What Is a Zafu? How to Choose and Use a Meditation Cushion
If you have started to meditate on the floor, you have probably come across two words: zafu and zabuton. They are the two cushions that make up a classic floor meditation seat, and the Japanese names alone do not tell you which one does what, or whether you need both.
A zafu is a round cushion for sitting meditation on the floor. You sit on the cushion rather than flat on the ground, and it lifts your hips so your knees can rest lower than them. A zabuton is the padded mat that goes underneath it. This guide explains what each one is, how to decide whether you need a zabuton as well, and how to sit on a zafu, using our own meditation cushions as examples.
What is a zafu used for?
A zafu gives you a raised seat when you meditate on the floor. It is closely linked with zazen, the seated meditation of the Zen tradition, but you can use one for any meditation you do sitting on the floor.
How much lift you get depends on the cushion's height. Typical zafus are around 35 cm (14 in) across and often about 20 cm (8 in) high when plumped up, though heights vary. Our WA NI DA zafu, at 20 cm (8 in) high and 35 cm (14 in) wide, matches those typical measurements.
What does zafu mean?
Zafu is a Japanese word, usually explained as two parts: za, meaning seat, and fu, meaning reedmace (also called cattail or bulrush). You will often see it translated as sewn seat, but as the Wikipedia entry on the zafu points out, the characters themselves mean seat plus reedmace. The word is Japanese, but the cushion began in China, where it is called a putuan, and reached Japan along with Zen Buddhism.
What is inside a zafu?
Reedmace down was the original filling, which is how the plant found its way into the name. In Japan, kapok became the favoured filling instead. Kapok is a light, fluffy plant fibre from the seed pods of the ceiba tree. Buckwheat hulls are another common filling today.
Every one of our meditation cushions is filled with organic kapok, so the zafus in our zafu meditation cushions collection all share the same filling.
Zafu vs zabuton: do you need both?
A zabuton is a padded mat that lies under the zafu. Where the zafu lifts your hips, the zabuton pads the floor beneath your knees, ankles and feet. The two are designed to work as a pair. The zafu sits towards the back of the zabuton, and your knees and lower legs rest on the mat in front of it.
Whether you need a zabuton comes down to your floor and how you sit. As a rule of thumb:
| Your situation | What to use |
|---|---|
| You sit on carpet or a rug for shorter sessions | A zafu on its own can be enough |
| You sit on a hard floor such as floorboards or tiles, sit for longer or kneel | A zafu with a zabuton |
| You want a padded floor seat without a round cushion | A zabuton on its own |
The logic follows from what each cushion does. A zafu holds up only your hips, so your knees, ankles and feet rest on whatever is beneath them for the whole session. Carpet may give them enough padding. Floorboards and tiles do not, and that is the gap a zabuton fills.
Our WI KUN DA zabuton, for example, is a flat, square mat measuring 70 by 70 cm (28 by 28 in) and 6 cm (2 in) high, with a cotton cover and organic kapok filling. You can use it with any of our zafus, or on its own as a padded floor seat. Not every zabuton is a flat square, though. Our zabuton meditation cushions include a roll-up design too.
If you would rather choose both at once, our zafu and zabuton collection has sets alongside single zafus and zabutons.
How to choose a zafu
Start with height. A taller zafu lifts your hips more, and a lower one keeps you closer to the floor. If you are unsure which suits you, sit on a folded blanket at a few different heights at home, find the one where your knees rest lower than your hips, then measure it and compare it with the height on each product page.
Then look at width. A wider cushion gives you a broader base to sit on, so check the width on the product page as well.
Filling comes last, and in our range it will not separate one zafu from another, because they all use organic kapok.
How to sit on a zafu
There is no single correct way to sit. These steps are a simple starting point.
- Place the zabuton on the floor and set the zafu towards the back edge of it. If you are using a zafu on its own, put it on a rug or carpet.
- Sit on the front part of the zafu, roughly the front third rather than the middle, so your hips are a little higher than your knees.
- Choose a leg position you can hold for the length of your session. Try a simple cross-legged position first, with your knees resting on the zabuton or the floor.
- Sit upright with your hands resting in your lap or on your thighs.
- Adjust as you go. If a knee does not reach the zabuton or the floor, try a taller zafu, or tuck a folded blanket under that knee.
Kneeling
You can also kneel. Turn the zafu on its side, place it between your heels and sit back onto it, with your knees and shins on the zabuton.
FAQ
What does zafu mean in English?
Za means seat and fu means reedmace, the plant whose down filled early cushions. It is often translated as sewn seat, but the characters themselves mean seat and reedmace.
What is a zafu used for?
It is a cushion for sitting meditation on the floor, closely linked with zazen in the Zen tradition. It raises your hips so you are not sitting flat on the ground.
What is the difference between a zafu and a zabuton?
A zafu is the round cushion you sit on. A zabuton is the mat that goes underneath it and cushions the floor under your knees and legs.
Do I need a zabuton as well as a zafu?
Not always. On carpet or a rug, a zafu on its own can be enough. On a hard floor, for longer sessions or if you kneel, add a zabuton. A zabuton can also be used on its own as a padded floor seat.
What are your meditation cushions filled with?
All of our meditation cushions are filled with organic kapok.
Once you know whether you need a zafu, a zabuton or both, take a look through our range of meditation cushions and compare the height of each zafu before you choose.
