Meditation support

Abstract

Mediation sitting cushions and mats allow the user to meditate in comfort for great lengths of time, avoiding stress and pain often caused by traditional meditation cushions and mats. The layered mediation sitting cushions and mats combine a slow recovery visco-elastic foam (“VEF”), having load deformation properties and densities, with one or more base layers of a batting support. The sitting cushions and mats enable a person seated in traditional meditation positions to achieve a comfortable posture, regardless of the meditator's size or weight. The sitting cushions and mats also allow people to meditate in traditional cross-legged or kneeling postures comfortably, without irritation or pain. The mediation sitting cushions and mats also maintain of the pelvis in a neutral or slightly anterior position, resulting in proper alignment of the pelvis and spine, which minimizes the muscular and ligamentous strain caused by sitting in stillness for long periods of time.

1 . A meditation sitting cushion comprising: an upper layer of slow recovery, low resilience, temperature sensitive visco-elastic foam; and a lower, less compressive supporting layer of material selected from a group consisting essentially of buckwheat hulls, spelt hulls and kapok natural fiber for providing provides a firm base of support, said lower layer and said upper layer being enclosed together in a cover material, said lower and upper layers adapted to maintain a proper alignment of pelvis and spine of a sitting user on said cushion.  
   
   
       2 . The meditation sitting cushion of  claim 1 , having a separation layer of durable material between said upper and lower layers.  
   
   
       3 - 6 . (canceled)  
   
   
       7 . The meditation sitting cushion of  claim 1 , in which said cover material is a durable fabric.  
   
   
       8 . The meditation sitting cushion of  claim 7 , in which said cover material is a cotton fabric.  
   
   
       9 . The meditation sitting cushion of  claim 8 , in which said cushion is approximately 6 to 18 inches in height.  
   
   
       10 . The meditation sitting cushion of  claim 9 , in which said cushion is round with a diameter of approximately 8 to 15 inches.  
   
   
       11 . The meditation sitting cushion of  claim 10 , in which said upper layer is approximately 2 to 3 inches in thickness.  
   
   
       12 . The meditation sitting cushion of  claim 11 , in which said lower layer is approximately 6 to 15 inches in thickness, thereby being more than double the thickness of the upper layer.  
   
   
       13 . The meditation sitting cushion of  claim 12  in which said meditation sitting cushion is substantially cylindrical.  
   
   
       14 . A meditation mat comprising: a layer of slow recovery, low resilience, temperature sensitive visco-elastic foam enclosed between an upper layer of cotton batting and a lower layer of cotton batting.  
   
   
       15 . (canceled)  
   
   
       16 . The meditation mat of  claim 14 , in which said of visco-elastic foam is approximately one inch in thickness.  
   
   
       17 . The meditation mat of  claim 16 , in which said upper layer of cotton batting and said lower layer of cotton batting are each approximately 1 to 4 inches in thickness.  
   
   
       18 . The meditation mat of  claim 17 , in which said mat is approximately 3 to 6 inches in height.  
   
   
       19 . The meditation mat of  claim 14 , in which said foam, upper layer and lower layer are enclosed together in a cover material.  
   
   
       20 . The meditation mat of  claim 19 , in which said cover material is a durable fabric.  
   
   
       21 . The meditation mat of  claim 20 , in which said cover material is a cotton fabric.  
   
   
       22 . A support for a user in a meditative state comprising: a sitting cushion on a mat; said sitting cushion comprising an upper layer of visco-elastic foam and a lower, supporting base layer of firm supportive material; and said mat comprising a layer of visco-elastic foam enclosed between layers of cotton batting.  
   
   
       23 . (canceled)  
   
   
       24 . The support of  claim 22 , in which said sitting cushion and said mat are each covered by a fabric material.  
   
   
       25 . The support of  claim 24 , in which said fabric cover material is a durable fabric.  
   
   
       26 . The support of  claim 24 , in which said fabric cover material is a cotton fabric.  
   
   
       27 . A method of meditation comprising the steps of: placing a round sitting cushion on a mat, said sitting cushion comprising an upper layer of visco-elastic foam and a lower, supporting layer of buckwheat hulls, and said mat comprising a middle layer of visco-elastic foam enclosed in layers of cotton batting; a user assuming a meditative sitting position on said sitting cushion and mat, said user positioning on said cushion at a location to maximize a surface area in contact with said cushion and to engage sitting bones of said user and tilting a pelvis of said user forward while creating a pocket that holds the pelvis in place, said upper layer of visco-elastic foam in said cushion and said middle layer of visco-elastic foam in said mat redistributing weight bearing surfaces and softening upon exposure to body temperature.