Zen Meditation is a practice that is unique to Zen Buddhism. There is more to Zen meditation than relaxing for stress relief. Zen is a religious practice that is intended to lead to awareness on the path toward enlightenment.
Zen Meditation is not a difficult practice or as mystical as it may seem. In fact, it’s a pretty straightforward form of meditation that is accessible to anyone and offers significant emotional and spiritual benefits.
During meditation, you will discover stillness within yourself and use your senses to observe what is happening inside the mind, including thoughts and distractions and to relax in the moment without distractions.
Meditation is done in a seated position, usually on a meditation cushion or pillow. It’s important to find a quiet place to meditate where you can focus and not be disturbed. You can sit in a variety of yoga poses, such as half lotus, full lotus or kneeling position (hero’s pose).
In half lotus, you sit on the cushion and bring the left foot onto the right thigh. The right leg rests under the left thigh. This moves you into the half lotus position for meditation. In the full lotus position, each foot is placed on the top of the opposite thigh.
The hands are placed in the meditation mudra. The hands are held in a C position and then turned, so the thumbs are placed above the fingers, facing palm up. The hands are brought together in front of the stomach until the thumbs are touching lightly.
Once you are seated in the position that is most comfortable to you, close your eyes and clear the mind. This form of meditation focuses on the breath, so you will begin by becoming aware of the breath and concentrate on your breath.
Many people new to Zen meditation have trouble concentrating and are easily disturbed by random thoughts. For this reason, there is a Zen technique that involves counting the breaths from one through ten and then begins over again at one and counts from one through ten again. Gradually, you will be able to let this go and focus on the breath.
The time spent in meditation varies greatly. Buddhist monks spend large amounts of time in meditation, but this isn’t possible for all people or even particularly desirable for people new to meditation. Start off small with a five, ten or fifteen minute practice.
Do what feels right for you in the beginning. Over time, you will find it easy to relax into the stillness and extend the time as you grow in your practice.