Round meditation cushions—zafus—are standard fare in most yoga and meditation spaces. For many people, these cushions do the job. They elevate the pelvis to make it easier to sit with a relaxed, straight spine. But for some, especially for those with hip joints that easily externally rotate, the contact point where your thighs hang off the edge of the cushion can get uncomfortable, especially in long sittings. That’s why Hugger Mugger designed the V-Shaped Meditation Cushion.

How do you know if you have hip joints that externally rotate easily? Sit cross-legged on a folded blanket (3-5 inches thick). Are your knees lower than your hip bones? If so, the V-Shaped Meditation Cushion is a good choice for you. If your knees are higher than your hip bones, the “legs” of the cushion won’t be able to support your legs and knees. Try a zafu or Zen cushion instead.

What Makes the V-Shaped Cushion So Comfortable?

• Adds height under your pelvis so that your spine can maintain its natural curves.
• The legs of the cushion give gentle, continuous support for your thighs.
• The zippered opening in the cushion allows you to customize the amount of organic buckwheat filling to your own sitting position.

The V-Shaped Cushions are covered in upholstery-grade fabrics in solid colors and prints. All are filled with organic buckwheat and include a convenient handle for transport. These cushions are handmade in our Salt Lake City-based manufacturing plant.

On a personal note, I bought my V-Shaped Meditation Cushion from Hugger Mugger in 1998 and have used it daily ever since. I’ve brought this along to many long meditation retreats and have always been very happy I did. These cushions are a great investment and will give you decades of comfort in your meditation practice.

People sometimes chuckle when I tell them that sitting on a meditation cushion is physically rigorous. But it’s true. When you sit still and tune into your body for any length of time, you’re likely to become uncomfortable. And sitting for long periods in the same position will at some point start to make you antsy.

Even in my hour-long meditation class, people sometimes experience physical difficulties. That’s when I work with them to find the best sitting position. How comfortable you are when you’re practicing sitting meditation is largely determined by what you choose to sit on. Each person’s body is different, so I also help them find the right support for their individual body..

It’s All About Your Skeleton

Comfortable sitting depends on your spine’s ability to maintain its natural curves (see illustration). The human spine holds itself up naturally when its curves are in integrity. The position of your sacrum determines your spinal curves. The optimum position for the sacrum is an approximately 30-degree forward tilt. When the sacrum is in that position, the rest of the curves more easily fall into place.

In sitting meditation, because of the shape and structure of our hip joints, or because of inflexibility, the sacrum often ends up in a vertical position, instead of the 30-degree forward tilt. In some cases, the sacrum can even tilt backward instead of forward. When this happens, our lumbar curve has to straighten or even flex forward, causing us to have to use a whole lot of core strength to sit upright. When we spend a lot of energy just to sit upright, we get tired pretty quickly.

How You Sit Matters

While Sukhasana (Easy Cross-Legged Pose) is the traditional sitting position, not everyone can sit this way. Some people’s hip joints easily rotate externally, while others’ more easily rotate internally. If your knees are lower than your hip bones when you sit cross-legged on a meditation cushion, that means your hip joints rotate externally with ease. When your knees are lower than the hip bones, your sacrum will tilt forward, keeping your spinal curves intact. If your hip joints internally rotate more easily, your knees will rise to the level of the hip bones or higher. When your knees are higher than your hip bones, your sacrum will naturally tilt backward, making sitting for long periods uncomfortable.

We need to sit high enough on a meditation cushion or bench so that our sacrum, and therefore our pelvis, can tilt forward so that the spinal curves can fall into place. That is why meditation cushions are designed to give us extra height. Here are some tips on how to choose the best support for your body and your practice:

Zafu and Zen Meditation Cushions

Zafus are the traditional, round meditation cushion. At about five inches high, Zafus will be more than sufficient for comfortable sitting for most people.

