Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Buckwheat hull filled cushions feel pretty much the way they are going to feel from the first time you sit on them, as the hulls already had a chance to settle during shipping. A big plus of the hulls is their ability to mold to your shape when you’re sitting on your cushion, but they’ll need to be somewhat loosely packed into the casing for this molding to occur. We recommend using your cushion a time or two to let the fabric stretch out and the hulls get pushed out into the seams to give you a better sense of how much lower or looser might suit you better.

If you purchased a buckwheat hull filled cushion from us, adjusting the height and firmness of your cushion is easy – just remove some of the hulls.

Our buckwheat hull filled cushions come equipped with a short zipper sewn into the seam of the cushion’s inner casing that we used to pour in the hulls. (If you have an economy version of a zafu, the zipper will be found deep in the pleated wall of the cushion cover fabric directly opposite the handle).

Carefully open the zipper a little. You will find the hulls ready to spill out, so have a sheet of plastic or wastebasket handy to dump them on or in. Keep these hulls handy if you feel you might have removed too many. You can funnel some back in to restore some height and firmness again. If you do want to discard them, they make great mulch around potted indoor plants and perennials in the garden.

Unlike buckwheat hull filled cushions that are loosely filled and form fitting from the moment you first sit down on one, kapok fiber filled cushions definitely need a break in period before they settle down and feel softer and more resilient to sit on. The kapok fibers were blown into the casing using a jet of compressed air. Sitting on the cushion causes the fibers to redistribute inside the cushion casing as some of the air trapped between the fibers escapes. You’ll notice the cushion loses some of its roundedness as it flattens and softens more with each use, so be patient. You might notice your comfort increase as well.

Blowing kapok into our cushion requires special machine operations and skilled technique. Attempting to remove some of the fiber to lower or soften your cushion is generally not recommended. For one thing, the fibers are down feathers and very messy to contain. Removing some kapok from the casing will most likely leave an empty space near the opening that might never fill in smoothly again leaving you with a lumpy uneven surface to sit on.

To hasten the breaking in process of the cushion you can use your elbows to push down firmly into the cushion to push the fibers out into the corners of the cashing and push out the air trapped in the fibers. Kneading it deeply with your fists can be effective, too.

If you still think the cushion is too high for you, place a folded blanket or your zabuton pad on the floor in front of the cushion, or under just the front half if you purchased a Cosmic Cushion. That will boost your feet and ankles up relative to your butt and approximate sitting on a lower cushion. Does that feel more comfortable? A lower cushion might suit you better.

Is your cushion too low for you? To answer that, look at your posture while seated. Ideally, you should be able to sit with an erect spine, the crown of your head floating above your shoulders which are directly above your hip joints. Your spine still has a slight “S” curve and your ability to draw in a full deep breath is unimpeded by any slumping forward, leaving your abdomen and chest free to expand.

Notice if your feet, knees and ankles are on the mat in front of you. If your knees are “flying” way up off the pad that is often an indication that you could benefit from a higher cushion. Put a booster under the cushion a couple inches thick to see whether your knees come down toward the mat as a result. Often simply sitting will gradually stretch the tight postural muscles in the hips, and thighs allowing your feet, ankles and knees to relax down toward the mat. Propping one or both knees up with a rolled-up towel is very useful. Given a little support at the limit of their flexibility, your muscles and joints can more easily “let go” than when unsupported in midair. Again, let patience be your guide