Complete concentration is a basic prerequisite for the success of the process of meditation. It is therefore very necessary for the entire body to be placed in a way that in entirety it assists in the process. All the faculties of the body have to be in accordance so that the practitioners face as little obstruction from the body as possible. We shall hereby discuss the positions of various parts of the body so that finally the complete picture is clear for the beginners.

Position of the head: It is generally believed that the position of the head finally affects the procession of the thoughts and so the head has to be in a position that does not interfere with the process of meditation. The head is best placed in a position where it is felt as weightlessly balanced on the neck and spine as possible. It is important to sit in an upright position, no matter which posture is chosen for meditation. The head should not be hung backwards because this is a position, which enables the thoughts to come in with full fury and it becomes difficult to control them. If the head is inclined forward this too is not the correct position because then the practitioner is inclined to feel very bored and even feel sleepy. This makes it difficult for the practitioner to concentrate on the session. The head should be completely in line with the neck and rest of the spine and should not sag or be unnecessarily stretched at the neck joint.

Position of the hands: The arms and hands have to be in a restful position for the entire session to succeed. This is because the force of gravity is high on the arms and if they tend to hang loose on the sides of the body they can generate a lot of distraction. The arms and hands should be placed on the lap or on the thighs while meditating. It is also important to let the tips of thumbs and fingers touch each other as this position enables a lot of energy flow in the body, which further facilitates the process of meditation.

The ancient Hindu mythology preaches about some standing poses for Tapas, which is an extreme form of meditation. These are forms of meditation in which the physical self is put under a lot of stress in order for the self to rise above the physical factors and become one with the divine. The position of hands has been described to be as in Parvatasana. And even the practitioner is supposed to balance his weight on one leg. Theses positions were held for durations of time which seem implausible for human reach. The modern practitioners however do not use any such practices. For them the process of meditation is much more docile with more emphasis on keeping the physical self in a comfortable and congenial posture.

Position of the eyes: The eyes can be kept open or closed or even half closed. It depends on the practitioner to choose the position of the eyes that is most conducive to his practice session. There are advantages and disadvantages of all the positions and final outcome has to be decided based upon what eventually suits the practitioner best.

In the position where the eyes are kept closed the external stimuli closes down drastically but the chances of seeing too much through the mind’s eye get enhanced. This is because closing the eyes only cut down on the external sensory perception of visions but they still continue to exist in the mind’s eye. Chances of falling into a stage of active day dreaming increase manifold when the eyes are closed.

In the position where the eyes are kept open the control of all external stimuli gets negated and there are more chances to get distracted with something or the other happening around the meditator.

Modern practitioners advocate the state of half open eyes. Here the eyes are advised to be kept in lucid or soft focus and control can be exercised wherein if a stage of boredom or sleepiness is reached the eyes can be opened wider. And if the mind starts daydreaming the eyes are shut a little. The soft focus minimises the external stimuli.

Position of the mouth: The mouth contains the jaws and tongue. The influence of stress is very easily manifested in both jaws and the tongue also acquires a squirmy attitude. The jaws have to be kept in a least stressful position. This is because the stress manifested in the jaw region has self encompassing power on the thought process. Only when the jaws can be completely relaxed can any control be exercised on the thought process. So it is best to keep the jaws in a restful position. This position is the position of the jaws which comes closest to the natural position where the lower jaw is kept slightly behind the upper jaw. In this natural position the tip of the tongue is also kept touching the palate.

Just like it is recommended to follow a certain pattern of place, settings and timings, it is best to stick to one posture while meditating so that the body starts recognizing and associating it with the process meditation and the mind does not resist the thought control procedures.

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