Our Zen Cushions are similar in height to our Zafus, but rectangular and wider in shape. Whether you choose the Zafu or Zen is a matter of personal preference. Sitting on the wide side of the Zen Pillow will support the tops of your thighs more than the Zafu will. Some people prefer more thigh support, while others prefer that their upper thighs extend off the edge of their cushion. All in all, the support is very similar between the two of them.

If you’re thinking of trying a Zafu or Zen Cushion for cross-legged sitting, first try sitting on a 5-inch-high stack of firm blankets with your ankles on the floor in front of your blanket stack. Check where your knees land, and if you find that your knees are at hip bone level or higher, Sukhasana might not be your best meditation position.

The good news is that the Zafu and Zen are adaptable. If cross-legged sitting doesn’t work for you, you can turn your Zafu or Zen Cushion on its side. Place it between your thighs and sit on it with your knees bent, shins on the floor on either side of the cushion.

V-Shaped Meditation Cushion

Our V-Shaped Cushion is similar in height and purpose to the Zafu. But here’s what makes me love the V-Shaped Cushion: Because my hip joints externally rotate easily, my legs need more support than traditional cushions can give. The V-Shaped Cushion slants downward so that it supports your entire leg and encourages your pelvis to tilt forward—provided your hips externally rotate as described above.

As with the Zafus, you can check whether a V-Shaped Meditation Cushion is appropriate for you by sitting on a 5-inch stack of firm blankets and observing whether your legs are higher or lower than your pelvis. If your legs can’t rest on the “legs” of the cushion because they are high in the air, the V-Shaped Cushion won’t be comfortable. If you can use a Zafu in a cross-legged position, you will probably also find the V-Shaped Cushion to be comfortable.

All of Hugger Mugger’s meditation cushions are filled with organic buckwheat hulls. The zippered covers allow you to add or subtract filling as you like. Here’s an overview of all the choices.

Zabuton

A Zabuton is like a mini-futon. It’s a wide, rectangular, cotton-filled cushion with a removable cotton cover.

Placing a Zabuton under your meditation cushion or bench increases your comfort. Ankle bones, feet or knees pressing against a hard floor may feel okay at first. But over time, even 20 to 30 minutes, it’s likely to get pretty uncomfortable.

A Zabuton is a worthwhile investment if you’re going to commit to a meditation practice.

Sukasana Meditation Cushion

Hugger Mugger’s Sukasana Cushion is a much smaller, portable meditation cushion. While it doesn’t give as much hip support as our other meditation cushions, this small cushion is great for traveling or for taking with you to a yoga studio.

Comfort is Key

Whether you decide to use a Zafu, Zen Cushion, or V-Shaped Cushion is a matter of personal preference. Remember that whatever you choose should allow you to sit comfortably with all your spinal curves intact.

Check out our Meditation Cushion Guide for more info.

If you want to read in more detail about how to sit comfortably, or how to structure a yoga practice to support your sitting, pick up my book Yoga for Meditators. In it I devote several chapters to choosing the right sitting support and finding the optimum sitting position.

Zafuko® Cushions: A Lightweight Alternative

In the last few years, we added another alternative to our meditation cushion collection. Our Zafuko® Cushions are extremely light weight, a great alternative to the heavier meditation cushions and benches we offer. Here’s an article that explains all the options.

Do you find sitting meditation uncomfortable? You’re not alone. For many people, the traditional posture, sitting cross-legged, is not ideal. The good news is that cross-legged is not the only way to sit. Perhaps an alternate meditation posture can help create ease in your sitting meditation.

If your knees are higher than your pelvic rim when you sit cross-legged, your back will naturally have to round. This means you will have to tighten your core in order to sit up straight. This is not a sustainable position and will likely cause you to tire easily. It can also cause strain in your low back, sacroiliac joints and your hip joints.

Sitting is most comfortable when you can maintain your natural spinal curves. For some it is much easier to maintain the spinal curves if they sit with their shins folded under them. If your hip joints don’t externally rotate easily and cross-legged sitting is uncomfortable, you may be a candidate for sitting this way. A yoga bolster, meditation bench or zafu can support your alternate meditation posture quite nicely.

