A typical meditation pose features a person cross-legged, upright, with hands placed neatly on their knees - this is what people think meditation should look like. It shows up across meditation apps, book covers, and online posts. It subtly pushes people away who feel they cannot achieve that posture. That belief needs to be dismantled, and it starts by understanding what posture is actually for—and what it isn’t. 
The original purpose of sitting posture was read more practical, not ceremonial. Sitting erectly keeps you awake. Sleeping causes you to feel sleepy. That’s really all there is to it. The cultures of antique practitioners who invented these sitting positions were such that floor sitting was entirely a normal day practice. it was learned from childhood. The majority of the population nowadays uses eight or more hours in seats. Expecting instant flexibility is like asking someone to run a marathon without training. Your body isn’t conditioned for that, which results in discomfort and a poor meditation experience. Meditation is the antithesis of pain. When your body is in pain, your focus shifts away from your breath to the discomfort. A good posture allows the body to be ignored, neutral enough that in fact you can turn the attention inside the body without the process being thwarted by the physical aches. Any place which does so is a good meditation place. Even if it looks right, if it causes pain, it’s not beneficial. Using a chair is perfectly acceptable. Feet flat, back upright but relaxed, hands on thighs. It’s a simple and effective position anyone can use. Avoid reclining too far if it makes you drowsy. You can use props like blankets if needed. These are not trade offs or cuts corners. They help make meditation accessible. The other option is kneeling which surprisingly works with people whose cross-legged posture fails two minutes down the line. Support under the hips eases strain on knees and ankles, and naturally aligns the spine while improving stability. It makes sense in most of the Japanese schools of meditation and with reason. the body would be inclined to remain alert without struggling to support itself. It may be worth testing out, before floor-based postures are discounted altogether. Resting becomes a problem. Some practices like yoga nidra use lying down effectively. However, most people associate lying down with sleep. The body often chooses sleep instead of staying aware. Fatigue makes sleep almost inevitable. That being said, in case physical pain or disability renders sitting actually impossible, the deliberate act of lying down will be far superior to not doing anything. Now, be awake as you can. Set an alarm where it is necessary. Some are unaware meditation can involve movement. It is an ancient and natural practice, and suits certain personalities better than stillness. It involves slow, mindful walking with attention on each step, noticing lifting, moving, and placing the foot. It is basing itself on a highly literal level. For those who find stillness uncomfortable, walking meditation is not an inferior form of the setting. It is another path to the same goal. Ultimately, meditation posture comes down to two things: alertness and comfort. You would like to be attentive and you would like to be relaxed so that the body does not keep on intriguing. Details like posture style or setting are not critical. Experiment honestly with different positions. Identify which of them assist you in being present or in making the session a struggle with your own body. Stick with what supports your practice. That’s the whole formula.
The original purpose of sitting posture was read more practical, not ceremonial. Sitting erectly keeps you awake. Sleeping causes you to feel sleepy. That’s really all there is to it. The cultures of antique practitioners who invented these sitting positions were such that floor sitting was entirely a normal day practice. it was learned from childhood. The majority of the population nowadays uses eight or more hours in seats. Expecting instant flexibility is like asking someone to run a marathon without training. Your body isn’t conditioned for that, which results in discomfort and a poor meditation experience. Meditation is the antithesis of pain. When your body is in pain, your focus shifts away from your breath to the discomfort. A good posture allows the body to be ignored, neutral enough that in fact you can turn the attention inside the body without the process being thwarted by the physical aches. Any place which does so is a good meditation place. Even if it looks right, if it causes pain, it’s not beneficial. Using a chair is perfectly acceptable. Feet flat, back upright but relaxed, hands on thighs. It’s a simple and effective position anyone can use. Avoid reclining too far if it makes you drowsy. You can use props like blankets if needed. These are not trade offs or cuts corners. They help make meditation accessible. The other option is kneeling which surprisingly works with people whose cross-legged posture fails two minutes down the line. Support under the hips eases strain on knees and ankles, and naturally aligns the spine while improving stability. It makes sense in most of the Japanese schools of meditation and with reason. the body would be inclined to remain alert without struggling to support itself. It may be worth testing out, before floor-based postures are discounted altogether. Resting becomes a problem. Some practices like yoga nidra use lying down effectively. However, most people associate lying down with sleep. The body often chooses sleep instead of staying aware. Fatigue makes sleep almost inevitable. That being said, in case physical pain or disability renders sitting actually impossible, the deliberate act of lying down will be far superior to not doing anything. Now, be awake as you can. Set an alarm where it is necessary. Some are unaware meditation can involve movement. It is an ancient and natural practice, and suits certain personalities better than stillness. It involves slow, mindful walking with attention on each step, noticing lifting, moving, and placing the foot. It is basing itself on a highly literal level. For those who find stillness uncomfortable, walking meditation is not an inferior form of the setting. It is another path to the same goal. Ultimately, meditation posture comes down to two things: alertness and comfort. You would like to be attentive and you would like to be relaxed so that the body does not keep on intriguing. Details like posture style or setting are not critical. Experiment honestly with different positions. Identify which of them assist you in being present or in making the session a struggle with your own body. Stick with what supports your practice. That’s the whole formula.