Meditation – Sitting, Lying on your Back or Side?

Can we meditate lying down? Are normal people able to feel enlightenment or is it just for Monks?
I was about 16 when I believe what I had what I know now as the feeling of Dharma. When I started the course I did not know what to expect really. By the third day we were learning all these interesting things about Hatha and Ashtanga. The parts that particularly interested me were the last 4 Ashtanga: Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. I started to relay these to my life and experiences I have had. For example take the first two Pratyahara (Withdrawal of the sense) and Dharana (Concentration), when I am at work I can shut everything of to the point where people have to shout at me to get me to acknowledge them. I know this is not exactly the same but it is similar to a certain degree.
After thinking of these I started to think how events in my life related to the other three. Take Dhyana (Meditation State), what exactly is meditative state? And is there really only one wat y do it? I know the correct way is to be in a seated position, however, when I think back to when I was younger a friend of mine who was quite spiritual herself, used to go to the rose garden near to where she lived and we would lie on the ground letting mother earth and the elements around us fill up our sense. The solidness and energy of the ground, the warmth and light from the sun, the smell of the flowers, the sounds of the insects, I felt connected to everything, connected, relevant but yet insignificant. I felt at one with self but could see myself and everything around me but my eyes were closed and I was lying on the ground. I like to believe at that time in my life I experienced Dharma.
I started reading further in to meditation and found that there are three poses you can meditate in, Sitting, Lying on back (Corpse Pose) and lying on the side. Not many people tend to do the third however; there are many statues and pictures of Buddha in a meditative state on the side.
Mediation certainly takes a lot of practice and is an art form but it would be wonderful to believe that sometimes when you least expect it, people can achieve enlighten, even if it is just once in their life.
“Sleep is the Best Mediation” – Dalai Lama
Niki Clarke
200hrs Weekend Course