Sitting Options

All the options have particular advantages. Here are some things to think about in choosing a sitting meditation support:

• Round Bolsters work especially well for this type of sitting. They’re a bit taller than the Standard or Junior bolsters, which can also be good options. The bolsters are filled with cotton batting, so they create a soft cushion—comfy on your ischial tuberosities (sit bones). To use a zafu or an alternate sitting posture, you can turn the cushion on its side to give it more height and less width. Zafus have the advantage of being a bit more adjustable, because they’re filled with buckwheat hulls. You can shift the hulls around inside to support you where you need it most. Meditation benches are a great option for sitting with your legs tucked under you. The seat of the bench is slanted forward to support. The legs of the bench fold inward for easy transport, and each bench comes with a cushion.

As with everything, it’s really a matter of preference. Bolsters, benches and zafus can work equally well for this type of sitting.

How to Practice

• Place your bolster, zafu, or bench on a zabuton or folded blanket for extra padding under your knees, shins and ankles.
• Sit on your bolster, bench or zafu with your pelvis somewhat close to the edge. Find your comfort spot so that your pelvis tilts forward and your spine lengthens upward.
• Make whatever adjustments allow you to feel supported and comfortable.

Sitting meditation isn’t easy. And I’m not just talking about the ever-wandering mind. The actual act of sitting is an art and science in its own right.

It sounds odd to say this, but sitting meditation is actually pretty rigorous. That’s because virtually all meditation traditions advise meditators to sit upright with a straight spine and no back support. The theory is that a straight, unsupported spine will keep you more alert and energized.

If your spine is unable to maintain an upright position without straining, your meditation practice will be a whole lot more challenging than it needs to be. Our spines have four natural curves, two convex and two concave. The sacral and thoracic curves are convex and the lumbar and cervical (neck) curves are concave. When these curves are in their neutral position, our spines hold themselves up with a minimum of muscular effort. If, for example, your pelvis tilts back so that your lumbar spine is in a convex curve instead of its natural concave one, sitting up straight isn’t possible. And the effort to sit up straight saps your energy.

While I couldn’t find definitive information on when or why meditation cushions first came into being, I’m going to guess that they were born out of the need for a seat that promoted a healthy spinal position. If you practice yoga, you’ve probably heard your teacher advise some students to sit on folded blankets in forward bends. This helps the pelvis tilt forward so that the pelvis and spine are in agreement, which puts the lumbar spine in its natural concave curve.

The principle behind the meditation cushion is the same. Meditation cushions allow your pelvis to tilt forward so that your sacrum is in its neutral position. This allows the rest of your spinal curves to fall into place.

What Is a Zafu?

A zafu is a round cushion with gathered sides. The curved edges allow your legs to drop off the edges at the hip joints so that your knees are lower than your hips. When your knees are lower than your hips, it’s easier for your spine to maintain its natural curves.

The curved edges also help keep your thighs from pressing too hard into the edge of the cushion, which can get uncomfortable over time. The height of a zafu cushion, usually four to six inches, makes traditional sitting positions easier and more stable.

Zafus have one advantage over V-Shaped Cushions. You can sit on them two different ways: with the zafu under your pelvis in Sukhasana (Cross-Legged Pose) as in the above photo, or with the zafu under your hips and in between your knees in Vajrasana (Diamond Pose). This means that people with hips that don’t easily externally rotate for Sukhasana can still use a zafu for support.

Where Did Zafus Come From?

While they’re most commonly associated with Japanese Zen practice, zafus originally came from China. The word “zafu” is often translated as “sewn seat” in American English, but in Japanese, the za means “seat,” and fu means reedmace, a type of cattail. The original filling was a fluffy, soft fiber made from reedmace seed heads. Traditional zafus were sometimes filled with kapok, the seed pod fluff of a rainforest tree called the Ceiba tree.

