A meditation chair is an instrument that is used in yoga and in yoga-related exercises in order to provide support and better posture. The meditation and mindfulness practices that have become so mainstream in the past fifty years have resulted in an entire industry of meditation and relaxation chairs being prepared for that market.
These chairs provide the support and the posture that you need in order to get the most out of your exercises. They help you relax more and meditate better.
Different types of meditation chairs are out there depending on what you need. The meditation position that you favor or the one that you’re being taught right now plays a big role in which meditation chair you may need to buy.
Sometimes your body type, height, and weight can also play a big part in which meditation chair meets your requirements. Your preference for kneeling, sitting, or standing while meditating can also make a difference.
In accordance with kneeling, a bench may be more in line with your style, and if you need some extra upper or lower back support, a chair with a high ergonomic factor may be suitable for you rather than a bench. If you need a portable chair because you want to meditate while on your travels, you could go for that as well.
For full-body comfort, you could go for a full-sized chair and if you want something that can just get the job done without any specific qualities; you should get a basic chair. There are a lot of choices out there and the industry is vast, so you shouldn’t rush anything and thoroughly research all kinds of chairs before you make up your mind.
The best advice when it comes to picking a chair is to find one that can support your back. This means that you need to choose a chair that has design features and capabilities that can support your upper and lower body. If nothing distracts you during your meditation session while you’re on that chair, you can rest assured that you’ve picked the right one. The best way to pick out a chair, however, is to try it out.
When you get a meditation chair that meets your needs, you are going to have a pleasant time. You’ll get more out of your yoga routine and you’ll know that you’ve made the right choice because you’ll feel better rested and more energetic.
Here are a few yoga chairs that you can try out and their various pros and cons.
Buddha Bliss Meditation Chair
This is the Friends of the Buddha: Bliss Meditation Chair. It is designed keeping in mind the Satsang, which is a sacred gathering. This is designed for the sacred ritual practiced in Hinduism that is primarily for spiritual healing and enlightenment.
To practice this form of meditation you need a good meditation seat because it requires a lot of concentration and no disturbances at all. And since the Satsang is a gathering of hundreds, and sometimes, thousands of people, one can sit for an extended period of time.
One great thing about this meditation chair is that it’s very easy to travel with. If you’re someone who needs to travel a lot and needs to take time out for meditation on every trip, then this is the one for you.
The Buddha Bliss Chair is also foldable and can fit in the back of your car. Hence, it’s very portable and can come with you on any trip, whether you’re going out of the city, out of the country, or just visiting your relatives out of town. However, if you’re traveling for a small period of time or have to move around a lot, this may not be the one for you, since it is quite heavy to carry.
It comes with a small, firm cushion as well and is designed for individuals with a medium height. If you’re very tall or very short, this may not be the one for you.
Ikuko Meditation Bench
The Ikuko Meditation bench is made of wood and is designed especially for sitting down, to provide a more natural feel for the people using it. It has a curved seat and facilitates a different angle when sitting. It allows you to sit in a very relaxed manner while providing users with great posture. In fact, it was designed to keep in mind the lotus and half-lotus positions in yoga.
The makers of the chair note that you can also sit in other positions on this seat, though it was built specifically for the lotus and half-lotus positions. You also don’t have to use it for the sole purpose of meditation, since it’s a great bench to just sit and sip your tea or coffee.
The open sitting angle on the bench helps the owner sit up straight without any slouching. It even aligns your spine at a right angle with the floor. This lessens the chances of spine injury due to the constant pressure placed on the spine by the drooping of the head and slouching of the back.
The makers of the Ikuko bench also posit that it will allow your chest to open up and make the flow of Chi much more natural. It will also help open up your Chakras.
The bench is easily dismantled, which makes it highly portable.
It should be noted that since the bench doesn’t have any elongated back support, it may be unsuitable for very tall people.
Back Jack Floor Chair
The Back Jack Floor Chair offers the best of both worlds of back support and a good leveled floor to sit on. It offers the same support as a regular chair but is very portable, so you can set it down on any surface and begin your session. It can easily fit into your car and you can carry it anywhere, be it a retreat or a hike. It’s also very lightweight and small so it’s no bother to carry.
