Meditation Seat

Abstract

A specially designed seat assembly allows a user to sit in lotus style meditation position while meditating. The seat assembly positions and elevates the user in order to provide comfort while holding the user in the correct position. The seat assembly can provide dual level support through an upper platform and lower platform. The seat assembly is specially shaped in order to conform to the contours of the user. The knees are elevated by the upper platform, and the feet and ankles are drawn inward and supported from the ground by the lower platform. The user is held in a traditional lotus style seating position. The seat assembly allows for the user to remain in a relaxed state, free from discomfort. The seat assembly is supported by a metal skeleton, which prevents the seat assembly from becoming deformed upon repeated use. The seat assembly has a cushion formed around the metal skeleton, which is stable, yet comfortable for the user.

Claims

1. A seat assembly for supporting a person in a lotus position, comprising: a seat for supporting a buttocks of the person; a left foot stop including a left medial foot support for supporting a side of a right foot of the person and a left lateral brace for supporting a bottom of the right foot of the person, said left lateral brace being connected to said left medial support, said left foot stop being located lower than said seat; and a right foot stop including a right medial foot support for supporting a side of a left foot of the person and a right lateral brace for supporting a bottom of the left foot of the person, said right lateral brace being connected to said right medial support, said right foot stop being located lower than said seat.

2. The seat assembly according to claim 1, further comprising: a knee support for supporting a knee of the person when the buttocks of the person is on the seat, the foot of the person is supported by the right foot stop or the left foot stop, the knee is bent and the foot is supported by said knee support being located forward relative to said seat.

3. The seat assembly according to claim 2, wherein said left knee support elevates the left knee of the person above at least one of said right foot stop and said left foot stop.

4. The seat assembly according to claim 3, wherein said left knee support props a leg with the knee above a waistline of the person.

5. The seat assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a bed, said bed spanning between said left foot stop and said right foot stop.

6. The seat according to claim 5, wherein said bed being convex.

7. The seat assembly according to claim 5, wherein said left medial foot support and said right medial foot support form at least a part of said bed.

8. The seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein said left lateral brace and said left medial foot support are connected and form an angle therebetween, said angle being acute.

9. The seat assembly according to claim 8, wherein: said right lateral brace and right medial foot support connect and form an angle there between being acute.

10. The seat assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a skeleton for providing rigidity, said skeleton supporting said seat, said left foot stop, and said right foot stop.

11. The seat assembly according to claim 10, further comprising a cushion surrounding said skeleton.

12. The seat assembly according to claim 10, wherein the skeleton is composed of metal.

13. The seat assembly according to claim 11, wherein said cushion is neoprene foam.

14. The seat assembly according to claim 11, wherein said cushion forms said seat, said knee support, and at least one of said left lateral brace and said right lateral brace.

15. The seat assembly according to claim 11, wherein said cushion forms said left medial foot support, and said right medial foot support.

16. The seat assembly according to claim 8, wherein said left lateral brace and said left medial brace extend forward from said seat to receive the right foot of the person.

17. The seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein a top surface area of said seat assembly to a bottom surface area of said seat assembly is a ratio of 1.1 to 1.0.

18. A seat assembly for supporting a person in a lotus position, comprising: an upper platform for supporting a buttocks of the person, a left knee of the person, and a right knee of a person; and a lower platform for supporting a left foot of the person, and a right foot of the person, said lower platform being connected to said upper platform.

19. The seat assembly according to claim 18, wherein said lower platform has a convex shape, said lower platform being configured to support a left ankle of the person and a right ankle of the person.

20. The seat assembly according to claim 18, wherein an elevation between said upper platform and said lower platform is configured to elevate the left knee of the person and the right knee of the person above a waistline of the person when the person is sitting with the buttocks of the person on said upper platform and the feet are resting on said lower platform.

21. A method of sitting, which comprises: resting buttocks on a seat; placing a left brace below said seat; placing left foot against a brace; placing a right brace below said seat; placing right foot against a brace; providing a left knee support above said brace; resting a left knee on said left knee support; providing a right knee support above said brace; and resting a right knee on right knee support.

22. The seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein said seat is connected to said left foot stop and said seat is connected to said right foot stop.

23. The seat assembly according to claim 22, wherein: said seat, said left foot stop, and said right foot stop form a bottom surface; a rear fulcrum pivot point is located at a rearmost position on said bottom surface; and a center of gravity of said seat, said left foot stop and said right foot stop, and a person seated on said seat is forward of said rear fulcrum.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0042] FIG. 1 is a perspective front side view of a seat assembly according to the invention with a person sitting in the lotus position.

[0043] FIG. 2 is an isometric front view of a skeleton, which is within the seat assembly shown in FIG. 1.

