There’s something special about the calm spaciousness of meditation. It’s like entering into a self-induced state of flow. For me, it feels like I’m moving very fast in absolute stillness.
That feeling is why I designed the Higher Ground chair.
I never really liked the little round zafu cushions that are popular for raising the pelvis above the knees. They always made me feel wobbly and oddly un-grounded. But I love big zabuton cushions and the stability they provide. If only you could combine the benefits of both…
One morning I was meditating outside on my zabuton, struggling to find a comfortable cross-legged posture. The day before, I had been doing some DIY home repair, and had a stack of plywood nearby. On a whim, I grabbed a piece of scrap wood and laid it flat on the ground under my zabuton. I picked up a stack of books and started stacking them underneath and testing the tilt angle. After a bit of fiddling, I found an angle that felt right.
I returned to my quiet breathing, and after a few minutes I arrived at a question: what if I could feel like this during my workday?
And that was the spark I needed to find an answer. I spent weeks looking for a desk chair designed for cross-legged sitting, and I couldn’t find one that fit. So I decided to build one.
Now I sit on a chair that allows me to start my workday seated cross-legged with great posture. And throughout the day I move into all sorts of different positions, finding the right “pose” for my body as the day goes on. I like to add in some stretching and squatting as well, to keep the blood flowing.
A year later, the best piece of feedback I’ve gotten was when someone on a Zoom video call informed me my video was frozen. No - actually I’m just sitting very still.