Disclosure: I was not financially compensated for this post.
I received a sample of the product for review purposes.
When I was an undergraduate, I remember taking classes from the most fascinating professor. He was a Buddhist monk who practiced zen meditation, and that was an entirely new concept to me at the time. This was intriguing to me because I was used to the Western thought flow, so being introduced to Eastern ideas in my Eastern Psychology class was eye opening.
We started every class out with 20 minutes of zen meditation, and I got my first exposure to meditation cushions and benches. After trying out a few for comfort I found the zafu was my favorite.
A zafu is a firm cushion used for meditation, it’s often filled with buckwheat hulls and it gives a better foundation for comfort and posture than a regular couch pillow would give you.
Hugger Mugger sent me a zafu to try out and I fell in love with it. It’s been years since I sat on one, so it’s going to take me some time to get back into a more extended meditation practice since I haven’t been meditating regularly.
The first thing I did was check it out to see how it was put together. As you can see from the photo above, the zafu is a beautiful celery color. It is filled with loose organic buckwheat hulls and there is a care label attached giving the washing instructions.
I can tell it will be easy to wash this zafu. I just have to unzip it, transfer the buckwheat hulls to a bag, wash per the care instructions, then replace the buckwheat hulls when I’m done. I love that it’s so easy to do!
Next I checked out how it felt when I sat on it. As it should be, the first thing I noticed it was firm enough to support me. It’s no secret that I’m not a tiny person and it held up to my weight wonderfully. The height of the zafu was great for me as well. I have bad knees, so I need something that allowed me to keep pressure off my knees but still align me the way I needed. If I sit on it cross legged (I can’t do the full lotus position anymore, but I’m hoping to get back to that flexibility) with my knees/legs tilted forward toward the floor, my hips receive excellent support to keep me aligned with my back straight. At this point I don’t have to focus so much on my hips as I do on making sure I don’t round my shoulders.
I can honestly say I’m 100% satisfied with my Hugger Mugger zafu. It provides excellent support and allows me to focus on my meditation, rather than an uncomfortable seating situation.
You can find this zafu and other great yoga products on the Hugger Mugger website, and you can keep up with them on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.
Have you ever meditated using a zafu or other positioning device? Tell me about your experience in the comments below.
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