Pretend were playing charades and youre told to mime meditation. What pose do you go into?

Youve almost certainly put your hands out, palms facing up, with your first and second fingers touched to your thumb, into an approximation of whats called lotus pose.

The pose has become linked to meditation in popular culture: search a stock image database for meditation and almost all the results show lotus pose; and last year when I learned to meditate, people all had the same assumption of how I sat while I did it. Like this? theyd ask, pulling a quick lotus.

According to my meditation instructor Rory Kinsella, lotus pose or padmasana, from the Sanskrit is the traditional meditation pose used for centuries in India and other parts of Asia.

But in the modern-day West, where meditation is becoming increasingly popular, most of us are used to sitting in chairs. Sitting cross-legged on the floor is at best unfamiliar, and at worst uncomfortable.

Fortunately, theres no law demanding beginner meditators sit in lotus pose. The primary purpose of meditation is stress relief and that can be achieved by positioning yourself however you like (with a few caveats).

Most modern, westernised schools of meditation say a chair is fine and that finding a position where you are comfortable yet alert is what is most important, Kinsella says.

Well, for starters, you should avoid meditating lying down, because youll probably go to sleep. (You might still nod off if youre sitting upright, but youre more likely to snap out of it.)

According to Kinsella, popular Buddhist and mindfulness practices suggest meditating while sitting in a chair, or on cushion on the floor if you prefer, in a comfortable yet alert position.

The idea is to create a balance of relaxation and focus, he says.

He advises sitting in the middle of the chair with your legs uncrossed and your feet flat on the floor. Your hands can rest in your lap or on your thighs. Your back should be straight to allow ease of breathing and blood flow and you can rest your back for support if you need. (This video from Andy Puddicome, founder of the meditation app Headspace, explains more.)

Other popular schools of meditation including Vedic and transcendental prioritise comfort and relaxation and meditators are encouraged to sit comfortably in a chair, with their back supported but head and neck free, Kinsella says.

The only hard rule is no slouching, but only because it doesnt suggest youve got your head in the meditation game.

Your posture should reflect your intention for the practice whether it be cultivating focus or relaxing and de-stressing, Kinsella explains.

Kinsella speculates the lotus pose is linked to meditation because its so recognisable the equivalent of a film establishing youre in Paris with a shot of the Eiffel Tower. Its also a more evocative way to illustrate meditation than the more practical day-to-day poses.

A picture of someone sitting unremarkably in a chair with their eyes closed doesnt tell as good a story as the lotus, Kinsella says.

But just because the pose isnt necessary for beginner meditators doesnt mean it serves no purpose or that its wrong it might prove useful for some advanced or traditional meditators, particularly those embarking on lengthy meditation sessions.

The lotus is said to allow the body to be keep still in the same spot for long periods, say Kinsella. It applies pressure to the lower spine and blood is directed from the legs to the abdominal region to aid digestion.

Rory Kinsella teaches Vedic meditation and hosts a 45-minute introduction to meditation talk every second Monday at 6.30pm in Bondi Junction, Sydney, for $12.

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No, you don't have to sit in lotus pose to meditate - 9Honey