7 Best Meditation Cushions That Also Work for Chilling, Working, and Relaxing

For many, it’s someone sitting peacefully on the floor, legs crossed or in the lotus position. But in reality, sitting like this takes practice.

Finding a comfortable meditation position can be challenging.

Tight hips, lower back injuries, and rounded shoulders can make sitting on the floor uncomfortable, which is why thousands of meditation practitioners choose to use meditation cushions.

Selecting the right meditation cushion, meditation pillow, or meditation mat for your practice depends on several variables:

• Your level of flexibility
• The space in which you wish to meditate
• The type of floor you’ll be sitting on
• If you want to use your meditation cushion exclusively for meditation
• The duration of your meditation

Here, we discuss the proper position for meditation. We also review our community’s favorite meditation cushions so that you can find the perfect cushion to make your meditation enjoyable and effective.

 

Meditation Posture

The meditation cushion you select needs to promote good meditative posture. This is a seated position in which you are:

• Stable – so your mind and body feel supported, which allows complete withdrawal from thoughts on maintaining your balance and position
• Straight – so your spine and neck are vertically aligned, offering total support to the head and room for the abdomen and ribcage to feely expand with the breath
• Comfortable – so you can enjoy a prolonged mediation, in which you get deeper into your practice, without distracting thoughts of needing to change position or experiencing discomfort

When you find a meditation cushion that allows you to sit in such a manner, you can then focus on perfecting your posture, the fundamental principles of which include:

• Slightly tuck your chin towards your collar bone while lifting the crown of your head towards the sky
• Softly seal your lips with a relaxed jaw, and place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth
• Passively drop your shoulders and pull them away from your ears, creating proper spinal alignment and freeing up the ribcage for breathing
• Tuck your pelvis forward and underneath your body, supporting the spinal column, relieving pressure on the buttocks, and decompressing the sciatic nerve

Common meditation posture problems include rounding the shoulders, not correctly supporting the pelvis, sitting on a painful surface, and not having the back and head vertically aligned.

Source: Moon Leap

Selecting the right meditation cushion, and using that cushion on a soft surface, such as carpet or a meditation mat, will help you achieve this optimal posture for meditation. This is why we’ve created this review of the best meditation cushions.

7 Best Meditation Cushions Reviewed

All cushions included in this list have been recommended by one or more members of the Meditation Focused community. We’ve included a different styles of cushion catered to meditators of varying flexibility, experience, and preferences.

MoonLeap Meditation Crescent Cushion

Key Features:

• Intelligently designed for anterior pelvic tilt, relieving strain on the sciatic nerve and supporting the spinal column
• Facilitates even weight distribution, stimulating blood flow and preventing numbness in the lower body
• Heavyweight, non-slip fabric design sewn together with super durable upholstery grade thread

The team at Moonleap has revolutionized how comfortable and sustainable meditation can be.

Their flagship cushion, the Crescent Cushion ticks all the boxes when it comes to promoting good and comfortable meditation posture.

Using organic spelt husk filling, these highly durable, long-life cushions displace weight evenly while facilitating breathability and circulation.

Their ergonomic design supports forward pelvic tilt while enabling comfortable and effortless vertical spinal alignment.

The contoured design also relieves pressure on the sciatic nerve, allowing you to sit for longer without experiencing numbness in the lower body.

Buy On MoonLeap

Halfmoon Linen Mod Sit Set

Key Features:

• Adjustable support for optimal meditation posture enabling feet and ankles to tuck comfortably underneath the meditator’s core
• A purpose-designed mat offers a soft surface for the meditator’s feet and ankle bones, maximizing comfort and focus
• Long-life linen unzippable cover, easy to clean and refill

Run by life-long yogic meditator and practitioner Beth McTavish, Halfmoon is inspired by the yogis Beth witnessed practicing meditation on the banks of the River Ganges.

Featuring a 100% linen lining with 100% buckwheat hulls filling, the Halfmoon linen mod sit set is designed for maximum comfort.

With the cushion fixed atop a soft linen mat, the Halfmoon facilitates optimal meditation posture while also protecting the feet, ankles, and knees from the hard floor. This helps meditators find more profound states of relaxation and take their meditation further.

Buy at Yoga Outlet

Zafuko Foldout Triangle Thai Cushion Bed

Key Features:

• Easy height manipulation depending on your flexibility and practice requirements
• Multi-use as a meditation cushion, or a place to take a short break, read a book, or while enjoying family and friend time
• Durable fabric with double-stitched ends offering a long-lasting cushion to facilitate comfortable, deep meditation

Inspired by her eight years living in Bali as a single mother, Zafuko founder Katia Van Roosbroeck realized meditation needed to be accessible to everyone.

She noticed the flexibility requirements of sitting in a lotus or half-lotus position, or even cross-legged on the floor, was a barrier to meditation for some people.

This was the inspiration behind the Zafuko meditation cushion bed, which enables a meditator to adjust the height of the cushion head according to their personal needs and find a position that facilitates comfortable, deep meditation.

