When I first started Meditating I thought I was terrible at it. My mind would incessantly comment on every little thing.
“I wonder what I should eat for lunch?”
“My shoulders are tight”
“I haven't thought a thought in ages!”
“I think my legs are going numb”
For me, a huge help was was eliminating the physical discomfort that was distracting me while meditating - I started doing yoga and stretching before I meditated. My shoulders and neck would be comfortable and I would be able to maintain a straight back for the entire session. But there was one problem that persisted...
My legs would go numb.
I normally sit in quarter-lotus when I meditate but I worked out that if I sat on a chair then my legs wouldn't go numb. But I don't want to sit in a chair, I find something romantic about sitting in half/quarter lotus with my hands in my lap. Cliche, maybe, but it feels right to me and I prefer that more traditional posture.
What causes leg numbness?
Leg numbness can be caused by pressure being applied to a nerve in the legs or butt, compressing the nerve and preventing its proper function. Specifically the Peroneal nerve and Sciatic nerve. A restriction of blood flow can also cause numbness but this is rarely the case in seated meditation.
Nerves can become compressed a few different ways:
- Improper posture
- Muscle or ligament tightness
- Seating surface too firm
Choose the correct posture for you
Certain sitting postures are just more prone to causing leg numbness than others. For example, sitting crossed legged can cause pressure to be applied to the shin/ankle. A non-lotus crossed leg position applied pressure to both ankles, potentially compressing the Peroneal nerve resulting in a sensation of numbness.
Other crossed leg position include Full Lotus, Half Lotus, Quarter Lotus (my favourite) and Burmese Posture.
Try each posture to see what feels most comfortable for you. It will depend heavily on your flexibility. Quarter Lotus and Burmese Position place the least amount of pressure on the Peroneal nerve.
Alternatively, sit on a chair!
The best posture for you is the one that allows you to focus on your meditation practice and not any postural discomfort.
Meditate on a suitable surface
If you’re sitting on your butt you’re applying pressure to the Sciatic Nerve. Excess pressure will result in numbness.
Sitting on hard surfaces can apply pressure to the Sciatic nerve
Sitting on any surface will compress this nerve, hard surfaces will compress more than soft surfaces. Even if you’re fully limbered up and sitting in a position that doesn't compress the Peroneal nerve in your shin/ankle you can still experience leg numbness from compression of the Sciatic nerve.
This is why some people experience numbness even when sitting on a chair, the Sciatic nerve is being compressed.
Ideally you want to sit on a soft surface that redistributes the pressure from your sitting bones evenly across your butt, away from the Sciatic nerve.
The sitting bones can compress the sciatic nerve
Choosing a suitable surface such as a meditation cushion or meditation mat will help relieve pressure on the Sciatic nerve.
I started using a cushion which worked well at preventing leg numbness. But cushions are large, cumbersome, vary in their ability to redistribute pressure and aren’t portable. I needed a surface that was effective, could take with me and could use anywhere.
Coincidently, I came a new sample material that was being manufactured for use as mattress toppers in hospital beds to prevent bed sores. The material, made from sheep wool and manufactured to medical grade specifications, is specifically designed for effective pressure redistribution.
I managed to get hold of a sample off-cut to see if it would work to prevent pressure on the Sciatic nerve while meditating. It worked, I was free from leg numbness and the Shear Calm meditation mat was born.
Pressure distribution graph showing sitting bone pressure
The final puzzle piece to my leg numbness issue was this material. You can see from the image above that on a regular surface there is a relatively large amount of pressure occurring from the sitting bones. This is effectively redistributed when seated on the Shear Calm meditation mat.
Other surfaces can work just as well as the Shear Calm - I also use a large European style pillow to meditate on when I feel like it. However, the Shear Calm is made from medical grade material specifically engineered for pressure redistribution. I’m not aware of any other material that provides comparable pressure redistribution at this same size, weight and price point.
Check out the Shear Calm meditation mat
Summing Up
You can prevent leg numbness while meditating by:
- Finding a posture that works for you
- Stretching before your meditation practice
- Sitting on a suitable meditation surface that distributes pressure effectively