Here in the West, you can find kapok cushions, but harder, more substantial buckwheat hulls are a less squishable zafu filling. It’s important when you’re sitting in meditation that your cushion have a bit of give, but not so much that it starts to flatten. Buckwheat hulls can shift around inside the cushion to form to your contours, but they don’t squish down.

Hugger Mugger makes zafus, along with other types of meditation cushions, in our Salt Lake-based facility. The cushions are handmade from upholstery-grade fabric and filled with organic buckwheat hulls.

Zafus are the tried-and-true sitting support. If you’re thinking of starting a meditation practice, or wanting to make your current sitting practice more relaxed and easeful, try a zafu. You just might sit a little easier.

Round meditation cushions—zafus—are standard fare in most yoga and meditation spaces. For many people, these cushions do the job. They elevate the pelvis to make it easier to sit with a relaxed, straight spine.

But for some, especially for those with hip joints that easily externally rotate, the contact point where your thighs hang off the edge of the cushion can get uncomfortable, especially in long sittings. That’s why Hugger Mugger designed the V-Shaped Meditation Cushion.

How do you know if you have hip joints that externally rotate easily? Sit cross-legged on a folded blanket (3-5 inches thick). Are your knees lower than your hip bones? If so, the V-Shaped Meditation Cushion is a good choice for you. If your knees are higher than your hip bones, the “legs” of the cushion won’t be able to support your legs and knees. Try a zafu, Zen cushion or meditation bench instead.

What Makes the V-Shaped Cushion So Comfortable?

• Adds height under your pelvis so that your spine can maintain its natural curves.
• The legs of the cushion give gentle, continuous support for your thighs.
• The zippered opening in the cushion allows you to customize the amount of organic buckwheat filling to your own sitting position.

The V-Shaped Cushions are covered in upholstery-grade fabrics in solid colors and prints. All are filled with organic buckwheat and include a convenient handle for transport. These cushions are handmade in our Salt Lake City-based manufacturing plant.

On a personal note, I bought my V-Shaped Meditation Cushion from Hugger Mugger in 1998 and have used it daily ever since. I’ve brought this along to many long meditation retreats and have always been very happy I did. These cushions are a great investment and will give you decades of comfort in your meditation practice.

How you support your body in sitting meditation can make all the difference between feeling agitated and edgy or feeling calm and relaxed. The traditional combination of zafu and zabuton is the most popular, time-tested support for sitting practice.

Sitting on a zafu gives your hips extra height, allowing your pelvis to tilt forward and your spine to maintain its natural curves. When your spine is in its natural curves, it supports itself. Then there’s no need to use muscular energy to sit up straight. When you have to exert a lot of effort just to maintain your posture, your body becomes tense and tired. Agitation or tension in the body often influences your state of mind. So finding a comfortable sitting position, where the body is at ease, is really important.

The other benefit of an easeful sitting posture is that when you’re not using your core muscles to hold you up, your breath can flow more easily. This also helps you maintain your energy while sitting.

Supporting your zafu with a zabuton adds another element of ease to your sitting practice. When you sit, especially for longer periods, the bones in your feet and ankles can grind into a hard floor. Placing a zabuton underneath your zafu eliminates this problem. It also adds an extra layer of insulation if you’re sitting in a cool room.

2 Ways to Sit on a Zafu and Zabuton:

1. 

   Kneeling on a Zafu and Zabuton

   Cross-legged: If your hips externally rotate easily—if your knees are lower than your hip bones when you sit cross-legged—this will be a good position for you.

2. Kneeling: If your knees are higher than your hip bones when you sit cross-legged, your pelvis will likely tilt back, eliminating your spine’s natural curves. Sitting on your zafu in a kneeling position eliminates this problem. To do this, turn your zafu on its side, so that it’s taller, and sit with your shins flat on your zabuton.

Our zafus and zabutons are handmade here in our Salt Lake City facility. Both are covered with upholstery-grade fabrics. Our zafus are filled with organic buckwheat hulls, while our zabutons are filled with cotton batting. Both are zippered so that you can remove the filling and wash the covers if need be.

