Sitting Meditation – Regulating the Mind and Breath in Sitting, for Better Health

Many people spend most of their days in a seated position. "Sitting" has not only become habitual, but has also caused many to suffer health problems due to poor sitting posture, in addition to prolonged sitting. Making good use of meditation methods not only helps us prevent disease, but also greatly boosts our spirits.

Have you ever counted how much time you spend sitting in a single day? Each day, commuters take public transportation to work early in the morning, while motorists "sit" in their cars in order to travel to the office. After arriving at the office, they continue to sit while working, attending meetings, and eating. When they return home, they watch TV, read, surf the Internet, and play video games. On holidays, they watch movies, drink coffee, sit, and rest in the park. Think about it: modern people almost "sit through" their daily activities.

In an international seminar on exercise and health, a number of scholars from Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan all noted in their published research papers that modern people are increasingly more susceptible to various diseases and cancers, due to excessively prolonged sitting, as well as insufficient exercise. In Japan, those who have to sit for a prolonged period at work are referred to as "living a sedentary lifestyle" and the various diseases caused by prolonged sitting are collectively referred to as "lifestyle diseases". This shows that modern people have not only developed a habit of "sitting", but have also suffered various health issues as a result. 

How Much Do We Know about the Problems of "Sitting"?

Insufficient exercise is a major cause of lifestyle-related diseases. Dr. Frydson, an American fitness expert, pointed out that the prevalence of diabetes in the United States has increased significantly over the past 50 years, mainly because the proportion of Americans living in a sitting position has increased significantly, thereby increasing the obesity rate and leading to more and more diseases.

Our sit bones mainly bear pressure from a sitting position. Thus, sitting for a long time with the sit bones receiving unevenly distributed force or with incorrect postures will easily increase the pressure on the intervertebral disc, thereby making the cartilage protrude backward, compressing the nerve, and causing sciatica. Therefore, sciatica is not a patent for the elderly; young people can also suffer from protruding intervertebral cartilage.

People taking a long-distance drive or economy-class travel by plane should be alert for the occurrence of "traveller's thrombosis", especially when their ankles are too swollen to wear shoes. Often caused by long periods of sitting when travelling by bus, car, plane, or train, this syndrome is also called the "economy class syndrome". Xie Yinghua, director of the Family Medicine Department of Taipei Medical University Affiliated Hospital, pointed out in a medical report that blood stasis, muscle tension, and the pressure on the legs in the seated position, among other factors, are the causes of blood clots. In this regard, pregnant women, smokers, patients with varicose veins, the elderly over 60, and overweight individuals are all high-risk groups. However, even healthy young people mustn't ignore this. Former US Vice President Quayle once had to be sent to hospital for treatment of traveller's thrombosis that arose from a long-distance flight.

To avoid back pain when travelling long journeys by plane, train, bus, or car, it is advisable to do 5 minutes of easy exercises before setting off, to stretch your back and leg muscles and as an antidote for fatigue. While seated during the journey, you can also practice abdominal muscle contractions, shoulder rotations, seated toe lifts, and seated calf lifts. These exercises can prevent blood clots.

While at work, correct sitting postures can reduce fatigue. The height of the chair actually affects your sitting posture. Positioning your chair too high or too low can create a burden for the cervical and lumbar spine. Therefore, while seated, avoid sitting fully on the chair, do not lean back, keep your back straight, and keep your body from tilting. If you work for long hours, you can put a small pillow behind your waist to help keep it straight. Also, keep your head erect, with your chin tucked in and your lower abdomen relaxed. Next, check if you are keeping your shoulders flat and whether your shoulder muscles are stiff. Make sure the height of the chair allows your knees to bend at 90 degrees, keeping a distance of approximately one fist between them. Place the soles of the feet flat on the ground. This is the most correct sitting posture.

Frequent computer users should pay more attention to the position of the keyboard, so that the elbow joints are bent at 90 degrees, with the cervical spine, thoracic spine, and lumbar spine maintaining normal curvature. While looking at the computer screen or writing, let your eyes be naturally cast downward instead of trying to tilt your head forward. Most crucial to avoiding sitting problems is to maintain awareness of your sitting posture, as well as making sure you get up and move around after working for a certain period of time.

