Overcome your anxiety, depression, and stress with this Japanese and Chinese meditation technique called Zazen [座禅]. The goal of zazen is to "just sit," with an open mind, without getting attached to thoughts.
Zazen is the main form of Zen-Buddhist meditation. Where za [座] means to sit; While zen [禅] refers to a state of deep and subtle meditation. It's hard to explain zazen with words, it's better to practice it.
The practice of zazen consists of sitting in a comfortable position, with the spine erect, for periods of up to 40 minutes, interspersed with Kinhin meditation.
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How to do Zazen
We recommend doing zazen in a quiet, clean and undisturbed place. It shouldn't be a dark place and it shouldn't be too bright. Meditation can be done alone, but in a group it can be more stimulating.
Zen Buddhist practitioners often use an image of Monjushri Bodhisattva or another image of the Buddha. One should not perform this meditation when tired, drunk, hungry, or with a full stomach.
Clothing should be comfortable and should not be dirty, luxurious and heavy. Place a zabuton in front of a wall and place a zafu on it (they are pillows).
Sit down, placing the base of your spine in the center of the zafu so that half of the zafu is behind you. After crossing your legs, place your knees firmly on the zabuton.
Watch everything around you. Let your thoughts and feelings come and go, don't try to control or eliminate them, let them free. Maintain abdominal breathing, with short inhalations and long exhalations.
During zazen, our hands are positioned forming an ellipse, which represents the cosmos within us, and us in the cosmos. With the palms facing up, we rest the fingers of the left hand on the fingers of the right hand. This is called Hokkaijoin.
Kinhin is zazen in motion, walking. It usually lasts for ten minutes and is done in the zazen room. It serves to stimulate circulation and allow us to sit again in zazen.
In meditation you can also rock your body with your palms facing up over your knees. Swing your body from left to right, back and forth, then form the hokkai-join again.
Do not focus on any object or try to control your thoughts. When you maintain a correct posture and your breathing calms down, your mind will naturally calm down.
Much better Breathing
My friend and Sensei Roberto Pedraça has a course called Bem Melhor Respirando that focuses a lot on meditation along with breathing and brings 50 times better results than Zazen meditation.
While Zazen meditation is based on Buddhism, Bem Melhor Respirando is about various scientifically proven breathing methodologies. In other words, it can be practiced by anyone who is not Buddhist.
In fact, you don't need all that ritual, worship, planning, cushions, time, and posture to get good results with meditation and breathing. The Better Good breathing exists to simplify it all.
The course is complete and also teaches meditation, diets, NLP, EFT and some techniques to solve the main problems in your life. I think it's worth checking out by clicking the link below.