[0044] FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the seat assembly shown in FIG. 1.

[0045] FIG. 4 is a top side view of the seat assembly shown in FIG. 1.

[0046] FIG. 5 is a bottom side view of the seat assembly shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0047] Embodiments of the invention are described below and are shown in the figures of the drawing.

[0048] FIG. 1-5 show a preferred embodiment of a seat assembly 100.

[0049] FIG. 1 shows a person 600 sitting in the seat assembly 100 according to the present invention. The person 600 is seated in the seat assembly 100 in a lotus style meditation position. The lotus style position is one in which the person 600 has their left ankle 606A crossed over their right ankle 606B. The person 600 may also sit with their right ankle 606B crossed over their left ankle 606A; this alternate position is not shown in the figures. The person 600 is in an upright position with their buttocks 601 at the rear 101 of the seat assembly 100. The left knee 604A and the right knee 604B are raised above the waistline 602 by the seat assembly 100. The leg 603 of the person 600 is in a bent but relaxed state. The left foot 605A and the right foot 605B of the person 600 are below and forward of the buttocks 601. The left foot 605A and the right foot 605B are comfortably supported by an angle 900 formed by the seat assembly 100. The seat assembly 100 is composed of a cushion 800 to provide comfort for the person 600 while in use.

[0050] The seat assembly 100 is used for meditation in a lotus style seating position. The person 600 is comfortably supported by the seat assembly 100. The left foot 605A and the right foot 605B are pulled inward, relative to the buttocks 601, in front of the person 600 and supported by the seat assembly 100. The buttocks 601 are placed in an elevated position on the rear section 101 of the seat assembly 100. The left knee 604A and the right knee 604B are elevated to a position higher than the left foot 605A and the right foot 605B. The left ankle 606A and the right ankle 606B are also supported by the seat assembly 100. The person 600 is removed from the floor and placed in order to provide optimal comfort and relation. By supporting the various body parts, the seat assembly 100 supports the person 600 in a comfortable upright posture optimal for meditation.

[0051] The cushion 800 is composed of neoprene foam in the preferred embodiment, but may be formed by other sponge-like material in other embodiments. The actual composition is not pertinent so long as the person 600 is accommodated comfortably in the seat assembly 100. The seat assembly 100 is composed of the cushion 800 in order to support the person 600 optimally. The cushion 800 compresses slightly, which alleviates the pressure on the various body parts on the person 600. By alleviating pressure on the person 600, the seat assembly 100 removes stress and allows for peaceful meditation.

[0052] FIG. 2 shows a skeleton 500 located within the seat assembly 100. The skeleton 500 is surrounded by a cushion 800 (as shown in FIG. 1).

[0053] The skeleton 500 supports the person 600 seated on the seat assembly 100. The skeleton 500 provides the seat assembly 100 with the structural rigidity necessary to maintain the person 600 in the correct position. The seat assembly 100 is designed for repeated use. With the use of the skeleton 500 inside the seat assembly 100, the seat assembly 100 will retain the shape in each use. The skeleton 500 provides both support and shape of the seat assembly 100. The skeleton 500 may be composed of one continuous piece of metal in one embodiment. The skeleton 500 may be composed of separate pieces of metal, preferably steel tubing, in separate embodiments. The skeleton 500 may also be composed of any other structurally rigid material capable of supporting the seat assembly 100 in the desired shape. In other embodiments, which are not shown, the seat assembly 100 may be formed without the use of the skeleton 500, and may stand on its own by way of the cushion 800 (as shown in FIG. 1) being rigid to retain shape.

[0054] FIG. 3 shows a preferred seat assembly 100 according to the present invention. The seat assembly 100 provides support for the person 600 (as shown in FIG. 1), while positioning the person 600 in the lotus style meditation position. The buttocks 601 (as shown in FIG. 1) of the person 600 are placed on the seat 101 during use. The left knee 106A (as shown in FIG. 1) of the person 600 rests on the left knee support 106A. The right knee 106B (as shown in FIG. 1) of the person 600 rests on the right knee support 106B. The left medial foot support 103A and the right medial foot support 103B extend toward one another to form a bed 105. The bed 105 supports the left foot 605A, the right foot 605B, the left ankle 606A, and the right ankle 606B of the person 600 (as shown in FIG. 1). In the shown embodiment, the bed 105 has a convex shape; however, in alternative embodiments, the bed 105 may be flat or be concave in shape. The left foot 605A of the person 600 is crossed over to the right foot stop 102B and the right foot 605B of the person 600 is crossed over to the left foot stop 102A. The left ankle 606A is supported by the right medial foot support 103B and the right ankle 606B is supported by the right medial foot support 103A. The left lateral brace 104A, left foot stop 102A, and the left medial foot support 103A join together to form an angle 900 (shown in FIG. 1). In the embodiment shown, the angle 900 is acute. Although in other embodiments the angle 900 may vary in degree. The right lateral brace 104B, right foot stop 102B, and the right medial foot support 103B form a similar angle 900 on the right side of the seat assembly 100.

