Many people use meditation to relieve stress. However, if you choose to meditate while sitting in the classic cross-legged posture known as the “Lotus Seat,” it could cause damage and pain to the body—particularly to the knees. How do we prevent knee injuries when choosing to meditate in this position? The key is to open your hip joints.
Some meditation practices suggest particular ways of sitting, such as with loose crossed legs, a single crossed leg, or double crossed legs. The “lotus seat,” often featured in yoga, requires the double-crossed leg posture. A national survey in Australia with responses from 2,567 yoga practitioners analyzed the proportion of injuries related to yoga postures and found that one of the top three postures, when done incorrectly, was the seated cross-legged position at 5.3 percent.
