Does anyone sit in a chair?

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mddrill
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Does anyone sit in a chair?

Post by mddrill »

I've been sitting in a chair because of knee pain in the cross legged postures. But after a while I get pain in my tailbone because all my weight is on my butt, unlike seiza and cross legged postures where your weight is distributed evenly.

Does anybody know how to avoid this?
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Ayu
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Re: Does anyone sit in a chair?

Post by Ayu »

I knew someone who had a hard foam rubber padding in form of a wedge. She put it on the chair to sit on it. The effect was that the back has to come into a straight posture naturally.
Some part of the weight is distributed to the thighs and the feet. Her wedge was about 10 cm high ont the big side. It was higher than the ones on these fotos:
http://www.benefind.de/image.php?q=Sitzkeil" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Queequeg
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Re: Does anyone sit in a chair?

Post by Queequeg »

Have you tried sitting on an exercise ball? Sized correctly, you will almost be in a seated position avoiding pressure on your knees. You will also be "forced" to sit in an upright and balanced posture. Finally, the ball is going to have the proper give to minimize pressure on your tail bone. It will also have the added benefit of improving your core strength.
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Myoho-Nameless
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Re: Does anyone sit in a chair?

Post by Myoho-Nameless »

I sit in a chair. I don't see why it should be a problem. I often have a pillow behind my back however in addition.
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DGA
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Re: Does anyone sit in a chair?

Post by DGA »

Queequeg wrote:Have you tried sitting on an exercise ball? Sized correctly, you will almost be in a seated position avoiding pressure on your knees. You will also be "forced" to sit in an upright and balanced posture. Finally, the ball is going to have the proper give to minimize pressure on your tail bone. It will also have the added benefit of improving your core strength.
Great idea here.

Improved core strength will also affect the angle of your pelvis, which may help with the discomfort you experience with your tailbone. And it won't hurt to strengthen your glutes as well.

However, if by "sit" you mean "meditate," then it might present some problems. Part of the point of meditation is stillness. You want to build a stable frame from the ground up. Exercise ball sitting can be a bit wobbly, unless you have very good balance and form. Perhaps brief periods on a cushion or in a chair, with longer periods on the ball?
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lorem
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Re: Does anyone sit in a chair?

Post by lorem »

I sit in chair. Do you sit at tip of chair? There should be some videos on the tube--maybe one has idea for healthier distribution of weight or some tips.

EDIT I do know of someone who is a serious meditator and I believe has used a chair for some time if I'm correct. See if I can pass your question along.
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lorem
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Re: Does anyone sit in a chair?

Post by lorem »

Okay here is the response. If you try this post your results for us all. I'm gonna try it also.

"suggest two things.

1. Get a piece of 2x4 and put it under the rear legs of the chair. This will raise the back by about 1.5 inches. The slightly tilted seat makes sitting in a chair much easier on the back and distributes the weight more evenly.

2. Put a thin cushion, dense foam preferably, on the chair. The cushion should be .5 to 1" thick, just enough to take out the hardness of the seat."
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mddrill
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Re: Does anyone sit in a chair?

Post by mddrill »

Thanks I'll try that
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Paul
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Re: Does anyone sit in a chair?

Post by Paul »

I meditate on my sofa. Feels great.
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Qing Tian
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Re: Does anyone sit in a chair?

Post by Qing Tian »

I have two things to say here:

1. Don't use a Swiss ball unless you are only going for a few minutes. Prolonged exposure (use) may lead to all sorts of issues.

2. Have you (mddrill) tried a kneeling stool?
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Re: Does anyone sit in a chair?

Post by Jesse »

It doesn't matter how you sit. You can meditate anyway you like. it's helpful to be in a position where the body can relax, that's about it.
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Re: Does anyone sit in a chair?

Post by DGA »

I've been sitting in a chair for about two weeks and I find it extraordinarily challenging, after many years on the floor. It requires completely different muscles to stabilize the body, which can feel distracting and unnatural.

For the time being, I've begun performing our sutra service while seated on a drummer's throne (it swivels). This may sound and look ridiculous, but it works for me given the constraints we have to work with. It's much more workable, at least for me, than a chair.

At home I've been on the sofa like Paul, or using a meditation belt to support myself.

I'm bringing all this up just to suggest that even if your body has limitations, your practice need not be limited.
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daverupa
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Re: Does anyone sit in a chair?

