Meditation Chairs - Choosing A Chair For Meditating

Meditation chairs are becoming increasingly popular among people who like to meditate regularly. Although traditionally associated only with 'fringe' interests and people such as yogis, hippies and occultists, meditation has shaken off its esoteric image, and is now generally recognised as an excellent way to deal with the stresses and strains of modern life. And of course, it remains as popular as ever with those of a metaphysical bent. Meditation can help to relieve stress, calm the mind, deal with anxiety and other psychological issues, as well as being a gateway to altered states of consciousness and, in some cases, psychic powers and experiences. Whatever your reason for meditating, chances are your practice might be enhanced by use of a meditation chair, especially if you find that physical aches and pains and difficulty getting comfortable is interfering with your mental focus.

As the name suggests, meditation chairs are chairs that are specifically designed to be used during meditation. Unlike normal chairs, chairs for meditation are usually specifically designed to support the back and to make it easy to maintain a comfortable posture for prolonged periods of meditation. Using such a chair can be a lot more comfortable than sitting in a traditional cross-legged or lotus posture on the floor, or sitting in a regular chair. They're typically lower to the ground than normal chairs, and some, like meditation benches, make it easier to sit in a kneeling posture, or to sit cross-legged. A meditation chair can also help to make your meditation session more effective, since it is easier to breathe more deeply and relax the mind when the body's posture is good.

When buying a chair for meditating, you might want to try out some different models to find that which is best suited to you. If you have any physical issues (back problems etc), you'll also need to take these into account. Things to consider when buying a meditation chair include:

• Back support – many meditation chairs don't have backs. This is to encourage the meditator to adopt a better posture and be aware of the body – it's more easy to remain mindful and keep the spine erect when you're not tempted into slumping against a chair back. However, meditation chairs with back support such as the Backjack can be useful too, especially for people with back problems.
• They type of material used to make chairs for meditating include wood, plastic, sea grass, cane, rattan and other natural materials. Many people find that 'softer' materials such as cane make for more comfortable chairs (and may also prefer to use such natural materials), whereas others prefer a more rigid construction.
• Cushions – while most chairs will have some degree of padding, some have larger, softer cushions than others. Again, this is a matter of personal preference – some people need a lot of cushioning to feel comfortable, others don't. You can also get standalone meditation cushions, which can be another good option to consider, especially as they're often cheaper than full blown chairs.
• Size, weight etc – if space is limited, you might wish to get a folding meditation bench or chair, so you can easily pack it away when not in use. If this isn't a problem, you can find many beautifully designed meditation chairs that can act as permanent pieces of furniture in your home.

You can buy a meditation chair from various outlets that specialise in supplies for yoga and similar pursuits (yoga chairs can be used for other forms of meditation too), although as you can imagine, this isn't the type of thing that most general furniture or homeware stores tend to have in stock. If you want the best possible choice, as well as bargain prices, you're best buying a meditation chair online – as well as sites that specialise in meditation furniture and other equipment, you can sometimes find excellent chairs on more general sites such as eBay too.