, the length of time, the how long you can focus on your breath or your mantra. Those are the icing on the cake. It's not about the outcome. In meditation, it's just about the moment. And so just sitting in meditation, you're meditating perfectly. You know, some people have injuries and sitting on the floor is not for them.  

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However you can sit, the bare minimum is trying to prop your head up if you have to lie down in bed so you don't fall asleep. You know, the best thing is just try not to fall asleep. Unless you're meditating to help you get sleep if you have sleep issues, and then it's a wonderful thing to do when you're going to bed. But other than that, nothing to worry about. Do what's right for you. 

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Slowly, if it calls to you, you can move towards that perfect yogi pose. And I know that you'll you'll get there if that's what you're hoping for. So best of luck and peace and love.

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