Category: Meditation

Thoughts from Still Sitting During this Crisis

We are Here for You We are here for you at Still Sitting. We are committed to safely continuing to support our customers with meditation supplies. But the truth is you don’t really need new meditation cushions right now. We believe that everyone already has what they need to face our new uncertain reality. Uncertainty,… Read more »

New Year, New Meditation Practice

Post updated 1/22/20 Starting a New Meditation Practice The new year is a great time to start or restart a meditation practice. Starting anything new can sometimes feel daunting so we’ve put together a few very basic guidelines for starting a new meditation practice. I had a chat with Koshin Christopher Cain, one of the… Read more »

Slowing Down : Inspiration From the Sloth

September can be a very fast-paced month. Summer holidays are over. Our activities are back in full swing, and our days can quickly become crammed with back to back responsibilities. Slowing down, even a little, can be a wonderful way to bring a touch of presence to our busy schedules. We’re not suggesting hanging around… Read more »

The Sleepy Sit: Staying Awake While Meditating

Staying Awake While Meditating When we lived at the Mt Baldy Zen Center we began our day at 4 a.m. with a pucker-inducing dose of hot lemon tea, followed by almost an hour of chanting. Both tea and chanting helped keep everyone awake while meditating. Monks and nuns of all types get up before dawn… Read more »

Create Your Meditation Space

To sit still you need at minimum a couple of things: time and space. We recommend you take time for your meditation practice, and also that you think a little about the space. Do you have a dedicated meditation space? A little sanctuary you can retire to when you need it? How about a clear… Read more »

Samue Clothing

Samue is the traditional clothing worn during daily work by Japanese Buddhist monks. Samu refers to daily work that is done with mindfulness. This can include any work, such as gardening, cleaning or daily chores. Samue Clothing The pieces are typically made from cotton or linen in dark colors, such as brown or navy. The style is… Read more »

Introducing our New Mini Zafu

When we started Still Sitting 14 years ago, our round zafu was the first cushion we designed. We spent a long time perfecting our zafu construction, choosing fabrics, and finding suppliers that met our needs for the highest quality materials and business practices. Our traditional round zafu has continued to be our most popular item… Read more »

A Few Common Questions about Meditation

Recently we were asked to answer a few common questions on meditation for a local yoga conference. Many people are first introduced to meditation through yoga, so we took a few minutes in between making cushions to consider the questions. Below you will find the questions and our responses. Four Questions About Meditation 1. Why is… Read more »

The Resonant Gift of Rin Bells

A Still Sitting customer has been sharing our rin bells with his close circle of friends for years. He enjoys the connection that comes from each friend experiencing the resonance from the same bell. This past year he had the idea of creating a similar gift for his mother and her friends. His mom has Alzheimer’s and is no longer able… Read more »

The Benefits of Breathing Deeply

Breathe in, breathe out. You can’t help it of course, but you can bring consciousness to it -– and that in turn changes your breathing.  Breathing is one of the few activities that we do unconsciously but that we can affect consciously. Meditation can change the quality of our breathing, and breathing deeply can change… Read more »