Zabuton (sitting mat)

The ‘sitting mat’ which the Zafu, Smile Cushion, or Meditation Bench is placed on. Zabutons have been used for everyday sitting in Asia for centuries.
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Why You Will Love It!

  • These meditation mats provide essential cushioning for the feet, ankles and legs.
  • Enhances your meditation experience
  • Makes sitting on the floor more comfortable
  • Kapok is a more ecological and hypoallergenic alternative to the typical cotton batting zabuton

How You Can Use It

  • Zabutons are placed on the floor and designed specifically for cushioning under the meditation seats.
  • Usually used together with a meditation cushion or bench
  • Available in three sizes

What It's Made Of

  • Cover Fabric: Organic Cotton Canvas or Traditional 100% Cotton
  • Stuffing: Eco-friendly Kapok Fiber
  • Optional Removable Cover available
  • Choose from 14 colors

How to Choose a Size

We offer zabutons in three sizes. Most people are happy with the Medium. One thing to consider when you are carrying your zafu to a retreat or meditation group is ease of carrying as well as efficiency of size. A zabuton which offers extra knee room will be more of a challenge to carry. However, if that extra knee room is important to you, buy a larger mat. Some meditation halls and temples like our medium zabuton dimensions because it allows more people to meditate in a limited space.

Medium: 25″ x 31″ x 2″
Large: 27″ x 34″ x 2″
Jumbo: 30″ x 34″ x 2″

Where did the Zabuton come from?

Excerpt from Wikipedia:

A zabuton is a Japanese cushion for sitting. The kanji characters ^§^Vã literally translate to “seat-cloth-sphere”. The zabuton is generally used when sitting on the floor, and may also be used when sitting on a chair. Ordinarily any place in Japan where seating is on the floor, a Zabuton will be provided for sitting comfort. A typical square zabuton measures 50 x 70 cm (20 x 30 inches) on a side and is several centimetres thick when new.

Zabuton are found throughout Japan, and enter many aspects of the culture:

* In Zen meditation, practitioners sit on zafu which is typically placed on top of a zabuton. The zabuton cushions the knees and ankle.

* In sumo, members of the audience throw zabuton toward the ring after an upset.

* In rakugo, performers are not allowed to rise from their zabuton for the duration of their skit.

* In yose, notably on the long-running television show ShMten, comedians receive zabuton as a form of scoring.

* In jidaigeki, according to a stereotype, the boss prisoner in a jail cell receives all the zabuton from his or her cell mates.