My name is Erica Anderson.
Today we'll be doing a mantra meditation from the Zen Buddhist tradition.
Tsa Zen is what's known as a sitting meditation.
Tsa meaning sitting and Zen referring to meditation.
During this meditation,
We're practicing our ability to direct our attention to something we've chosen to focus on.
It's a very intentional act.
And in doing so,
We pay less attention to the repetitive,
Unhelpful thoughts and stories that we too often get caught up in.
These thought patterns are normal.
So it's important to be kind to yourself when you become aware that it's happened.
And rather than putting your energy into controlling or stopping your thoughts,
Put your energy into concentrating on counting your breath cycles,
And your thoughts will have no choice but to become more silent.
The magic happens the moment you become aware that your unintentional thoughts are hoarding your attention.
This moment of awareness is you demonstrating your ability to be mindful.
So take this awareness and learn to let the thought go by redirecting your attention.
This skill is the precursor to your own happiness and to becoming a master of your own experience.
Each time we let go of the thought and return to counting the breath,
We're honoring our beginner's mind.
This is the mind that has no expectation and no ego.
Throughout the meditation,
When distractions take you away from the counting of the breath,
Simply begin at one again.
And once you successfully reach a count of 10,
Begin again at one and stay with this counting of one to 10 until the practice time has concluded.
In Zen,
It's believed that a stable body creates a stable mind.
So there's a greater emphasis on posture during Zazen.
The most important aspect is to keep your spine as straight as possible.
And this will come more naturally to some of us than others.
If it's helpful,
You can use cushions or other props to help maintain this alignment.
Not only does this help with your breathing,
But this intentional posture is also said to be the perfect expression of your Buddhist nature.
An intentional posture reflects positively on an intentional state of mind.
So own your physical body and take pride in your posture when you're practicing.
And take even greater pride in it when you're not.
For this practice,
You can be seated on the floor or on a chair.
If seated on the floor,
You can assume a lotus or half lotus posture,
Or you can sit cross-legged,
Or you can sit back on your heels,
In which case you might like to use a support cushion under your bottom.
In either of these positions,
It's also traditional to face an empty wall.
So feel free to try that today.
In this meditation,
Rather than closing your eyes,
They should be left half open with your gaze lowered.
Oftentimes in meditation we close our eyes to limit sensory stimulation.
However,
The purpose of Zazen is to meditate as we experience ourselves fully.
Your hands will ideally form the cosmic mudra.
To do this mudra,
Place the back of your dominant hand on top of the palm of your less dominant hand.
The middle joints of your middle fingers will overlap,
And you can touch your thumbs slightly together so that your hands make a beautiful oval shape.
Hold your hands against your body with your thumbs at about the height of your navel,
And try to hold your arms slightly away from your body as though you're holding an egg under each arm and you're trying not to break it.
And let's begin.
To get the full Zazen experience,
Position yourself so you're facing a blank wall if that's available to you.
And settle into a comfortable seat.
This can either be on the floor in lotus or half lotus position,
Or cross-legged,
Or sitting back on your heels.
And you can also be seated in a chair.
If you're sitting on a chair,
Take a moment to ensure that your feet are supported.
So use a footrest or a cushion if you don't make full contact with the surface beneath you.
Leaving your eyes open,
With your gaze lowered,
Continue to root yourself into the surface beneath you.
Put your attention on the crown of your head and imagine yourself positioning it so that it's reaching skyward.
This experience of reaching encourages a posture that's as upright as possible.
Now balance this effort with ease.
Holding the length in your spine,
Let your shoulders relax.
If you wish to incorporate the Cosmic Mudra,
You can do so now.
Lay the top of your dominant hand in the palm of your less dominant hand.
The middle knuckles of each hand should overlap.
Gently touch the tips of your thumbs together and let your arms hang loosely with your thumbs near your navel.
Allow for a gentle space between your arms and the sides of your body.
Breathe naturally.
Tuck your chin slightly so that your neck is an extension of your spine,
Taking care to avoid leaning forward or backward as you do so.
You can press your tongue against the upper palate of your mouth behind your front teeth.
Keep breathing.
Let the breath draw you into a deeper state of calm.
Calmness in your body.
Calmness in your mind.
Let your muscles be so soft that there's little or no tension in the body while still remaining physically and mentally alert.
Remember to let go of expectations you may have for this practice.
There's no need to pretend to feel something.
Instead,
This practice is about self-realization.
Experiencing the moment as it is.
Deepen this experience of stillness and calm by making your next few breaths even deeper and even longer,
Slowing and expanding the fullness of your breath without unnecessary struggle.
See if you can match the length of the inhale with the length of the exhale.
As you do so,
Bring your awareness to the movement of your breath in your body.
The rise of your stomach and chest on the inhale,
Followed by the fall of your chest and stomach on the exhale.
Rising and expanding.
Falling and contracting.
Inhaling deeply.
Exhaling fully.
Going deeper.
Notice the cool air passing through your nostrils as you inhale.
And notice the slightly warmer air exiting your nostrils as you exhale.
Let each breath cycle draw you into a fuller state of calm.
Well,
Prepare to practice as and now.
I'll guide you through the first cycle and then you can continue on your own.
The practice is to count the top of each inhale and the bottom of each exhale.
Once you've counted to 10,
Begin again at 1.
And if you lose the count for whatever reason,
Once you've noticed it,
Begin again at 1 at the top of your next inhale.
Let's inhale together.
And at the top,
Silently count to yourself 1 and exhale.
At the bottom of the exhale,
Count 2 and inhale.
At the top of the inhale,
Count 3 and exhale.
At the bottom of the exhale,
Count 4 and inhale.
5,
Exhale.
6,
Inhale.
7,
Exhale.
8,
Inhale.
9,
Exhale.
10,
Inhale.
1,
Exhale.
2,
Continue this on your own for 5 minutes.
If it becomes too much,
Simply sit in silence as long as you need to and begin again.
I'll keep track of the time.
You can let go of the counting now.
Keeping your gaze lowered,
Start to take some deeper breaths as we begin to gently transition out of your practice.
It's important not to rush this transition.
You may experience some movement in your thoughts,
Your body,
Or even your emotions.
This is all confirmation of movement in the subtle body and mind.
Feel free to bring some gentle movement into your body.
Perhaps roll your neck or shrug your shoulders.
Stretch your arms or your legs.
You may become more aware of sounds in your environment and know that you're a part of whatever is happening.
When you're ready,
You can return.
When you're ready,
You can return.
