Hello all.

[Josh]

Hi everyone, it's a little intimidating joining a new community but if there is one that SHOULD be mellow, I'm thinking it's this one. I have been meditating for many years but have developed a knee problem that stops me from sitting in lotus position. I am here to see if anyone has had the same issue and what can be done about it.
Thanks!

[Ngawang Drolma]

Hi Josh, welcome to Dharma Wheel! I've always found this to be a mellow place and I hope it will be a similar experience for you

Unfortunately I don't have the experience of sitting in the lotus position and I don't think I have enough flexibility or strength to do it. All I could suggest is not straining your knees and perhaps try an easier position. We have a forum dedicated to meditation if you would like to try your question there, too.

Best,
Laura

[catmoon]

A new path can lead to a better place.

[Josh]

Thank you Laura and Catmoon too.
Catmoon, your comment was interesting because I'm about to leave where I've been living for almost 20 years (Tahiti) and am gearing up with my family to move to Oregon. Talk about a new path.

[Luke]

Dude, Tahiti, that's awesome! Welcome!

You should tell us more details about your knee problem.

If it's not something serious which requires medical treatment, it seems to me that you just need to either warm up your leg muscles before you meditate, strengthen your leg muscles and connective tissue by lifting light to moderately-heavy weights, or stretch more.

I'm not an expert. Those are just my amateur opinions. I have not yet gone beyond quarter lotus myself.

Warming up and stretching a little bit before meditating can make a big difference, although it might seem undignified to look like you're preparing for a sports event at some important Buddhist teaching. Try some body squats, lunges, marching in place, or jumping jacks to get the blood flowing. Then try stretching every major muscle group of your legs (hamstrings, quads, adductors, abductors, calves, tibialis).

Most people wouldn't try to do a split without warming up first, so it might make sense to warm up before trying to sit in the lotus position.

[David N. Snyder]

Welcome to Dharma Wheel!

[ball-of-string]

Welcome

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

Welcome to (the nice and mellow) Dharma Wheel.



Metta,
Retro.

[fowlerl]

In our sangha there are some who are unable to sit crossed legged in any fashion. They usually use a chair. I find even the half lotus impossible. Coming from a martial arts background, seiza is my preferred fashion. And, even in seiza after 15 min or so legs go numb etc. After looking on the net and seeing many different kinds of cushions and kneeling stools, I built a couple for use, one at the sangha and one for home. If you search for 'meditation equipment' there is lots. I use the seiza kneeling stool and I have found that I can sit for an hour without any discomfort, allowing my sitting to be much more fruitful.

dimensions I used:

wood 7cm wide; 1.5cm thick

35cm - top;
14.5 cm legs; x2;
6.5 cm spacers, x2;

[Josh]

Thanks everyone for your comments. I have been looking in the meditation forum where I posted my question. I see now that this site is big enough to make it difficult for everyone to see everything that is going on. I hope admin doesn't mind me hijacking this "place" to continue with the question.
Fowlerl, thanks for those dimensions. I may end up using them. I started out on a stool like that that I made but put it aside about 10 years ago when I committed to learning full lotus. I love the lotus position because I can stay in it for over an hour, it's stable, etc, etc (like it's supposed to be). And I don't need anything to do it which can be good when traveling.
I'll surely go see a sports doctor before we leave here and have to pay American medical rates.
Luke, I'm plenty active (surfing, spearfishing, distance swimming, etc) and have tried it in various stages of "warmed up" with no positive results. Thanks anyway for your thoughtful answer.

Here's the post from the meditation section:

Hello. I just joined this community in the hopes of reaching out and sharing my experience and ultimately getting help with something I've been struggling with.
I have been meditating for 13 years (mostly zazen style breath meditation) and most of that time have been doing it in full lotus.
A few months ago I developed pain in the front right corner of my left knee when in full lotus or even with legs crossed. It doesn't hurt at any other time though it does hurt when my left foot is crossed under a chair (at the dinner table for example) and resting on the achilles tendon of my right foot. The pain has put a serious damper on my meditation and doesn't feel like it should be "pushed through" like the pains in my legs in the early days of doing lotus.
I know right away I'm likely to get a barrage of responses to the effect of "just don't sit cross legged dummy," but it's important to me to understand this pain and to do what is necessary to make it go away. Can anyone help me on this quest?
Thank you.