Meditation Benches

Meditate in total back support comfort

Meditation benches are popular meditation tools, acting as alternatives for those who have difficulty meditating with their legs crossed on traditional zafus and zabutons. Many find that sitting on a meditation bench in seiza pose – the original Japanese kneeling posture - while meditating is much more comfortable on the joints.

Yoga meditation benches look like a stool with two short and fat legs that form an angled surface to support your lower back and hips. The distance between these two legs allow you to place your own legs underneath the bench comfortably. Meditation benches are normally made from the finest well-sanded hardwoods. Some of them are padded with cotton batting and covered with colorful cotton or silk fabrics. The surface of a typical yoga meditation bench is about 18-inches x 7-inches and the slope bends down at 6 ¼-inches in the front and at a slope of 8-iches in back. This typical style of meditation bench costs around $70 online.

However, not every meditation bench has an angle. Some actually have rounded legs that allow the meditator to adjust spine and pelvis position by rocking forward and backward to get the best stress-free position. You can place your mediation bench on a zabuton, because the rounded legs won’t cut into the fabric of the cushion.

Meditation benches normally don’t have built-in padding on top, but you can always add extra cushioning as you desire. For portability and easy storage, some meditation benches have folding legs, held by brass plated hinges. This kind of meditation bench typically measures 18-inches long x 7.5-inchs high x 5.5-inches wide and costs about $50 online.

In addition to angled and adjustable meditation benches, there is another bench option called a salubrion meditation chair. This chair has a big round-shaped plate with a slightly elevated slope on one side to aid with proper back alignment and natural lumbar curve comfort. Since they are not made from handcrafted hardwood as meditation benches are, salubrion meditation chairs are cheaper, costing around $40 online.