The Floor Chair is very ergonomically designed and thus helps you improve your posture. It is notable for having a positive effect on your back and reducing the pain that you may suffer from day to day. The response from its customers is that it doesn’t just prevent you from feeling any back pain; it can also help to cure back problems.
However, the ergonomic meditation chair is a bit rickety. It has a minimalist design and can’t serve as a focal point for the meditation room. So don’t overly rely on the chair, but do take full advantage of its capabilities.
Some may also be put off by the design of the floor chair since it’s built more for function rather than to look fashionable.
Alexia Meditation Seat
The Alexia meditation seat sets comfort and relaxation as the top priority for its customers. It’s so comfortable that you may not want to leave it. It’s got great back support and is one of the best meditation chairs overall. You can feel the chair support your body in the right places and because of that support, it’s very easy to get comfortable and meditate.
A great thing about this chair is that there are a lot of color options available and it is also available in vegan-friendly materials; this is a good thing for people that are living the vegan lifestyle full-on and want to incorporate it into everything that they buy and use.
This is a very ergonomic meditation chair that can provide you with a lot of support and a lot of comforts.
The cons of this chair are that since it’s of very high quality, you can’t really take it with you anywhere. It’s not ideal for traveling and can’t fit in your car.
Zen Comfort Memory Foam Seat Cushion
This is a bare-bones seat cushion that can help you cradle your hips for a better posture. This is a very basic seat that will do wonders for your posture as well as your lower and upper body structure. It has a very unique design that centers on a shape like a bowling pin.
The bowling pin space in the middle increases any ventilation possible so that the cushion doesn’t get too hot while you’re sitting on it. Hence, if you don’t like sitting in warm seats, you’ll love this.
The Zen Meditation is built to provide relief to the Prostate, Hemorrhoid, Sciatica, Hip, Lower and Upper Back, Tailbone, and Pregnancy-related pain. If you have any of those conditions, it’s recommended that you buy the memory foam seat cushion and start Zen meditation.
Acacia Wood Meditation Bench
This is a pretty basic meditation bench made out of wood. However, this is built specifically for tall people. It’s a great wooden meditation chair that is built for people up to 6 foot 1 inches in height. It’s of a very high-quality build and it can be argued that it is the highest quality of any build in its class.
The caveat with this is that it can’t be dismantled. Hence, you can’t carry it with you, unless you have plenty of space to do so. It certainly can’t be carried by you everywhere that you go. It’s built for the home and is made for the home environment.
It’s also extremely heavy.
Large Relaxing Buddha Meditation and Yoga Seat
This is a design from a registered yoga teacher and the Osho Meditation Facilitator. This is a very large meditation chair that can fit people that are up to 6 feet and two inches in height. It’s one of the better choices for the taller individual out there.
The chair is extremely comfortable and provides much more support than any wooden meditation chair. It has an additional, backrest that can offer lower back support. And as a bonus, it comes with a complimentary bag that you can squeeze it into when you want to take it with you on your travels. The chair is fully foldable and is one of the best chairs in the market for meditation.
The price isn’t cheap though, but you have to give up something to gain something.
Joy is Within You Meditation Bench
There might not be a more beautiful option for a wooden meditation bench on this list than this one. It literally takes the weight off your legs. It is perfect for those people that prefer to kneel during meditation and the best part about the bench is that it’s handmade. It is of exceptionally high quality and adds a lot to the room that it’s put in.
It has a lot of practical benefits such as giving your legs the best natural position to be in while you’re kneeling. This prevents them from falling asleep and feeling the usual discomfort that is so baked into kneeling. The cushion offers the right amount of support and since the bench is made of pine timber, it’s very sturdy.
The bench isn’t foldable and is hence, not ideal for travel. It can’t be fit into your car or your suitcase comfortably and you can’t take it everywhere with you. However, the trade-off is the support that it provides. You can choose portability or durability, but you can’t have both, unfortunately.
This list of meditation chairs you are the best available option in the market, no matter what yoga routine you’re going to practice or what kind of body type you have. If you browse around and check each one out, you’ll be able to find the one that specifically meets your needs.