Beginning with the top of your head, focus your attention down through your facial muscles,
eyes, jaw, neck, shoulders, arms, chest, abdomen, continuing through both legs into your feet
and toes with the express intent of relaxing each of these areas, in other words every part of
your body.
Next, start to calm the mind by simultaneously dropping all wandering thoughts. Shodo Harada
Roshi teaches it as “cutting and letting go” of our compulsive non stop thinking. Do not consider
this as entering some trance like state. Quite the opposite.
The Buddha espoused the “Middle Way.” The middle way translates as neither following some
extreme ascetic practice nor to follow your desires without restraint.
Next, give your mind a job by focusing on a gentle inhalation and slow exhalation of your breath
cycle moment by moment. Do not strain or hold your breath when releasing the out breath. Just
relax and it will find it’s own comfortable rhythm. Consciously trying to control what is an
autonomous function is a misguided facet of your ego. However, oxygenating our blood and
releasing carbon dioxide is a plus to longevity and our overall health. So just have it in mind –
normal full inhalation, long, slow exhalation.
Following the simplicity of this practice as outlined above, peaceful gaps in thinking begin to
occur where you are calm, present, relaxed, yet fully accountable while maintaining a serene
presence and countenance.
The gradual demise of the repetitive habits of grasping at our all too familiar mind digressions
starts to fade in and of itself. Also, the incessant need to fill the empty spaces in our mind are
seen for what they are, an egoic attempt to assert, control and act out a false identity, a persona
that in fact is non existent to just about everyone except you because of your clinging nature.
A barometer of your progress will be marked by an increased sense of peace and contentment
throughout the day. Be careful: do not judge yourself in this process. Doing so is actually
counter productive. If your mind is busy, just realizing it is busy is demonstrating presence.
Increased length of peaceful gaps in your thinking where you are alert and simply present, will
begin to take hold. While it may begin with just a few seconds, the experience will
increase over time. Actually, a few seconds of this stillness, this quiet mind, this inner space is
often enough to carry us through the day. So don’t be concerned with the often sparse time
duration of these episodes. More important is the frequency of their occurrence throughout the
day. Building on this energy is why we practice formal seated meditation. This centuries old,
time honored technique of observing our mind machinations allows us glimpses into a calm,
wonderful, clear perspective.