NaturalMedications

Standing Meditation:

Standing comfortably with your spine straight and feet about shoulder distance apart, open your left hand and place the thumb on your belly button so the palm of your hand is against your lower abdomen. Now place your open right hand over your left, also palm open and over the back of your left hand. Breathe in slowly and feel this part of your lower abdomen expand, which will naturally push your hands outward with your belly. Hold the breath for four seconds and then exhale slowly and feel your lower abdomen contracting inward as the air is released. Thoughts are recognized without judgment and concentration is brought back to breath.

This is a great exercise to practice proper breathing. All too many of us take short and improper breaths. This is a simple way to concentrate and regain the proper breathing techniques we had naturally as an infant.

Walking Meditation:

Walking is one of the simplest and most effective ways to exercise and meditate. Simply walk at comfortable pace, concentrating on the sole of each foot as it makes contact with the earth. Focus on the spot in the center of your foot just at the forward part of the arch. With each step feel this spot making contact with the earth and extending into the earth, then the next foot, and so on. Allow breathing to be normal through the lower abdomen. An alternative is to walk and concentrate on breath instead. Breathing should be relaxed and natural. Thoughts are recognized without judgment and concentration is brought back to the sole of each foot or breath.

Lying Meditation:

Upon bedtime or prior to a nap or just simply as a method to meditate we can lie down and focus our attention on breath. Breathing should be into and out of our lower abdomen. We can count these breaths or simply concentrate on inhaling, then exhaling. Focus can also be on a spot on the ceiling, or in the sky if you're outdoors. Thoughts are recognized without judgment and concentration is brought back to breath.

Sitting Meditation (Zazen):

Sit comfortably either in a chair with your feet flat on the ground or cross legged on the floor (a.k.a Zazen or Lotus position - left leg over right) using a cushion under the buttocks for comfort and to prop up the hips higher than the knees. In either case the back should be straight as if a string was running up your spine through your head and into the sky, but without straining or forcing. If on the floor or using a Zabuton, the knees should be touching the ground. The palms of the hands are open and can be placed on the thighs, palms up, or as in Zazen meditation, you can bring the hands together, left palm on top of right palm, thumbs barely touching each other, resting comfortably against your lower abdomen. In affect making an opening with your hands for breath to come in and out through your lower abdomen.

We can also use the Indian Lotus hand position by turning palms up, resting them on our knees, and lightly touching middle finger to thumb.

Once a comfortable sitting position is obtained you can use a spoken mantra, a silent mantra, listen to soothing music or other sound, or focus on a candle, burning incense or other small object, or simply on breath. If an object is used it should be placed on the ground (or a low table if you're using a chair) about 3 feet in front of you. Eyes are relaxed yet open and focused on the object or simply on a spot on the ground about 3 feet in front of you.

Breathing is natural, unforced and through the nose. Breathe through your lower abdomen, feel it expand and retract naturally. The tongue is relaxed and it's tip is lightly touching the palate or roof of your mouth. Head is tilted ever so slightly downward by pulling the chin in slightly while keeping the imaginary string running up our straight spine and through the top of the head to the sky. The body is completely relaxed.

If your concentration is on breath, you can count the first inhale as 1, then exhale as 2, and repeat until you reach 10 and start over. You can also count the inhale and exhale together as 1, then repeat for 2, etc. Always start over when you reach 10.

Thoughts are recognized without judgment and concentration is brought back to its original focus. If you're counting breaths and thoughts arise, re-focus on breathing and start counting over at 1. Remember there is no goal, there is no bad or good meditation, there is simply meditating.

Benefits & Goals:

There should be no desire for goals of any kind in your practice of meditation. Zen uses the term Mushotoku, which means "without any goal or profit-seeking" (see our Zen Terms section for more on this). One should not seek any benefits from these moments but just simply be. Just concentrate, focus and breathe.

Benefits, though none are sought, are indeed derived from daily meditation practice. Some of them include increased concentration and focus - especially amidst distractions, improved mind-body balance, a genuine feeling of calm and relaxation, improved health, a connection between self and other (or perhaps better stated a disappearance of "self" and "other things"), an awareness to right here and right now, and many other benefits.