Question: Do you feel it is necessary to assume a particular posture when you meditate, to sit in the lotus position, for example?

Sri Chinmoy: It depends on the individual. The main thing is to keep the spine erect and straight, and to keep the body relaxed. There are many people who meditate very well while they are seated in a chair. And there are many who sit in the lotus posture only to show off, while their mind is roaming elsewhere. You have to know how much control you have over the mind. If you have control over your mind, you can meditate while running, while talking to people; but if you do not have control over your mind, then it is better to sit in a particular corner of the room and keep your body, especially your back, erect.

Usually when a beginner enters into a spiritual path, he becomes a victim to laziness. Meditation is something new to him and he may not get a satisfactory result all at once, or he may not have the necessary patience. So it is necessary for him to discipline himself as quickly as possible. But for one who has already tasted some inner food — inner Light, Peace or Bliss — it is not necessary to go through this rigorous discipline because meditation has become spontaneous. While he is walking, while he is doing office work, his mind is on God, he is meditating on God. While he is talking to a person, only his mouth is functioning but his mind is somewhere else.

In your case you are the best judge. When you start to meditate, what happens? If your mind roams, then you have to be very careful. If your mind does not roam, if you know that you can hold the reins, then it is not at all obligatory to sit in the lotus posture while you meditate.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Meditation: humanity's race and Divinity's Grace, part 1, Agni Press, 1974
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