back Pains when sitting

[Jerod]

when i sit down to meditate my back hurts. am i doing something wrong?

i sit with my back straight and my legs crossed. my left leg on top of my right. now when i sit completely straight at some point my back arches little by little and i become comfortable. but then i think to myself "i gotta sit straight" and sit as straight as i can like a stick. then i get back pains.

is it because i'm not used to sitting or it's because i'm doing it the wrong way?

[alex]

when i sit down to meditate my back hurts. am i doing something wrong?

i sit with my back straight and my legs crossed. my left leg on top of my right. now when i sit completely straight at some point my back arches little by little and i become comfortable. but then i think to myself "i gotta sit straight" and sit as straight as i can like a stick. then i get back pains.

is it because i'm not used to sitting or it's because i'm doing it the wrong way?

Both is possible. I think to judge if you sit the wrong way it's best to have a second person watching you, as it is sometimes difficult to decide if one's back is straight enough, without being bent too much. Or maybe you have a mirror. Once you found how the right position feels you don't need this help anymore.

As we westerners are not accustomed to sitting on the floor, it's quite natural to feel some pain in the beginning. I noticed that more muscular persons (doing sports, weight lifting etc.) rarely have these problems, this indicates that these muscles have to be developed. By the way, there is no shame meditating on a chair, you might want to try it.

And finally the pain can also come from tension evoked be meditation - or a medical problem with joints or bone. As a rule of thumb: Pain in the upper part of the back is usually caused by tension, whereas pain in the lower part might indicate a more serious problem. So if it gets too painful, or the pain lasts, go see a doctor.

Greetings,
Alex

[ravalbapu]

My salutations to both,
Alex is absolutely perfectly right.
After you have selected a posture decide a threshold,i.e. a point beyond which yuu do not tolerate pain and either lie down, get up, move around a bit, stand etc. and keep meditating.
Even here (in India) I have come accross cases of deep vein thrombosis in students sitting for loooong time and tolerating pain.
We are not mesochists
Alex is right. Consult a doctor.

May you retain happiness.
raval

[pimpoum]

as a short term quick fix, I would recommend that, whenever you want to straighten up, you imagine that the top of your head is attached to a thread from the ceiling. This enables you to straighten up by using the movement of your head (leading the rest of the body), instead of trying to give your back the "right" shape".

On the longer run, I would read a book or two on e Alexander Technique - this has done wonders for my posture. And take some lessons if you like it and have the money.

Hope it helps

EDIT: By the way, even if you're back is well positioned, you will have some back pain from the use of muscles which are not usually used. But having a better posture helps you to know that it does come from that.
Another thing, when you stand up straight, it should feel nearly effortless.

[Matthew]

Jerod

Alex's advice is good - also if you search the site for back or posture or back pain you will find threads with good advice.

Matthew

[Matthew]

as a short term quick fix, I would recommend that, whenever you want to straighten up, you imagine that the top of your head is attached to a thread from the ceiling. This enables you to straighten up by using the movement of your head (leading the rest of the body), instead of trying to give your back the "right" shape".

All movements of the body are naturally lead by the eyes which the head then follows pulling the rest of the body with it. if you practice moving around really gently and with awareness of how you move (particularly head and neck) then you can start to experience directly where there are muscular imbalances interfering with this process.

Matthew