Classically speaking, there are four formal meditation postures: sitting, standing, walking, and lying down. Yet is seems that sitting gets by far the most attention, even though all four postures can be thought of to a first approximation as different doors into the very same room.

In this workshop, we will focus on the unique virtues of lying down meditations and how such practices can be seamlessly integrated into our daily lives.

When it comes to formal meditation practice, the first thing we usually engage in after the intention itself arises, is to establish an intentional positioning of the body. For most of us, this usually means sitting, and thus, “taking our seat” both literally and metaphorically, with the overriding intention of letting the very carriage of the body and the intrinsic spaciousness of awareness effortlessly embody wakefulness.

That said, there is another posture we find ourselves in, on at least several occasions every day that is equally congenial to cultivating mindfulness in formal practice…namely, lying in bed, especially if we can arrange to be on our backs in what is classically called in yoga, the corpse pose.

Both during the final moments of the day, before “falling asleep” at night, and in the first moments of “waking up” each morning, there is an often overlooked opportunity for practice that has its own unique virtues and potential. When we intentionally assume a supine position, lying on our back, we are perfectly positioned to give ourselves over to this liminal space and practice falling awake.

We often say, as we open our eyes, that we are waking up. But are we, fully? Why not check, and finish the job before getting out of bed each morning? There are almost no obstacles to that.

Of course, we can also intentionally practice lying down meditations at any point in the day as well that might be congenial. But the first moments of the day, and the last, are perfect moments for befriending and developing this practice.

What might we discover if instead of trying to simply shake off the day and fall asleep each night, then, trying to shake off sleep each morning to get on with our day, we decided to pause right inside of these two moments, lying in bed exactly as we are, and practice?

Join Jon Kabat-Zinn and Rebecca Eldridge on Thursday, January 26th, 2023 as they discuss the virtues, challenges, and opportunities of lying down meditation. Jon will also guide a brief period of lying down practice, and engage in dialogue with the participants about their experiences. This is an excellent opportunity to explore inwardly and outwardly what lying down meditation practices might hold for you.

Then, return on Thursday, March 2nd, 2023 for a follow-up session in which we will share our experiences and both the virtues and challenges of this kind of mindfulness practice.

Missed the live sessions? No problem. Register anyway—recordings of both sessions will be available to all who register.

You can find out more about Edmarc in this short video.