The Posture of Meditation: position matters

Relaxing in the body of meditation

(Shambhala Mountain Center, 6/19/15) Some of the Buddha's earliest meditation instructions (Maha Satipatthana Sutra) emphasize the centrality of the body in terms of the breath in the process of relaxing into deeper states of absorbed awareness and realization.

Author Will Johnson obsesses about these teachings of the Buddha and has for decades. He is skillful at passing along the wisdom to modern students of meditation.

In this five minute video, he guides us to contemplate the degree to which we are connected with our body, and how cultivating more subtle bodily awareness may allow us to deepen further into our sitting meditation practice.

The Posture of Meditation

When it comes to meditation practices, the body is as important as the mind — a fact that may surprise many people who regard meditation as strictly a mental activity.

As Will Johnson shows, the physical aspect of the practice is often under-emphasized.

The alert-yet-relaxed sitting posture (lotus position) is the common denominator of many meditative techniques, for it is a wonderful aid to clearing the mind and opening the heart.

It also works to activate the natural healing energies of body and mind. The author offers guidance and exercises for working with the posture of meditation and advice on how to carry its benefits on into all facets of life. More

New edition

What does it mean to awaken through this living body? In his essential guidebook, Will Johnson shows how meditation can be immeasurably enriched through an embodied approach.

The Posture of Meditation features a range of simple practices based on the principles of alignment, relaxation, and resilience.

This book is a classic book—now with a new section detailing the transformative power of the path of somatic meditation—has helped thousands of people to begin their meditation practice, to refine it, and to experience depths they never thought possible. More