Have E.D.S, can't sit cross legged; does it matter?

I have ehlers danlos and my fibulas dislocate when I try to sit cross legged since a child. I’ve always been interested in magick but I feel I’ve not made any progress in my meditation because I physically can’t get into a meditation position. Does it matter at all, or is just my subconscious preventing me from progressing because I believe I can’t - due to physical limitations?

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cross legged is not necessary. The key point of a meditation posture is to get the spine straight, or as straight as possible. Out side of that the posture you take should be a comfortable posture you can sit in for an extended period.

The lotus posture is nice for some subtle reasons, but isn’t a prerequisite. If you want to sit of the ground cause it puts you in a more , meditative frame of mind, try the half lotus posture or the burmese posture. If not, then a regular straight back chair will do :slight_smile:

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Nope! :thumbsup:

The meditation groups and classes I did years ago almost all used chairs, wooden chairs, and you take your shoes off so your bare feet can rest on the floor, which is relaxing and quite grounding (especially for people who wear shoes all day at work).

The book New Avatar Power recommends using a straight-backed chair (like a dining room chair) and the use of a seated posture is widely accepted, the only common feature if to keep your back as stable as possible.

You can also lie down with your back straight, raise your knees slightly if that helps take pressure off your lower back. You risk falling asleep more easily but it is the posture widely used in core shamanism, and it can suit some people better than sitting.

This article is worth reading:

Detailed guide to using a chair:

And more:

It’s my personal belief (backed by experience and observing others) that there is NO physical or mental issue exists which completely disbars a person from meditating and doing magick, you have manifested in this form and your soul can work around it. :thumbsup:

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I have fibromyalgia and its hard for me to sit in certain positions so i just sit in a chair.

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It doesn’t matter. I usually sit on my bed or lie down to meditate.

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Regardie wrote in a book about his experience with Padmasana, then summed up what Patanjali taught on Asanas: the only important position is the most steady and comfortable.
There’s also the “chair version” of zazen, which is probably born following this school of thought.

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Thank you all! I suppose my hardest obstacle is myself. I will read links on meditating in chair and take notes!

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Hey even I can’t sit cross legged but I sit in half lotus posture. It’s not that your subconscious is preventing you from doing it. I sit in half lotus posture and lean against the wall as I have a weak back. Initially I couldn’t sit for 2-3 minutes but gradually it ll increase. Now I can easily sit for half an hour. Even though thoughts come to my mind I can easily get back to my breath. If you’re finding it difficult to meditated I suggest you try active meditations where you need to use your body in the initial stage and later you observe your body. Just google Osho’s kundalini meditation. It’s powerful and its cathartic and perfect for beginners who finding it difficult to meditate. First week it might be physically tiring but after it ll be very easy. You ll be standing and making random bodily (subtle) movement to raise kundalini for first 25 mins and then you will observe your body but if you can’t stand then suggest you read his book called book of secrets. It contains more than 100 meditations.

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Meditation happens in your head, not your hips - that’s for disco dancing! :wink:

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