[0055] The seat assembly 100 is optimal for meditation in the lotus style meditation position. The person 600 is placed in an upright position with buttocks 601 placed on the seat 101. The left knee 604A and the right knee 604B are raised above the ground and off of the left foot 605A or the right foot 605B. By raising the knees off of the ground and feet the person 600 is able to remain comfortable during the meditation session. Optimal comfort during meditation is critical in order to obtain a fulfilling meditation experience. In the shown embodiment the left foot 605A and the right foot 605B remain off of the ground. In alternative embodiment the knees of person 600 may remain off of the ground while the feet remain rested on the ground. It is the objective of the seat assembly 100 to provide the best comfort possible for the person 600 to utilize the seat assembly 100 during meditation.

[0056] FIG. 4 shows a preferred embodiment of a seat assembly 100 according to the present invention. The seat assembly 100 positions the person 600 (as shown in FIG. 1) on an upper platform 200 and a lower platform 300. The upper platform 200 is located above and around the exterior of the lower platform 300. The person 600 places their buttocks 601 on the upper platform 200 with the left foot 605A and the right foot 605B being placed on the lower platform 300. In one embodiment, the upper platform 200 and the lower platform 300 are one continuous member. In another embodiment, which is not shown, the upper platform 200 and the lower platform 300 are separate members.

[0057] The seat assembly 100 includes an upper platform 200 and a lower platform 300 in one embodiment. In a separate embodiment, the upper platform 200 stands alone as the sole platform for supporting the person 600. The embodiment shown includes both the upper platform 200 and the lower platform 300. The upper platform 200 supports the left knee 604A at the left knee support 106A (as shown in FIG. 3), right knee 604B at the right knee support 106B (as shown in FIG. 3), and the buttocks 601 at the seat 101 (as shown in FIG. 3). The lower platform 300 supports the left foot 605A at the right foot stop 102B (as shown in FIG. 3), right foot 605B at the left foot stop 102A (as shown in FIG. 3), left ankle 606A at the right medial foot support 103B (as shown in FIG. 3), and right ankle 606B at the left medial foot support 103A (as shown in FIG. 3). The leg 603 of the person 600 is bent while sitting in the seat assembly 100. The leg 603 is elevated above the waistline 602 of the person 600, placing them in the lotus position. The use of an upper platform 200 removes the buttocks 601 of the person 600 from the floor which allows sustained comfort for the duration of the use of the seat assembly 100.

[0058] FIG. 5 shows a preferred seat assembly 100 according to the present invention. The invention as shown depicts a seat assembly 100 with both the upper platform 200 and the lower platform 300 joined together. The outer perimeter of the upper platform 200 forms a top surface area 401. The bottom surface area 400 is the area in which the seat assembly 100 rests on the ground. The seat assembly 100 has a rear fulcrum pivot point 700 located at the rear of the seat assembly 100. The seat assembly 100 has a center of gravity 701 which is located based on the combination of the seat assembly 100 and the person 600 (as shown in FIG. 1). The center of gravity 701 of the seat assembly 100 and the person 600 is forward of the rear fulcrum pivot point 700.

[0059] The seat assembly 100 is structured to provide balance for the person 600. The ratio of the top surface area 401 to the bottom surface area 400 is 1.1 to 1.0 in the embodiment shown, but is not limited to this ratio. The ratio of the top surface area 401 to the bottom surface area 400 is set to provide optimal area for the person 600, while preventing the seat assembly 100 from tipping while the person 600 is using the seat assembly 100. The center of gravity 701 of the seat assembly 100 should remain forward of the rear fulcrum pivot point 700 in order to prevent the seat assembly 100 from tipping over backwards. By creating a center of gravity 701 forward of the rear fulcrum pivot point 700 the person 600 will feel supported and unconcerned about tipping backward. It is an object of the present invention to provide comfort to the person 600 while using the seat assembly 100. One aspect of this comfort is the removal of the fear that is present in an unstable seat.

[0060] The seat assembly is made according to the following procedure. A skeleton, as shown in FIG. 2, is assembled from steel tubing. Next a block of foam corresponding to the shape of the chair is placed over the skeleton. Next upholstery is placed over the block; the upholstery is contoured to the shape of the block. Preferred types of upholstery include leather or fabric.

[0061] Unless otherwise mentioned the reference numbers are used consistently throughout the figures.