Shavasana

[rara]

Has anybody tried this method in particular? I used to do this off my own back (no pun intended) when I was 15/16. I'm revisiting it now and beginning to believe that for me, this is probably the best exercise for posture! Thoughts...?

[Gareth]

Is this the yoga thing? I do it at the end of the yoga session every week. It's essentially a mindfulness meditation laying down in the corpse pose. It leaves me very floaty leaving yoga every week.

Great to have you back Dave.

[calm_one]

Yep we do this after Yoga too! Sometimes you even get a little neck massage of the instructor

Its just reminds me of a body scan, for me, its relaxing, too relaxing I get sleepy ha

[BioSattva]

I love the corpse pose. Really good for getting to sleep, but equally a great experience for getting a physical sense of really letting go. Floating on the surface of a swimming pool can do similar things it seems. I think the other 'swimmers' get a bit annoyed when I'm only interested in doing that though

[FeeHutch]

I love both the corpse pose and floating in the swimming pool... they are my favourite exercise poses

[rara]

Yes, although it cannot send me to sleep...impossible for me haha.

Just feel it's the best meditation for me. Being sat in any sort of position just seems to be unnatural. I think it could be doing my health more bad than good.

[BioSattva]

Sleep is the danger for me - I would do it a lot more if it wasn't for that.

Sitting upright can be a good way of beginning to bring the practice off the ground and into the more active modes of living, however - working with muscle engagement and the natural 'healthy' tensions in the tendons, etc.

I also do standing of course . Eventually the postural muscles can be 'persuaded' to bear the entire load of the body (as opposed to the consciously detectable and controllable dynamic muscles which fatigue quickly) and one can do Shavasana standing up (!).

[JonW]

Michael Stipe the pop singer once claimed that he slept standing up.
Only time I ever tried it was in a phone box on the outskirts of Guildford after a Teardrop Explodes gig in 1982. Never again. I prefer my bed.

[FeeHutch]

I once walked back from a rock club asleep and eating a cheeseburger. It's a talent.

Seriously though because of the pain issues I struggle to find comfortable meditation positions and quite often laying down does work best. I don't seem to struggle with staying awake luckily.

One benefit mindfulness has brought is related to my walking. Because the pain was so intense I didn't walk correctly and I tried desperately to ignore the sensations in my feet. My physio combined with mindfulness made a big difference during rehab. I feel like I reconnected more clearly with my body and became more aware of how a stood, how I used my feet, how to re-engage my core muscles because I all but lost that strength following the haem. I suppose although I don't formally meditate stood up I do it informally when I am being mindful of walking and standing and the sensations and feelings it provokes.

[Gareth]

I'm a lotus position kind of man myself. My attention seems easier to hold this way.