What if sitting for meditation is uncomfortable?
Your back aches, or your knees complain, and you wonder if you are doing it wrong.
If sitting hurts, change how you sit. If a practice leaves you feeling worse instead of calmer, stop. Neither makes you bad at meditation.
You do not need a cushion, a cross-legged pose or a silent room. This guide helps you sort comfort questions from questions that need an official answer or a professional.
What if sitting is uncomfortable?
Treat discomfort as information. Pain is not proof of progress, and a practice does not need you to endure it.
Everyday positions that work are plentiful. Choose the one that lets you stay still and awake for a few minutes:
- A dining chair with both feet flat on the floor.
- A sofa corner, with a cushion behind your lower back.
- The edge of your bed, which is handy in a small shared room.
- Lying down, if sitting is hard. You may find it makes you sleepy, and that is useful to know.
- A stool or a folded blanket under your seat, if you like the floor.
Move if you need to. A small shift is not a break in the practice. If the same ache returns every time, a doctor or physiotherapist can advise on sitting that suits your body.
What counts as a comfort change, and what counts as a method change?
This distinction keeps you safe and honest.
A comfort change is about where and how you sit: chair or floor, eyes open or softly closed, a blanket, a different time of day. You can make these yourself.
A method change alters the practice itself, such as a particular breathing pattern or a position set out by a teacher or provider as part of the technique. Before you change a method, check what the official guidance for that practice says, or ask the provider.
The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) shares safety advice. It advises asking about the training and experience of a meditation instructor and telling your health care providers about complementary approaches you use1.
Our guide on what to ask when you are unsure about instructions lists questions you can send.
What if the experience is distressing rather than relaxing?
Stop, and look after yourself first. A session can end early without any harm to the practice.
A 2020 review of meditation studies found that the most commonly reported adverse events were anxiety, depression and cognitive anomalies2. The authors said such events can occur in people with no prior mental health history2.
The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) also says mindfulness (paying attention to what is happening now, kindly) is not helpful for everyone, and some people feel worse after trying it3. A hard session is not your fault, and you do not need to explain it.
Try this: a steady way out of a hard moment
Use it whenever a session feels too much. It takes about a minute.
- Open your eyes and keep them open.
- Look around the room and name three things you can see.
- Press your feet into the floor and feel the contact.
- Breathe at whatever pace feels natural. Do not try to slow it.
- Stand, stretch or get a glass of water. Then decide whether to stop for today.
If the feeling stays, stays strong or returns with each attempt, talk to someone, as described next.
Who can I ask?
Different questions go to different people.
- Pain, dizziness or a health condition: your doctor or a physiotherapist.
- Feelings that are heavy or frightening: a doctor, counsellor or a helpline.
- How a particular practice is meant to be done: the instructor or the provider.
If a practice brings up distress, dizziness or painful memories, it is fine to stop. Talking to a doctor or counsellor is a good idea, and our support page lists where to start. Finding suitable support explains what to say when you reach out.
Fitting comfort into a real home
A noisy flat or a shared room makes the floor a poor choice. Try the chair near the window, or sit on your bed with a pillow. Finding a practice opportunity in a busy household has more ideas.
You can use our meditation timer to keep a session short, such as two minutes, while you find a position that works. Nothing you set is sent anywhere.
Where to go next
If you are thinking about stopping for a while, choosing to pause a practice shows how to do it without guilt. For what a first short sit can feel like, see your first seven minutes. Everything in this series sits on the keeping a practice going hub.
When you feel comfortable, Sadhguru's guided session works sitting or lying down, whichever suits you on the day.
Common questions
What if sitting is uncomfortable?
Change something. A chair, a sofa corner, the edge of a bed or lying down are all reasonable ways to meditate. Pain is not a sign that you are doing well, so you do not need to push through it. If discomfort keeps returning, a doctor or physiotherapist can advise on sitting for your body.
What if the experience is distressing rather than relaxing?
Stop. Open your eyes, look around the room, feel your feet on the floor and breathe at your own pace. A session may end early, and that is fine. If distress returns or lingers, talk to a doctor or counsellor, and do not carry on alone because you feel you should.
Can I change a guided session to suit my body?
For everyday comfort, such as sitting on a chair, yes. For the method itself, such as breathing patterns or particular positions a teacher sets out, check what the provider's official guidance says, or ask the provider. Changing posture for comfort is different from changing the technique.
Who should I ask about my own body or feelings?
Ask your doctor about pain, dizziness or health conditions, and a counsellor or helpline about feelings that overwhelm you. For questions about how a particular practice is meant to be done, ask the instructor or the provider. They can answer these in ways a guide cannot.
Sources
- NCCIH advises asking about the training and experience of a meditation instructor and telling your health care providers about complementary approaches you use. NCCIH, US National Institutes of Health
- In the 2020 Farias review the most commonly reported adverse events were anxiety, depression and cognitive anomalies, and the authors said such events can occur in people with no prior mental health history. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica (via PubMed)
- The NHS says studies suggest mindfulness can help with stress, anxiety and depression, that more research is needed for other conditions, and that it is not helpful for everyone, with some people feeling worse after trying it. NHS
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When you feel comfortable, Sadhguru's guided session works sitting or lying down, whichever suits you on the day.