At the beginning of the meditation,
Always start by focusing all attention to posture and breathing.
Let the posture be energetic,
In vertical alignment between the earth and the sky.
Feel well how the body weight is supported by the earth through the contact between the sitting bones and the surface you are sitting on.
Depending if you are sitting on a pillow or on a chair,
The knees or the feet are well rooted on the ground,
Forming a stable triangular basis,
Slightly inclining the pelvis forward,
So that the spine can vertically erect from the waist upwards and extend this vertical alignment through the neck and the top of the head into the sky,
As if you would want the sky to be pushed up higher,
Tucking the chin slightly without letting the head bend forward.
The ears are aligned with the shoulders,
The nose straight above the belly button.
Sitting energetically doesn't mean that we need to force ourselves into some kind of odd posture.
In fact,
The energy is not created by muscle power,
But rather through the concentration of the mind.
When we sit in Zazen,
We return to the natural state of being of both the body and the mind.
So don't force it,
Just continue to find back a natural tonus in the muscles,
A balance between a strong and straight back and a soft and flexible front.
Only a few muscles are needed to remain sitting like this in a majestic posture,
Just a few muscles in the lower back and a few muscles in the neck.
All other muscles can completely relax,
Especially the muscles in the face,
In the shoulders,
In the chest and the belly.
The mouth remains closed,
The tongue rests on the palate,
The tip of the tongue just behind the upper teeth.
If the inner dialogue doesn't stop,
Our mental processes,
This relentless narrative that is produced by the conditioned mental functioning of our mind,
It can be helpful to focus the attention to the tip of the tongue for a little while.
The breath naturally flows in and out of the nose.
With every out-breath we let go.
We let go of unnecessary tensions in the body,
We let go of distracting thoughts.
With the out-breath,
The gravity point of the body descends into the lower belly.
Attentively follow this vertical movement all the way down to the heart,
Where the mind can find back its natural stability,
Its state of being in harmony with reality.
When the mind finds its back stability,
It becomes completely free,
Undisturbed,
Profoundly connected with the living reality of the present moment,
Without creating distinctions,
Beyond all mental categories.
From the natural stability of the mind,
Which is calm and clear,
The mind reconnects with its true nature.
The mind naturally makes peace,
Within and without.
Peace with who we really are.
Peace with the entire universe,
Harmonious and free.
