Meditation Chairs
Buy the best meditation chairs selected and recommended by interior designers. By Chloe Hughes.
It is said that meditation is best done from an elevated place. With that, we offer our collection of meditation chairs. Comfortable for long meditation periods, these handsome models will provide comfort, balance, and the ability to align your chi without worrying about how much you paid. Very affordable and with many options available, clear your mind in one of our meditation chairs.
Meditation Chairs
Buying Guide
Chloe Hughes
Interior Design Expert
Chloe is a highly-regarded expert in all things vintage and antique. She’s excited to share her vast knowledge with readers and clients wishing to infuse their homes with a mixture of old-time warmth and modern comfort. In addition to her design work, Chloe regularly volunteers at her local community center, teaching DIY projects to adults and kids.
Sitting zazen, or seated meditation, is a central part of Zen Buddhism. Meditation has become a practice that reaches across denominations and can even be practiced with no religious implication at all. Introduced to the western world by the Transcendentalists and Theosophists, the goal of meditation is to rest the mind by emptying it of the hurrying, chattering thoughts that pervade our brains throughout most of the day.
There are several seated meditation postures. The most well known is the full lotus, sitting cross-legged, with the top of each foot resting on the opposite thigh. Beginners often use the half lotus, where one heel is pulled up to the crotch, and the other foot rests on the opposite thigh. Also acceptable, however, is to straddle a cushion that will hold one in kneeling position, or to sit on a small bench, with the legs in kneeling position, or to sit on a plain wooden chair as you normally would.
One thing that remains constant throughout all the seated poses is that the back is straight, the hands and arms relaxed, shoulders wide and chest uplifted for easy breathing.
Sitting directly on the ground is considered the best practice for Zen or transcendental meditation because it brings the meditator into direct contact with Earth. Since this is not an option for many of us – those who dwell in large cities, or in cold or wet climates where sitting directly on the Earth would be unpleasant at best, sitting on cushions, mats or chairs designed to support the meditator in the correct meditation posture are an acceptable substitute.
Meditation chairs are designed to help someone who is meditating to hold the meditation pose for an extended length of time without discomfort. Some of the chairs are designed for the cross-legged pose, supporting beginners as they move toward the full lotus position. Others are benches or cushions that are intended to help ease the potential strain while kneeling. Some have a back to help with that process of keeping the spine straight throughout a short or long meditation.
Meditation chairs come in a variety of styles and designs. Some are made of wicker, others are cushioned wood. Some are simply large, overstuffed cassocks, and no few are low benches designed to hold your weight while kneeling. If you enjoy sitting on the floor or at a low coffee table, meditation chairs might be just the seat you’ve been needing. The classic chairs support the cross-legged position, but there are other designs that simply encourage sitting upright with legs stretched out in front of you.
One amazing meditation chair is carved from a single piece of wood – something to meditate on, all by itself. No few, especially those made to be portable, resemble a stadium seat. Many are beautifully upholstered with embroidery and beads and can easily be a beautiful addition to your living room or atrium.