A zabuton also pairs nicely with a V-Shaped Meditation Cushion, a Zen Cushion or Meditation Bench.

For more info on zafus, their history and how to use them, check out this post.

You can accomplish your perfect sitting position in many ways—by sitting on a Zafu, a Zen Cushion, Meditation Bench or a V-Shaped Meditation Cushion. Depending on the structure of your hip joints—which is unique to all of us—the V-Shaped Cushion may be a great, supportive choice for your sitting practice.

In 1997, I bought a V-Shaped Cushion from Hugger Mugger. Since then, I’ve sat many 30-day, 21-day, 18-day and 14-day retreats on my V-Shaped Cushion, and I’ve never regretted it. It’s the most comfortable choice for my body.

Here’s why: Because my hip joints externally rotate like crazy, my legs need more support than traditional cushions can give. The V-Shaped Cushion slants downward so that it supports your entire leg and encourages your pelvis to tilt forward—provided your hips externally rotate easily.

Is a V-Shaped Cushion Right for You?

You can check whether a V-Shaped Cushion is appropriate for you by sitting on a 5-inch stack of firm blankets and observing whether your legs are higher or lower than your pelvis. If your knees are lower than your pelvic bones, the V-Shape will likely work nicely for you. If your legs are higher or at the same level as your hip bones, they won’t be able to rest on the “legs” of the cushion, and you probably won’t find it comfortable. If this is the case, a Meditation Bench might be your best bet.

I sit my cushion every day at home and have taken it on many long retreats, and at 19 years old, it’s still in perfect condition. All of Hugger Mugger’s meditation cushions are filled with organic buckwheat hulls. The covers are zippered, so that you can add or subtract filling as you like.

Here’s a post that gives more explanation on the how and why of choosing a meditation cushion.

Do you find sitting meditation uncomfortable? You’re not alone. For many people, the traditional posture, sitting cross-legged, is not ideal. The good news is that cross-legged is not the only way to sit. Perhaps an alternate meditation posture can help create ease in your sitting meditation.

If your knees are higher than your pelvic rim when you sit cross-legged, your back will naturally have to round. This means you will have to tighten your core in order to sit up straight. This is not a sustainable position and will likely cause you to tire easily. It can also cause strain in your low back, sacroiliac joints and your hip joints.

Sitting is most comfortable when you can maintain your natural spinal curves. Some people find it much easier to maintain their spinal curves if they sit with their shins folded under them, as in Vajrasana (Lightning Bolt Pose). If your hip joints don’t externally rotate easily and cross-legged sitting is uncomfortable, you may be a candidate for sitting this way. A yoga bolster, meditation bench or zafu can support your alternate meditation posture quite nicely.

Options for Practicing an Alternate Meditation Posture

Each of these options can be beneficial for certain individuals. Here are some things to think about in choosing a sitting meditation support:

• • Round Bolsters work especially well for this type of sitting. They’re a bit taller than the Standard or Junior bolsters, which can also be good options. All of Hugger Mugger’s bolsters are filled with cotton batting, so they create a soft cushion—comfy on your ischial tuberosities (sitting bones).
  • To use a zafu for an alternate sitting posture, you can turn the cushion on its side to give it more height and less width. Zafus have the advantage of being a bit more adjustable, because they’re filled with buckwheat hulls. You can shift the hulls around inside to support you where you need it most.
  • Meditation benches are a great option for sitting with your legs tucked under you. The seat of the bench is slanted forward to support your spinal curves. The legs of the bench fold inward for easy transport, and each bench comes with a cushion.

As with everything, it’s really a matter of preference. Bolsters, benches and zafus can work equally well for this type of sitting.

How to Practice

• Place your bolster or zafu, bench on a zabuton or folded blanket for extra padding under your knees, shins and ankles.
• Sit on your bolster, bench or zafu with your pelvis somewhat close to the edge. Find your comfort spot so that your pelvis tilts forward and your spine lengthens upward.
• Make whatever adjustments allow you to feel supported and comfortable.