1.- Zafu, meditation cushion
The zafu is a cushion with an ancient tradition. The origin of the Japanese word zafu (座蒲) comes from China, literally meaning “bulrush seat”. Its origin dates back to Buddha, who made a cushion with dried herbs to maintain a stable position during meditation.
In addition to the Zafu cushion, you can use an appropriate incense from our online store tantrayogashop to facilitate your meditation practices.
2.- What is a Zafu?
The classic zafu is a round cushion, about 35 cm in diameter, and approximately 20 cm high. Its design is perfectly suitable for relaxation and meditation postures, which are so necessary as a more complete part of the yoga practice.
If there is any complement for yoga and meditation sessions to be carried out properly, that is the zafu. And it is that, to achieve tranquility and achieve a complete spiritual development, it is necessary to feel comfortable with the environment and the position in which you are.
3.- Types of Zafu Cushion
3.1- Importance of variants
When buying a zafu, it is important to be attentive to know which of its variants you are dealing with. This cushion is usually accompanied by a zabuton and meditation benches, which help make meditation or yoga with zafu more pleasant.
3.2- Round Zafus
As its name indicates, its shape is round. They are the ideal type of zafu to meditate with serenity, since they offer support to the body posture.
3.3- Crescent Zafus
With a much more ergonomic design, it is most often used to assist in yoga postures, as well as as a seat for meditation.
4.- Characteristics of a zafu
The first step in knowing how to choose a zafu is to understand what its characteristics are:
- The zafus are made in three parts or pieces: an upper one, a lower one and a middle one that unites the previous ones. The fabric must be resistant and avoid slipping.
- It has a zipper or closure through which a greater amount of padding can be removed or entered.
- When zafus are made from recyclable materials, they are known as zafu eco, or ecological zafu.
- Thanks to the variety of designs and colors, there are zafus for children.
- Some zafus come with bags or covers for their care.
- The filling of a zafu is usually spelled or even buckwheat hulls; There are also cases where the interior is made of cotton in blankets, or even kapok.
5.- Uses of a zafu
The zafu is a cushion whose main use is to serve as a complement in meditation, and therefore, as part of the practice of yoga. This is because, as a discipline, yoga implies a total concentration where the body and mind come together through meditation, allowing complete peace and self-knowledge to be achieved.
It is a magnificent complement to meditate at home.
6.- The most common fillings
The filling plays a fundamental role when buying a zafu. Currently there are numerous materials that are used for this work. The best are: spelled husk, cotton, buckwheat, polyester, kapok, rice husk. The more organic it is, the better, because they are friendly to the environment and our health.