What is a Zafu Meditation Cushion – (zah’-foo)

The zafu meditation cushion has been used in the practice of seated meditation for thousands of years. The cushion origin comes from China and the name is translated to mean ‘seat made from cattails’ but you will often see it translated as ‘sewn seat’.

A Zafu meditation cushion is essential to sitting properly during seated meditation by aligning your spine and raising your hips to provide a comfortable and stable body position.

The traditional zafu cushion is round with pleated sides and covered with a heavy-duty cloth fabric. They are typically hand stuffed with either kapok or buckwheat hulls. Today you will be able to find a variety of zafu shapes including half moon and crescent shapes to accommodate all body types.

A zabuton meditation cushion (zah’-boo-ton) is typically used in combination with a zafu. The zabuton is a rectangular cushion that is placed under the zafu and provides additional cushioning for you knees, legs and ankles. The zabuton is made by stuffing a cotton casing with kapok and enclosing the cotton casing within a heavy-duty cloth cover.