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The Half-Lotus

(Virasana)

Warning: Both lotus and half-lotus positions are to be attained very gradually. Do not proceed against pain in the knees. If you force yourself into these positions against pain, it can damage your knees. Go slowly -- a little more each day -- no hurry. If one or both knees hurt, let the postures go and just use easy pose -- either cross-legged or sitting on the heels. (When I sit on my heels, the feet are making a V-shape, but I have short legs, and my feet are slightly pigeon-toed.)

Virasana is the half-lotus position. The best way to use it is on a zafu cushion.

zafu cushion

I bought the zafu cushion in the picture from Zen Stitchery, in Los Angeles. Their website is www.zenstitchery.com. The quality is excellent.

Zafus are the best thing to sit on for long meditations. Soto Zen features eight-hour “sesshins”. If you ever sat that long on a wooden meditation seat, you’d be limping for a while afterward.

Begin virasana by going into the cross-legged meditation position. Then, as thouugh you were going to perform a lotus position, bring the right foot up over the left thigh.

On the zafu cushion

Without the zafu cushion

Notice that using the zafu cushion gets your knees on the ground. If you can get them on the ground without it, you've goe longer legs than mine.

This is an excellent position for long meditations, and also an essential preparation for lotus position. To prepare for lotus, spend a week or two with the left foot up, then a week or two with the right one up.

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