Hello All,

I have been experimenting with my zazen positioning and was hoping to pick the brains of other members who sit in full lotus. Basically I have only two questions.

1. Where do your feet rest on your legs?
2. How are your feet positioned?

As you can see from my legs below, naturally my right foot is on my left thigh, and my left foot is in my "legpit" of my right leg. My feet are relaxed and therefore seem to be at a 45 degree angle from my leg...approximately of course.

Some experiments I've been trying have been:

1. Moving my feet further up on my thighs (a tighter pretzel). I found this puts discomfort on my knees.
2. Moving my feet back so the 'blade' of my foot are on my thighs (a looser pretzel). I found that this eventually causes my ankle to cramp.
3. Angling my feet so they are flat or right angles. This provided no discernible difference other than my mind was focused on trying to keep them that way...counterproductive.

My reason for asking is that I have found that when I sit for longer than 30 min, I will have some cramping and instability when i stand up. I do stretch before and after each sit. I have been sitting this way for years so it's quite alright, just thought maybe I could learn from other's experiences and practice.

Thanks in advance,

Gassho,

Shawn

PS - I took this pic at the end of my sit tonight, so my legs naturally 'relax' over the duration of the sit...so may not be exactly 45 degree angles & up on thigh/legpit..but you get the idea.