Meditation is Good for Health

Prolonged sitting can likely make one suffer from "lifestyle-related diseases." However, the exact opposite is the case with sitting meditation. As Master Sheng Yen put it, correct meditation sitting postures can enhance our physical health, relax the muscles, joints and nerves throughout the whole body, and help the endocrine system, digestive system and circulatory system function normally. Furthermore, as Dharma Drum Mountain's Chan Practice Center noted, there are four "loopholes" in the human body. When sitting in meditation, we use mudra forming and cross-legged sitting to fill up these four loopholes, thereby shortening the distance of the normal body circulation path. As such, regular meditation practitioners are mostly full of energy. For some, their chronic illnesses can even be cured without having to take any medicine.

Dr. Ye Ruiqi from the Department of Nephrology at Mackay Hospital explained that sitting in meditation by first adjusting one's breathing can inhibit excessive activation of sympathetic nerves, as well as activate parasympathetic nerves to achieve a balance in the operation of the autonomic nervous system. Activating the parasympathetic nervous system can dilate blood vessels, lower blood pressure, and produce a calming effect. Therefore, for those who are deeply relaxed in meditation, their two meridians of Ren (Conception Vessel) and Du (Governing Vessel) vessels can naturally open up. Highly skilled meditation practitioners can make do without eating or sleeping for a few days, because their body and mind are in a very relaxed state, with reduced metabolism as well as lowered heartbeat and breathing rate.

As Master Sheng Yen noted in his book entitled "Liberated in Stillness and Motion", "Many chronic diseases are caused by stress in life and mental tensions. Through meditation, one learns to relax the body and mind, achieve balance, and improve overall health." In the "Discourse on Experience in Chan", he also noted, "Sitting meditation is the best means to uncover the great mental and physical being which lay dormant deep within a person's mind and body."

The cross-legged sitting posture is called the "lotus position". In fact, in the Buddha's time, non-Buddhists also used various types of sitting posture for meditation practice. But, why did the Buddha advocate sitting in the lotus position? As the "Great Treatise on the Perfection of Wisdom" (Skt. Mahā-prajñāpāramitā-śāstra) points out, "Of all the sitting methods, sitting in the lotus position makes one feel most stable and the least tired. This is the sitting method of a meditator. With hands and legs folded, the mind does not become scattered. It also possesses the most calming demeanor, among all the four kinds of body postures. This is the way of sitting in meditation for the sake of attaining the Path."

The method of sitting meditation is clearly stated in the "Deportment of Sitting Meditation" by ChangluZongyi of the Song Dynasty: "When you want to sit in meditation, find a quiet and serene place, cover your seat with thick clothing items, and loosen your clothes. Make sure your posture is neat, and then sit in the lotus position. First, place the right foot up on your thigh, and the left foot up on your right thigh. Or, alternatively, sit in the half-lotus position, but just rest the left foot on the right foot. Then, put the right hand on the left foot, the left palm on the right palm, with the tips of thumbs touching each other. Slowly lean your body forward, and then sway left and right, thereby sitting straight and upright, without tilting to the left or right, crouching forward, or stretching backward. Let the waist, spine, head and neck joints support each other, like a pagoda. However, do not overly stretch your torso upward, which can lead you to become agitated and restless…" Sitting up straight is done for the sake of harmonizing the mind, and a correct posture is not only good for your health and composure, but can also greatly help boost your spirit.

Meditation Helps Improve Our Quality of Life

Our sitting posture can significantly impact our spirit. Maintaining a correct sitting posture is of great benefit for our spirit and work efficiency throughout the day. Sitting in a lazy position causes one to become sluggish, whereas a correct sitting posture helps boost our spirit and dispel our fatigue. Master Sheng Yen said: The methods of Chan practice are meant to help us move from a scattered and troubled self to one that is unified and free of afflictions. The methods are not limited to seated meditation, and can be practiced in our daily life. In fact, anywhere in life, we can always engage in practice by using a correct sitting posture, along with the concepts and methods of Chan practice.

Zen sitting

1. Sit in a comfortable position and try to put your weight on the chair.
2. Keep the soles of your feet as flat on the ground as possible, and feel the center of gravity of your whole body placed on your buttocks.
3. Slowly relax the lower abdomen, as well as the face and eye muscles.
4. If you have to sit for a long time, you can try using a small waist pillow to keep your waist straight.



Related articles:

Chan is Everywhere in Daily Life

Walking – With Calm and Steady Steps

Standing – Relax Your Body and Mind to Lighten Your Burden

Sitting Meditation – Regulating the Mind and Breath in Sitting, for Better Health

Optimal Sleep Postures --for a Steady Mind and Body, and a Sound Sleep



Resource: Issue 232 of Humanity  Magazine, Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation
Photos: Dharma Drum Mountain 
Translation: Christina  
Editing: Keith Brown, Chiacheng Chang (張家誠)