Posture of Meditation [Paperback]

Will Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 22, 1996

When it comes to meditation practices, the body is as important as the mind—a fact that may come as a surprise to the many people who regard meditation as a strictly mental activity. But, as Will Johnson shows, the physical aspect of the practice is far too often underemphasized. The alert-yet-relaxed sitting posture that is the common denominator of so many meditative techniques is a wonderful aid for clearing the mind and opening the heart, but it also works to activate the natural healing energies of both body and mind. The author offers guidance and exercises for working with the posture of meditation and advice on how to carry its benefits on into all the rest of life.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

"Ordinarily," Johnson opens his superbly calm little manual, "we think of meditation as an activity involving our minds, but in truth meditation is initiated by assuming a specific gesture with our bodies." That gesture or posture is the cross-legged sitting familiarly associated with Buddhist meditation and consists of three elements: alignment, relaxation, and resilience. The objects of these physical practices are to offer gravity the least resistance while in an alert yet resting state and to experience the subtle movements of existence. Johnson explains the functions of each element, offers instruction and advice on achieving each of them, and discusses how they may be carried into everyday life in a prose so limpidly intelligent that this book may become a standard text for beginning meditators. Ray Olson

About the Author

Will Johnson is a certified bodyworker and director of the Institute for Embodiment Training in his hometown of Cobble Hill, British Columbia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 100 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; 1st edition (October 22, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570622329
• ISBN-13: 978-1570622328
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.3 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #81,039 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MIND YOUR POSTURE !, June 9, 2000

By 

Örn Leifsson (Reykjavik Iceland.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Posture of Meditation (Paperback)

For those of us who are interested in Meditation we have to face the difficult problem of Queting the Mind, which of course brings up the question who is Queting who or what.

But we also face the problem of our bodies, it is difficult to stay in a meditative posture for a long period of time, Yoga execices will help of course and I found this book to be very usefull also. You get good information about the body, how to Relax it and use it right without straining, how to ease into the posture you're using and how to breathe correctly, when you finaly get it right it has a feeling of lightness and naturalness to it, it feels RIGHT.

It doesn't matter what kind of Meditation tradition you come from or what type of posture you're using this book will help you.

It realy is extraordinary how much the mind can change how you feel in you body and how just the right information can have such a dramatic change, So Your body is all in your Mind.

This book has information which I have not found in any Yoga books so far, Highly Recomended.

See also Rodney Yee, Yoga Journals Practise for Meditation, a good video to get you body in shape for the Lotus Posture.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally!, October 16, 2006

By 

M. James (Florida, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Posture of Meditation (Paperback)

Having spent some years meditating, I have never received any good advice on my posture. I struggled with every conceivable problem and learned much by trial and error. If only I had discovered this book in the beginning.

The author teaches how to adopt a proper posture in meditation. He also goes in some depth about the relationship between physical posture and mental clarity, which is certainly something experienced meditators can attest to. The author goes through the fundamental principles of a meditative posture: alignment, relaxation, and resilience. The author then explains through simple exercises how to create such a posture and release one's inner tension. The exercises are very well thought out and may be familiar to students of vipassana or meditative yoga.

I would certainly reccomend this book to anyone who is starting meditation, and to anyone who cannot sit comfortably for an entire hour. The author's tips are simple, practical, and well-grounded. Following the advice in this book can only advance one's meditation, no matter the tradition.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Posture of Meditation review, March 26, 2011

By 

happyfeet - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Posture of Meditation (Paperback)

This book is a gem! It helped me immensely to persevere in beginning sitting practice by describing lucidly and in detail how to work with the physical sensations that a beginner may face and that are ignored in most discussions focusing only on quieting the mind. It gave me a framework and an understanding of how one's body adapts to sitting over time and what changes may occur as the body adjusts. I highly recommend this small volume; it's well worth its low price.