Meditation Myths (Part 2): You Don’t Have to Sit Still — or Sit on the Floor
A practical look at movement, posture, and what actually matters
Last week, I shared two of the most common meditation myths. Ones that stop people before they even begin.
This week, let’s look at two more that tend to quietly get in the way.
Myth #3: “You have to sit perfectly still.”
Reality:
Meditation doesn’t have to mean complete stillness.
It can include gentle movement such as walking, breathwork, rocking, or subtle hand movements. Expanding even further, practices like qigong, yoga, tai chi, swimming, running—even dancing—can all become forms of mindful meditation.
Stillness is just one option, but not the only one.
For trauma survivors or those with anxious bodies, movement-based meditation is often far more accessible than silence. Sometimes stillness isn’t calming; it’s overwhelming. Movement gives the mind and body somewhere safe to land.
At its core, movement meditation invites your body and the sensations around you to become your anchor. It’s about being fully present through your senses: noticing what your body is doing, what you can hear, smell, and see.
Take walking as an example. Most of the time, we walk simply to get from point A to point B. We rarely notice our bodies or our surroundings. Instead, we focus on the destination or get lost in the constant stream of thoughts running through our minds.
Mindful walking shifts that.
We walk with intention. We slow down. We notice how each step feels as it lands. We tune into the rhythm of our breath, the swing of our arms. We take in the sounds, sights, and scents around us, allowing all of it to become the anchor.
When our minds drift to our to-do lists, a recent argument, or an upcoming meeting, we gently notice and return our attention to the body and the movement.
This same principle applies to any form of movement meditation.
It’s not about getting somewhere or completing a task. It’s about being with yourself, your body, your breath, and the present moment with full awareness.
Myth #4: “You have to sit cross-legged on the floor.”
We may have already tossed this one out the window with Myth #3!
Reality:
You can meditate anywhere. Sitting in a chair, lying down, outside, or even in your car. In stillness or in motion.
Posture only matters insofar as it supports your practice.
For some, sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion feels natural and supportive. For others, it’s uncomfortable or even impossible. Sitting upright in a chair with your feet grounded may work better. For some, lying down is the most accessible option.
What matters isn’t achieving a “perfect” posture; it’s comfort, alertness, and ease of breath.
It’s about listening to your body and responding to what it needs in the moment.
Some days, I sit cross-legged on my zafu. Other times, I pause at my desk, sit upright, close my eyes, and take a five-minute meditation break. And sometimes, what I need most is to lie down. On other days, it might be a mindful walk in nature.
There’s no single “right” way.
What works beautifully for one person may not work at all for another. For example, guided visual meditations can be powerful, but for those with aphantasia, like me, they can be frustrating or ineffective.
Posture is no different.
For one person, sitting cross-legged may feel grounding and meditative. For someone with knee or lower back pain, it may be anything but. A chair—or even lying down—can offer far greater comfort and presence.
No one earns extra points for knee pain. Comfort isn’t a shortcut; it’s what allows the practice to actually work.
At the end of the day, meditation isn’t about how it looks; it’s about how it feels.
If you can come back to your breath, your body, or the moment you’re in… you’re doing it.
There are many more misconceptions around meditation—some obvious, some more subtle—but each one has the potential to keep people from discovering how accessible the practice can be.
Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed
In Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed, I explore these myths more deeply and offer a flexible, accessible approach to meditation, especially for busy minds, aphantasia, beginners, and those who’ve felt like they were “doing it wrong.”
