Meditating in an office chair

It’s getting colder in SF.

This morning it was 48 when I walked to the gym.

In our 1-bedroom apartment, we have a gas furnace.

The hot air takes a while to spread throughout the apartment, so I like to stand in front of the furnace to warm up.

Then I got the idea to roll my Herman Miller chair over by the furnace.

I sat there and had a cup of tea.

When my tea was gone, I kept sitting there.

I didn’t want to get up.

I was comfortable in the ergonomic chair, warm near the source of heat.

I naturally noticed my breathing.

I thought it was funny, sitting in this expensive chair that I bought to be able to sit at my desk and work longer with less back pain.

And I end up using it as a meditation cushion.

It made me wonder why monks are always sitting on the ground. Is being uncomfortable an essential part of the meditation practice?

If you’re going to spend so long sitting, wouldn’t it be better to sit in an ergonomic chair?

Maybe I’m missing the point.

I’m imagining a bunch of monks with shaved heads and orange robes, sitting in an office in Herman Miller chairs.

They’re all in their cubicles.

But there are no computers.

Nothing’s getting done.

They’re all just sitting there meditating.