Dharana 71 of 112 · verse 78

Seated Without Support

Sit off-balance with nothing held, and let the mind go where the support went.

00:00Ready

8 minutes. Seated on one side, unsupported.

Intermediate8 min

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Before you try this

Skip if you have back, hip or balance problems, and sit where a wobble cannot cause a fall.

The practice

Sit with your weight resting mostly on one side, on something soft, with the hands unsupported and the feet not braced. Do not correct into a comfortable symmetrical posture. Stay in the slight unsettledness and attend to what the mind does when the body has nothing to lean on.

What it works on

Almost every other posture instruction aims at stability. This one deliberately withholds it, on the principle that a mind which cannot rely on the body having settled has to find its steadiness elsewhere.

Notes

  • Slightly unsupported, not painfully so. If a joint complains, adjust.
  • Short sittings. The effect arrives early and does not improve with endurance.

Practise gently

Shoonyaka offers educational and contemplative material, not medical, psychological or religious authority. Nothing here diagnoses or treats any condition. Stop any practice that leaves you dizzy, frightened or unwell, and treat a strong reaction as a reason to rest rather than to push on.