How to Choose a Cushion or Bench for Meditation

Physically it is helpful if the support you use raises your pelvis above your knees. This naturally allows the spine to straighten and elongate and enables longer sitting.

Different traditions have different philosophies about the use of cushions, the types of material used on them and whether or not one should separate oneself from the ground. We at Amida advise you to experiment and be true to your own experience. Also, to be aware that as you become more accustomed to meditation and even during one meditation session things will change. Be open and aware and listen to you body is perhaps the best advice we can give.

What is a zafu?

Traditionally a zafu, from the Zen tradition, is a round black kapok filled cushion. However in the West it has come to mean any meditation cushion. Black cotton is the classic fabric. In the West we use many different fabrics. People sit with their buttocks on the front edge of these cushions or use one between their legs, like a horse, while kneeling in seiza style. See our zafus.

What is a zabuton?

The zabuton is a mat, often filled with cotton batting, which goes beneath the sitting cushion and acts as insulation from cold floors. It is a soft resting place for your knees and so is best if it is large enough to accommodate your cushion and whatever sitting style you adopt, so your legs do not dangle off the edge. See our zabutons.

A woolen sitting mat or carpet also acts as an insulator from cold and can be used in the same way.

How do Crescent Shaped cushions work?

Sometimes also called moon shaped cushions. For many people a crescent shaped cushion stuffed with kapok or buckwheat works to immediately create the correct sitting angle of pelvis above knees, while the "wings" support the legs comfortably. In choosing one, be sure not to buy a flat one, the idea is to have the loft of the back of the cushion much higher than the front to give a good sitting angle. See our crescent cushions.

Support cushions: what do you use these for?

These may be any shape or size and are used to either raise the height of the main sitting cushion to allow a comfortable sitting angle or to support knees, buttocks, thighs or ankles, when people are not flexible enough to sit easily in a cross legged posture. Sometimes a support cushion is placed under the feet to raise them from the floor when sitting in a chair. Some people use a support cushion on their laps to raise their hands to a comfortable height. See our support cushions.

Types of cushion filling

• Kapok - this is a fluffy, silky down from the seed pods of a large, fast growing tropical tree. (Ceiba pentandra.) This tree is native to Tropical America, Africa and the East Indies. Sometimes also referred to as Java cotton - it is a natural insulator. Often stuffed into the traditional round zafu. It is light in weight and will warm with your body heat. It can take several sessions for a kapok cushion to break-in or mould to your body. Once there it will be your own " ideal" meditation cushion. From time to time more kapok will need to be added to the cushion as it compacts. See our kapok cushions.
• Buckwheat Hulls - This is the husk that protects the kernel of the buckwheat, technically a fruit related to rhubarb, not a wheat. Buckwheat hulls have been used in pillows for over 600 years in Japan. Their advantages are that they conform to whatever shape is needed, they remain cool, are durable and hypoallergenic. They are pest resistant, being non nutritive and environmentally friendly. Their disadvantage over kapok is that they twice as heavy and they rustle when you move. See our buckwheat hull cushions.
• Cotton Batting - Cotton batting is a form of padding which is often used in quilting and upholstery projects. There are many ways it can be made but essentially it is cleaned cotton fibers, which may be carded and then bonded together by needle punching, thermal bonding or resin to make a roll of fabric of varying thickness. This is then usually sewn inside a sealed cotton cover and often used as an insert to an outer cushion cover of decorative fabric. Used as the basis of zabutons. See our batting filled cushions and zabutons.

Meditation Benches:

These come in varying shapes and sizes and are used in kneeling styles of meditation or to sit on cross legged. The types of wood may vary. It is important to choose one which is stable and if a folding style one that has a solid, durable hinge. It is recommended to use a cushion or padding on a wooden bench from the point of view of the body energetics. Also, using the principle of having the pelvis higher than the knees, choose one which allows the body to rest naturally upright. Using a bench may help with circulation problems in the legs. See our benches.

Should I choose a bench which rocks?

At first this may seem like a good idea and may feel comfortable in the beginning. However, breathing will naturally move your body and a rocking meditation bench will cause you to have to make continuous miniscule adjustments to re-align your spine. This is a hindrance to concentration and will tire your body out over time.

What about Back Jacks?

We don't sell them. Remember our mantra, "pelvis above knees for posture".