If you've signed up to attend the three and a half hour lesson, please bring what is on the following list and e-mail me your answers to the five questions (after the list) before attending the lesson. It's very important that you bring your cushion, zabuton, and kneeling bench; if you use any of these surfaces to sit on. The five questions follow the list of what to bring to the lesson.

Please plan on arriving ten minutes before the lesson is to begin. There is a short exercise to do once you arrive. Arriving ten minutes before the lesson begins also allows time for you to settle in and to go to the bathroom. There is some disadvantage for you in arriving late, so please be on time.

There are multiple times during the lesson, as I talk, where I encourage people to stand, stretch, or move about. There are usually two formal breaks of a few minutes for people to stretch, snack, and move about.

The Posture Lesson Is Held At My Office
My office address is 660 2nd Street in Encinitas. The phone number is 760-942-9700.
Click here to see a map of my office location.

What To Bring To The Lesson
1. If you use a cushion, bring the cushion.
2. If you use a kneeling bench, bring the bench.
3. Bring either three large bath (or beach) towels or four kitchen/bathroom hand towels (preferably thick towels). There is a good reason to bring these towels. Please do bring them.
4. If you use a zabuton (a pad that goes under you and your sitting cushion), please bring it. It's important to re-create how you sit at home.
5. If you use any pads or any other supports when you sit, bring them.
6. If you sit in a chair and that chair can be brought, please do. A chair is provided for everyone.
7. If you use mala beads, please bring them. Or you can simply mimic the position of your hand that holds the beads.
8. If you use an Om board or anything else during meditation that I have not listed, please bring it.
9. If you use a practice text and if you raise the practice text up on something, please bring what you use to raise the practice text up on. You don't need to bring the practice text itself.
10. If something is very personal to your meditation practice and you don't want to bring it, then please don't bring it.
11. Please do not wear any scented oils or perfumes.
12. Brings any snacks and anything you want to drink. Some snacks and something to drink will be provided. It's good to give your body some light nourishment during this three and a half hour lesson.
13. You may want to bring paper and a pen. Most people don't take notes, though you may want to write something down. A handout is given with the five points of the posture lesson for sitting meditation.

The Two Pages To Read Before Attending The Lesson
The First Page and The Second Page.
There are many more pages on the website that are very informative. You're welcome to read, or to not read, these pages. Click here to go to the main page for the posture lesson for sitting meditation.

The Five Questions To Answer Before The Lesson Begins
The five questions below will help me greatly in specifically helping you to improve your posture and the comfort of your body when you sit for meditation. You can copy and paste these five questions into an e-mail, and then answer each question.

Question #1
Question number one has three parts to it. Please e-mail me the answers to the three parts:
1. List any likely places in your body that can develop tightness, pain, or numbness as you sit.
2. Does your upper body move away from being upright? Either forward, backward, to the right, or to the left? Does your chest slump? Does your chest feel raised up?
3. Write down anything else that physically troubles you during your time of sitting meditation that you want me to know about.

In the past, my likely problems to occur during longer meditations was that it was likely that my body could develop pain on the left side of my back between my shoulder blades, my body could lean forward multiple times, my hands could shift downward on my thighs, and my chest would repeatedly slump. Now if these changes occur or if any other distracting changes occur, I easily know how to respond to my body's signal that something is wrong.

Question #2
This second question is about how you sit. Please click here to find out more about this second question.

There may be some repeated information with question #2 and question #3. This is okay.

Question #3
I want you to have a better ability to make your root instructions or your checklist work for you during your time of sitting meditation; especially during times of sitting meditation for an hour or more at a time.
Please click here to read about how to do this third written exercise.

After reading about this written exercise, you please write down your root instructions or your checklist (without disclosing any information that is private to your teachings).

Question #4
Do not answer this question if you think it's too personal a question.
What is the time for your average meditation?
What would be a long sitting/meditation time for you?

Question #5
Do you use mala beads during your meditation?

To e-mail me your answers, you can copy and paste the five question and then, click here. Please send me the answers by the Wednesday before the Saturday class. The earlier you send me your answers, the more time I'll have to read them and I'll get to know better what occurs physically during your meditation time. I'll bring a print out of what you wrote.

Click here to return to the main page for the posture lesson for sitting meditation.