Purchase Zafuko Foldout Triangle Thai Cushion Bed

Shakti Warrior Cork Zen Meditation Cushion

Key Features:

• Biodegradable, 100% recyclable cork fabric lining filled with buckwheat, which naturally molds to your seats’ shape, facilitating a comfortable, healthy posture
• Woven handle and 14” X 14” for easy transportation
• Double stitching for extra durability

From the team at Shakti Warrior, the Warrior Cork Zen Meditation Cushion is lightweight, highly functional, and comfortable, making it an ideal choice for meditators who prefer to practice in various locations.

Supporting proper spinal and pelvic alignment, meditators can carry the Cork Zen anywhere they please, whether that be in the home, to the beach, to the forest, or even on a hike.

Buy at Yoga Outlet

Hugger Mugger V-Shape Cushion Print

Key Features:

• Uniquely designed to pull feet in and under your body for a more central, supported alignment
• Changeable change pillow height and firmness by removing or adding buckwheat hull filling through a purpose-designed zipper
• Handmade guarantees quality and personalization

The Hugger Mugger V-Shape Cushion Print is designed to help meditators improve their posture and reduce distractions during their practice.

By allowing the meditator to elevate the buttocks and pelvis, then pull the feet in close to the body, the unique V-Shape facilitates and encourages anterior pelvic tilt, vertical spinal alignment, and reduced pressure on the knees.

An ideal choice for those moving further into the practice and looking to extend their meditation session duration.

Buy at Yoga Outlet

B Yoga The Calm Zabuton

Key Features

• Larger seating surface that also cushions the feet and ankles
• Encourages hip and lower back flexibility by requiring a crossed-legged or lotus position
• For meditators with intermediate to advanced flexibility who want to work on lotus position comfortably

Unlike our other recommendations, the B Yoga Calm Zabuton doesn’t significantly raise the hips and pelvis.

Instead, the Calm Zabuton facilitates comfortable cross-legged sitting close to the floor while cushioning the buttocks, thighs, knees, ankles, and feet.

Ideal for meditators working on their hip flexibility and lotus position, but who still want to enjoy a comfortable practice.

Buy at Yoga Outlet

Zafuko Zafu Large Foldable Meditation and Yoga Cushion

Key Features:

• Foldable and expandable design made for easy transport and comfortable meditation practice
• Handmade in Thailand with eco-friendly products
• Can be used as support during other practices, such as for difficult yoga positions

Our final meditation cushion recommendation comes handmade from Thailand.

Due to its ease of transportation and high comfort factor, the Zafu Foldable Meditation Cushion is ideal for those going to a meditation group or a yoga class.

Folded, the cushion provides elevation for the hips and buttocks, facilitating easy meditation posture. Unfolded, the cushion also offers an area to sit cross-legged and work on lotus position or to lay using as a pillow for savasana or rest.

Buy at Yoga Outlet

Key Considerations When Selecting a Meditation Cushion: Which Cushion is Right For Me?

Sitting on or close to the floor is something we have lost in western culture.

As a result, our hips are tight, our lower backs are stiff, and our shoulders are rounded.

Along with the mental and emotional benefits of meditation, sitting in a cross-legged position daily or several times a week helps unlock our bodies and promote healthy flexibility and movement.

When selecting your meditation cushion, the primary considerations are:

• You are comfortable
• You can tilt your pelvis slightly forward, releasing to the lower back
• You can sit with a straight spine and neck, preventing rounding of the shoulders
• You can sit like this for as long as you require

Your meditation cushion should complement and facilitate your practice – it should make it more relaxing, enjoyable, and peaceful.

Limited Flexibility

With this in mind, for those meditators with tight hips and limited range of motion, we strongly recommend cushions that elevate the hips, such as the MoonLeap Meditation Crescent Cushion, the Halfmoon Linen Mod Sit Set, the Hugger Mugger V-Shape Cushion Print, or the Cork Zen Meditation Cushion.

Intermediate to Advanced Positions

On the other hand, some meditators who can already sit in a flat cross-legged position comfortably might wish to progressively release their hips and work towards more advanced meditation poses such as the half-lotus and lotus. In these cases, cushions that protect the feet, ankles, and buttocks while nurturing proper posture, such as the Zafuko Foldout Triangle Thai Cushion Bed, the B Yoga The Calm Zabuton, or the Zafuko Zafu Large Foldable Meditation and Yoga Cushion.

Final Thoughts

The more comfortable you are during meditation, the more likely you are to pursue it regularly.

We have found time and again that meditators with a routine and a comfortable location to meditate, practice with greater frequency and get into a deeper meditative state.

Each meditator is different, and the right cushion for you might not be the same as your friend. But from our experience, the Halfmoon Linen Mod Sit Set has consistently proven to provide long-lasting meditative comfort for all practitioners who use it.

We wish you the best of luck in your search and hope you’ve found this review helpful.