Sitting or lying down?

[AstralCB]

So what's the proper way or most common way to meditate while lying down? I've heard things like having your legs bent at the knees, hands over your second chakra, etc.

[SiriusTraveler]

According to what I'v read about vipassana meditation it is most common to sit in halv lotus or full lotus. But I'm no expert here.

[Serpentarius]

It doesn't really matter. Worrying too much about the "proper" position is putting the ritual ahead of practice. Find the position that's most comfortable for you and go for it. Once you can achieve stillness of both mind and body in your preferred position you can try meditating in different positions, during normal daily tasks, while walking, etc.

[CFTraveler]

Any position is ok, as long as
You're comfortable enough to go into a trance
You're not too comfortable and go to sleep.
My favorite is a recliner, but I've meditated lying down and sitting crosslegged.

[Korpo]

Actually, laying down and sitting do highlight different things in my body and tend to bring up different issues.

[I-stone]

I always had a very different experience from laying down vs lotus position (and to a lesser extent half lotus, full lotus, or standing meditation). Traditionally, until very recently, I meditated in sitting position, then meditated as long as I could in bed. I could always achieve greater focus sitting. In bed always had a foggy feeling. I think its just because I was trained to focus when I sit, and trained to go into a sleep state when laying in bed with covers on.

[Korpo]

Recently on a workshop I've been retaught a good lying down pose for meditation. It is laying on the side, not on the side where the heart is (usually left) or where you have a pain. Induce a bit of soft stretch by tucking the pelvis a bit under and tucking a chin in a bit, encouraging the vertebrae to open. You will in all probability benefit from a pillow for support to keep the spine straight.

The advantage of this position is that your body is working minimally against gravity and hence there is less body noise, so you have a less distracted mind.