My Meditation Zafu

I found instructions for how to make a zafu (isn't that a great sounding word?) years ago, but just got my rear in gear and made one a couple weeks back. A zafu is one of those pretty round cushions that are for sitting on while you meditate. I'd read that they are traditionally stuffed with buckwheat hulls, and since I like the idea of being traditional when it comes to things like this, I gave myself the excuse not to actually make the zafu since I didn't have the foggiest idea where one gets buckwheat hulls, but a quick internet search told me they were expensive to ship, so I didn't want to do that.

Enter, my small cat with a personality disorder, Sheeba. She took it upon herself to ruin my sister's buckwheat hull pillow. I needed to fix it, and since you can't exactly throw a buckwheat hull pillowing into the wash, I needed to throw out the stuffing, clean the pillow, and get new stuffing. Now I had a real reason to place that order, and adding some extra hulls to the order helped with the per pound shipping cost so I didn't have to feel so guilty about the purchase.

So at last, I have my meditation cushion. Isn't it pretty?



My youngest wanted to take it for her own, so I told her it was for sitting on to be calm, and I needed it. Every once in awhile I see her sitting on it and she tells me she's "calming down". Maybe I should make more and sell them as toddler "calming cushions" for people who don't like the term "time out."