Diana has given me permission to post her experience of the posture lesson on the website. Diana has been guiding mindfulness meditation multiple times per week for sixteen years. Here is the letter that she wrote eleven months after attending the lesson:

I would like to offer my experience following Phil Petachenko's sitting meditation posture class.

Prior to taking Phil's posture class, I have to say, that I felt fairly comfortable in my seat. I was able to sit for lengthy periods without extreme discomfort, but also felt that at times, my mid-back became stressed for reasons that were unclear to me.

As I arrived at the posture class, I felt that there was little that Phil would be able to offer me as I am a long-time practitioner and have had sitting instructions from many teachers in many traditions over the years, and was not "unusually" uncomfortable in my sitting posture. I expected to suffer at least a little each sitting.

However, during Phil's class, I learned that not only the hips, hands, head and shoulders were important to a stable seat, but that the height of the cushion was also important. With all my years of practice and having received many opportunities for sitting instruction, I had never heard or considered the fact that the cushion height could play such a critical role in the alignment of the body.

As a result of this lack of awareness, I had to compensate by bringing my hands forward slightly to "brace myself up", which resulted in my mid-back tension and fatigue. Who would have imagined that the cushion height could be accommodated to fit my body. This has never been addressed in any tradition in which I have had sitting and posture instruction including the Vipassana, Zen, Tibetan and Dzogchen schools. You can guess my amazement when Phil suggested that I place a phone book under my cushion to improve my body alignment. This has since been addressed with a larger buckwheat hull zafu that I place on its side to get maximum height.

I can now sit for several hours in long retreats as well as in my own 50-minute daily sitting practice without any discomfort, tension or distress.

As a result of this posture change, my mindfulness teaching has also been improved. Now that I am more comfortable in my sitting posture, I am able to be present with students in a more open-hearted and less armored manner. I no longer have to "brace myself up" during meditation instruction and talks and can now take my true seat as a practitioner and teacher with greater ease and well-being.

Thank you Phil for changing my world! As I write this, I am still in awe at the impact that one small change has made to my personal, professional and spiritual life.

All blessings to you and the healing work you do,
Diana Shimkus

Click here to go to Diana's website. There are audio recordings of guided meditations and discussions on the website.

Click here to go back to the page with testimonials.

Click here to go to the main page for the posture lesson for sitting meditation.