I've often ruminated on the adivsability of sitting in seiza, the cross-legged, or
lotus/semi-lotus positions. The knee is the most primitive joint in the body, dating back to the
dinosaurs, and like the finger and toe joints is designed for movement in one plane only. The
lotus and its variants put a lot of lateral and torsional strain on the joint--as Bud pointed out,
it's a yoga asana, and so was probably not designed to be held for long periods. Some people
manage, though, and even find it comfortable. About ten years ago I did a Vipassana retreat in
Rajastan, which involved 10 hours of meditation a day--much like a Zen sesshin--and I remember
experiencing intense pain in my knees. It's hard enough trying to feel a half-dollar-sized spot on
your skin "from the tip of your toes, to the top of your head; from the top of your head, to the
tip of your toes" for ten hours a day without experiencing joint torture. We were told the pain
was merely psychological, an attachment, and would pass, but I didn't get that far after only ten
days. After about fifteen years I find an hour or two is my limit, and interestingly that limit
hasn't moved up or down in all that time.
During three years of studies with Kurahashi sensei in Kyoto, I never got beyond "beginner's
seiza"--with an extra zabuton between my upper and lower legs. Even then, the mid-lesson break was
spent dealing with the numbness. In karate class in college we had to sit in seiza on a wood floor
briefly at the end of class, and I'll never forget the time our teacher gave us a half-hour
lecture before letting us sit cross-legged--about overcoming our weaknesses, of course.
Anyway, enough reminiscing--seiza is very comfortable when you get used to it, but I think it also
has its drawbacks. As a bodyworker I tend to observe people's bodies and gaits, and I've noticed
that many Japanese women are somewhat pigeon-toed, and some even show slight signs of dropfoot,
which is caused by paralysis of or damage to nerves in the legs. I've also seen far more women
with postures indicative of shortened ilio-psoas muscles (they run along the front of the hip) in
Japan than in any of the other three dozen or so countries I've been to. Both of these could be
due to longs periods spent sitting in seiza, and it seems that Japanese women spend quite a bit
more time sitting that way than men. It's just conjecture, but we can't forget that all of these
things are human inventions, and while they certainly all have great benefits, they may at times
be working against the human body, or at least individual human bodies. So I'd agree with Bud that
as long as you're supoorting your diaphragm, sit in a way that's comfortable.
As a footnote, I've read that part of attaining aparigraha, the stage of yoga which is basically
non-attachment, is the ability to see one's past lives, and that this ability is due to letting go
of attachment to this life. It's beyond the stage of asana, so this author said, because first you
have to stop holding on to your joints too tightly!
Peter
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