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Health & Fitness

Tuft & Needle just released a meditation pillow—and it's amazing

Wait, what is a meditation cushion?

Meditation pillow with phone on top Credit: Tuft & Needle

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Tuft & Needle is a well-known bedding company with high-quality mattresses, bedding accessories, and bed frames. Its line of bedroom essentials is highly regarded by reviewers for being “so dang comfortable.” Now, in a collaboration with Calm—the “World’s Happiest App”—Tuft & Needle has created a meditation cushion. The exclusive cushion is made for relaxation and, you know, meditation.

What is a meditation cushion?

First off, you may be wondering what the heck is a meditation cushion. I was new to meditating a year ago, but after completing several yoga trainings and workshops, I’m comfortable with (and on) meditation cushions for a period of time.

A meditation cushion looks like a dense throw pillow or a mini-floor pouf. It’s used for meditating but can also serve other purposes. Many people like to have them as a comfortable seat for grounding and practicing. I find them more helpful than blocks or blankets because a cushion allows me to sit up straight yet still feel rooted down into the earth. Many of my teachers cue sitting in a position where your hips are higher than your knees in order to flush your kidneys and feel length in your spine. The cushion supports this posture and helps prevent your feet from getting all tingly when sitting in virasana.

What is the Tuft & Needle Meditation Cushion like?

Someone holding the cushion by the pocket/handle and unzipping the cover.
Credit: Tuft & Needle

The cushion has a side pocket and a removable cover.

The cushion’s size worked really well for me. It’s 5” tall, which is slightly higher than a typical yoga block. After 20 minutes of class my feet and ankles would become tired so I’d lay a blanket on top of the cushion for a bit more height.

The cushion has a small pocket on the side. You could use it to carry the cushion to a different room of the house, the park, or the studio. Or, you could use it to store your phone while listening to mediation apps like Calm. The cushion’s cover is 100% cotton that is soft and canvas-y. I love the vertical stitching’s aesthetic effect too. After using the cushion for a few classes, I unzipped the cover and washed it with a load of laundry. Tuft & Needle’s site recommends air drying the fabric, and once mine was mostly dry I shimmied the inner cushion back into the cover. It was much easier than I expected!

How does the meditation cushion compare?

Meditation cushion and box.
Credit: Tuft & Needle

A meditation cushion might be your new favorite prop.

I’m a big fan of Tuft & Needle’s meditation cushion. I really like the pale blue color because it’s calming (and also because it reminds me of my dress from Senior Prom…). I used the cushion for yoga classes, especially during pranayama (breathwork) exercises. The cushion is squishy enough to move around, but it provides a lot of support as well. The buckwheat hull filling feels like a the inside of a bean bag but the seeds are smaller and keep the cushion’s structure well.

While testing out the cushion I found myself using it outside of online yoga classes. I used the cushion as a prop under my arms while reading in bed, as a seat for online lectures and meetings, and as a stand to put my computer on while bingeing Netflix—though the fabric caused my laptop to heat up.

What I don’t love about the cushion

The cushion’s structure and materials are fantastic, but I didn’t end up using the pocket on the side other than to carry the cushion and take the cover off. I think it’d be useful if you have your headphones in for a guided meditation and need a place to store your phone, but you could always set it on the floor beside you.

The size of the cushion is great for seated meditation, but it isn’t something I’d travel with. I can see myself bringing it along to an outdoor class or to meet up with friends and practice, but it’s not compact enough to fit in a suitcase or duffle bag for longer trips.

Should you buy a meditation cushion?

A woman sitting on the meditation cushion.
Credit: Tuft & Needle

The cushion also comes with a discounted membership to the Calm app.

The cushion is $80, so if you’re a beginner I’d recommend trying out yoga blocks or sitting atop blankets to begin your practice. If you have a regular meditation, pranayama, or kundalini practice, I think the Tuft & Needle meditation cushion is a fantastic addition to your props. It’s comfortable and supportive, which are huge factors in being able to drop in and find center.

Though $80 is an expensive prop, if meditation is something you do daily (or want to do more often) I think it’s a great investment in your overall health, wellbeing, and spirituality. And an added bonus is that those who buy the meditation cushion will also receive a 25% discount on an annual Calm membership.

Shop the Meditation Cushion from Tuft & Needle

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