Post by daverupa »

Try shoving a small zaisu chair into a large beanbag. Good lower back support, and the beanbag as opposed to legs allows for subtle adjustments as needed to alleviate knee stress, hip stress, etc.
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Re: Does anyone sit in a chair?

Post by Mkoll »

I've got knee problems so I sit in a chair. I use this thing called a Tilt Seat. Kinda gimmicky and overpriced, but it actually works and that's what matters. It's basically a stool with its seat tilted slightly forward. It makes a huge difference in my experience: less buttocks pain, easier to keep the back straight, able to sit longer, and feels more natural.

You could make one yourself if you're good at that kind of thing.
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Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
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Nick r
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Re: Does anyone sit in a chair?

Post by Nick r »

Mkoll wrote:I've got knee problems so I sit in a chair. I use this thing called a Tilt Seat. Kinda gimmicky and overpriced, but it actually works and that's what matters. It's basically a stool with its seat tilted slightly forward. It makes a huge difference in my experience: less buttocks pain, easier to keep the back straight, able to sit longer, and feels more natural.

You could make one yourself if you're good at that kind of thing.
would you happen to know the angle of the seat? i would be very interested in making my own.
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Mkoll
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Re: Does anyone sit in a chair?

Post by Mkoll »

Nick r wrote:
Mkoll wrote:I've got knee problems so I sit in a chair. I use this thing called a Tilt Seat. Kinda gimmicky and overpriced, but it actually works and that's what matters. It's basically a stool with its seat tilted slightly forward. It makes a huge difference in my experience: less buttocks pain, easier to keep the back straight, able to sit longer, and feels more natural.

You could make one yourself if you're good at that kind of thing.
would you happen to know the angle of the seat? i would be very interested in making my own.
I don't and I don't know how to do so. If you can tell me how, I will. I'm guessing I'd set the bottom edge of a protractor on the seat and estimate the angle that is parallel to the floor?
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Nick r
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Re: Does anyone sit in a chair?

Post by Nick r »

Mkoll wrote:
Nick r wrote:
Mkoll wrote:I've got knee problems so I sit in a chair. I use this thing called a Tilt Seat. Kinda gimmicky and overpriced, but it actually works and that's what matters. It's basically a stool with its seat tilted slightly forward. It makes a huge difference in my experience: less buttocks pain, easier to keep the back straight, able to sit longer, and feels more natural.

You could make one yourself if you're good at that kind of thing.
would you happen to know the angle of the seat? i would be very interested in making my own.
I don't and I don't know how to do so. If you can tell me how, I will. I'm guessing I'd set the bottom edge of a protractor on the seat and estimate the angle that is parallel to the floor?
yeah. something like that. Don't go too out of your way for lil ol' me. maybe if you measured from the floor to the top of the rear of the seat and measured from the floor the top of the front of the seat?
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Mkoll
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Re: Does anyone sit in a chair?

Post by Mkoll »

Nick r wrote:yeah. something like that. Don't go too out of your way for lil ol' me. maybe if you measured from the floor to the top of the rear of the seat and measured from the floor the top of the front of the seat?
Nah, I'm glad to help. That'd be pretty cool if you made one. I'll let you know the measurements later. Just make at least one more post in this thread because I use the "view new posts" function and it will remind me.
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Mkoll
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Re: Does anyone sit in a chair?

Post by Mkoll »

Hey, I got around to it.

Using the protractor and estimating, it looks like a 5 degree angle. But that might be my partiality for round numbers so I measured the dimensions too.

The dimensions are:
19.5" high from the bottom of the legs to the top edge in front.
21" from the bottom of the legs to the top edge in back.
10" between the very front edge and the very back edge.

That means the slope = rise/run = 1.5/10 = 0.15. Using this slope to angle calculator here, I get an angle of 8.53 degrees. I think I did that right...

I hope that helps but at this point, the surest bet would be to email the manufacturers and ask them directly!
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
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Re: Does anyone sit in a chair?

Post by Zhen Li »

One of the most important things in meditation is being able to fully relax your mind and body. For me, this is not as easy when sitting cross legged because I have scoliosis. What happens when I become fully relaxed is I actually fall over to the side due to my spine's curve. So sitting in a chair, or lying down, is the only way I can have the best meditation. The best progress I made in meditation was when I was lying down.

Some people believe that there is some magic in crossing your legs and sitting unsupported, but the proof is in the pudding. Go with what works for you, not what books say.
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