Is it really necessary to sit in the lotus position?

Question

I'm 68 years old and sitting in the lotus position causes me a lot of aches and pains. Why not sit comfortably in a chair when meditating?

Comments

..Thank you..

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Thank you Edit. The cross-legged position leaning against a wall works pretty well for me. The "useful" pain is still there and I can continue to meditate.

Answer 1

You can sit on the chair of course. And you can also gradually learn to sit on a cushion, cross-legged only. You don't need to get to a full lotus.

Aches and pain can be useful in the practice, and you not running away may help in the long run. Easy/comfortable meditation session may be very pleasant, but it won't teach you about reality. Understanding and getting comfortable with Reality is the purpose of Vipassana meditation.

Comments

..Thank you..

---

Thank you Edit. The cross-legged position leaning against a wall works pretty well for me. The "useful" pain is still there and I can continue to meditate.

Answer 2

You may sit in a chair of course.  May I suggest sitting towards the edge of the chair, with your back straight, so you don’t become too relaxed and fall asleep.

You don’t need to get into the lotus position at all, or any position/posture that creates aches and pain, as long as you are in a posture/position from which you are able to form a comfortable observation of the rising and falling of the abdomen, with your back as straight as can be.

Meditation practice allows one to deal with aches and pain, head on, by observing the nature of this pain, rather than judging it (like/dislike), and this will help alleviate the pain in the long run.  A meditation session may be very pleasant, but it won’t cultivate an understanding of the nature of this pain if you cling onto the feeling.