A typical meditation pose features a person cross-legged, upright, with hands placed neatly on their knees - that is the image of what meditation is meant to be. 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 the first part of this is to comprehend what posture is really meant to do in a meditation practice, and what it is not meant to do. 
Seated meditation was designed for function, not ritual. An upright posture helps you stay alert. Reclining makes you more likely to drift off. That’s essentially the main reason. Those traditions developed in societies where floor sitting was normal. it was part of their childhood training. Today, most people sit in chairs for many hours a day. It is like asking those hips to go and immediately turn into a pretzel into full lotus pose when one has never even done a day of running in his life. The body is not prepared, and imposing the matter causes pain, distraction and an absolutely horrible meditative experience. The practice is not supposed to be painful. When your knees are shrieking and your lower back is making a protest, your focus shifts away from your breath to the discomfort. A good posture allows the body to be ignored, so your attention is not constantly interrupted by discomfort. Any posture that works for you is correct. Any job that fails to, however conventional it appears to be is not in your favor. Using a chair is perfectly acceptable. Both feet flat on the floor, spine reasonably upright without being stiff, hands lying on the thighs. that is an acceptable and effective meditation pose, which has no special equipment or zero flexibility requirements. Just be careful not to lean back too much and get sleepy. Other individuals even lay a folded blanket beneath their feet in case they are short and the floor seems too distant. These are not trade offs or cuts corners. They are simply expedient modifications which enable the practice itself to occur. The other option is kneeling which surprisingly works with people whose cross-legged posture discover more here fails two minutes down the line. The cushioned or cushioned knee-less kneeling under the buttocks helps to take pressure off the knees and ankles, helping maintain an upright posture comfortably. 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 has not been tried by you before, and is worth experimenting with, before ruling out alternatives. Resting becomes a problem. There are structured techniques based on lying down. The twist is that to most, horizontal translates to sleep. and falling asleep in a meditative session is the best alternative that the body will prefer to take by not participating in the entire activity. If you’re sleep-deprived, you will likely fall asleep every time. If needed, lying down is a valid alternative. Just try to stay aware. Set an alarm where it is necessary. Walking meditation surprises many people. This form has deep historical roots, and can be more comfortable for restless individuals. The practice focuses on the sensation of movement, lifting, moving, where the foot is. It is very grounded and physical. For people who struggle with sitting still, walking meditation is not inferior. It is simply an alternative point into the same territory. Ultimately, meditation posture comes down to two things: alertness and comfort. You want to stay alert while remaining relaxed. Details like posture style or setting are not critical. Be sincere with various postures. Identify which of them assist you in being present or in making the session a struggle with your own body. Use what works best for you. And that is the entire equation.
Seated meditation was designed for function, not ritual. An upright posture helps you stay alert. Reclining makes you more likely to drift off. That’s essentially the main reason. Those traditions developed in societies where floor sitting was normal. it was part of their childhood training. Today, most people sit in chairs for many hours a day. It is like asking those hips to go and immediately turn into a pretzel into full lotus pose when one has never even done a day of running in his life. The body is not prepared, and imposing the matter causes pain, distraction and an absolutely horrible meditative experience. The practice is not supposed to be painful. When your knees are shrieking and your lower back is making a protest, your focus shifts away from your breath to the discomfort. A good posture allows the body to be ignored, so your attention is not constantly interrupted by discomfort. Any posture that works for you is correct. Any job that fails to, however conventional it appears to be is not in your favor. Using a chair is perfectly acceptable. Both feet flat on the floor, spine reasonably upright without being stiff, hands lying on the thighs. that is an acceptable and effective meditation pose, which has no special equipment or zero flexibility requirements. Just be careful not to lean back too much and get sleepy. Other individuals even lay a folded blanket beneath their feet in case they are short and the floor seems too distant. These are not trade offs or cuts corners. They are simply expedient modifications which enable the practice itself to occur. The other option is kneeling which surprisingly works with people whose cross-legged posture discover more here fails two minutes down the line. The cushioned or cushioned knee-less kneeling under the buttocks helps to take pressure off the knees and ankles, helping maintain an upright posture comfortably. 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 has not been tried by you before, and is worth experimenting with, before ruling out alternatives. Resting becomes a problem. There are structured techniques based on lying down. The twist is that to most, horizontal translates to sleep. and falling asleep in a meditative session is the best alternative that the body will prefer to take by not participating in the entire activity. If you’re sleep-deprived, you will likely fall asleep every time. If needed, lying down is a valid alternative. Just try to stay aware. Set an alarm where it is necessary. Walking meditation surprises many people. This form has deep historical roots, and can be more comfortable for restless individuals. The practice focuses on the sensation of movement, lifting, moving, where the foot is. It is very grounded and physical. For people who struggle with sitting still, walking meditation is not inferior. It is simply an alternative point into the same territory. Ultimately, meditation posture comes down to two things: alertness and comfort. You want to stay alert while remaining relaxed. Details like posture style or setting are not critical. Be sincere with various postures. Identify which of them assist you in being present or in making the session a struggle with your own body. Use what works best for you. And that is the entire equation.