IPPINKA Foldable Meditation Kneeling Bench (Seiza), Portable and Lightweight, 5.3 in, 180g, Black

I've been a long time meditator and have struggled with finding that sweet spot when everything aligns and your body lends it's self to a meditative state.A lot of that has to due with body mechanics and alignment.Ive tried pillows ,blocks and an assortment of seats.This one has by far been the best .it's is well made and has an almost bile seat quality that cradles your pelvic floor and helps with natural alignment.No small feat.I'm normally not a fan of anything plastic but this product is an exception.If something is to be around for a millennium ,what better than a super efficient and effective meditation seat.A super cool feature of this product is that it collapses flat and has a snap to keep it flat.Allowing it to be conveniently carried with you anywhere .Or to be stored so as to take up little space.

At first I was really impressed, because if you want to, you can bear all your weight on it. I'm overweight, nearly 200 pounds and 5'5, yet simply sitting on it like a bicycle seat is possible. If you do not quite know how to sit properly, this can correct your posture, but if you already have the correct posture and core strength to sit up straight, you won't be putting too much weight on your legs anyway. But, since I'm an american and I made a tatami room in my apartment, I want to be able to accommodate anyone and everyone comfortably. On top of a zabuton on a tatami mat seems like the most ideal use of this, but it probably can also be used directly on any sturdy tatami mat. Used like this, some of my guests found the fold out seiza bench merely uncomfortable, rather than the, for them, impossible feat of sitting seiza. I've since gotten a little bench and a raised tatami area for guests who cannot sit on the floor.I've given it 4 stars because it's really amazing that it's made the impossible possible for people who want or need to sit in seiza position, but for my practical purposes, just giving that person other seating seems better, even a zafu or something and letting them sit cross-legged I think would be a better solution. Of course, if you cannot sit seiza and maybe are going to a formal occasion in Japan or somewhere in America where you might embarrass yourself, this neat little fold-out bench might be just the solution. It's inconspicuous, enough, however, I'd think in any formal situation where you'd be strictly expected to sit seiza only, you'd likely also be in a woman's kimono, and I can't see this thing playing nicely with even a breezy, casual little yukata kitsuke.I'm glad I got it, because it's cute, and could be used as a fun teaching tool if someone wants to try sitting different in my tatami room, but I would sooner just have my guests sit however they're most comfortable. For most people, that would be with legs to the side, or cross-legged. I do think this would work just fine with anything other than a kimono, including most (unrestrictive) skirts, since it's like sitting on a bike seat.In short this is worth buying if you fear a situation where a formal japanese sitting position might be expected, but buy it well in advance. I think it's worth trying, and returning if it doesn't suit you if nothing else, but you may find, like me, that it is more comfortable to get your own body used to it. About 5 minutes into using it, my legs felt numb in the way I have seen other people describe the sitting style to do to them. Without it, my body feels fine, and I even sit alone and play videogames like that. For the price, though, I don't regret it, and it is amazing that the little thing could hold a fat old lady like me up if it had to!

I am short (5’2”, 127lbs) so it works really well for me. This is a great stool to have for a 20-30 meditation. Although my butt gets numb after 10min, it is very easy to fold, it is light weighted so I take it with me to work, It is the cheapest on the Amazon,

I know someone left an enthusiastic video about how wonderful this is for meditation but I found it too hard and uncomfortable for prolonged sitting. I was done with it after about 5 minutes. I am a small female 5’3”, weight 105 lbs so I figured I would be comfortable on this bench but I wasn’t. It’s a terribly clever design though so even though I returned it, I give it 3 stars for cleverness. Someone else with more cushioning on their backside might like it better.

I use this for meditation in seiza outside of the home, especially when I go to my Buddhist sangha's meetings and book club. It folds down to be very portable but is sturdy enough to comfortably hold my weight when set up (about 220lbs). I wouldn't mind if it were an inch or so taller for comfort (I'm 5'11"), but it still makes seiza much easier on my decrepit knees.

I sat on it in the wrong spot I guess, cause the seat part popped back up into the folded position when I sat on it and it hit me in the nuts real good

I’m so happy I got this. I use it for meditation every day now. I have tried so many different meditation postures but seiza is the only one that works for me— except for the unbearable agony, of course. This seat takes all of the pain out of seiza and turns it into a very comfortable and stable way to sit. I only meditate for about 15 minutes at a time right now, but I feel like I could sit on this thing for hours. It feels very robust and fits easily into a backpack. Highly recommended.

This item is a brilliant design, but made for a child or very tiny adult. If it were at least half again as tall (and proportional), it would be the best travel meditation bench. But not for a normal sized adult.