Zazen and the Alexander Technique Zazen is a meditative discipline commonly practiced in Zen Buddhism, a branch of Buddhism that focuses on rigorous self-control, the practice of meditation and understanding the Buddha - the nature and personal expression of this insight in daily life, especially for the benefit of others. Zazen meditation practiced to connect the mind to the body. The mind has the ability to wander to events of the past or uncertainties of the future, but the body remains in the present. The goal is to bring the mind into the present along with the body. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay During a Zazen meditation session, you focus on posture. First the posture of the body, then the posture of the breath and finally the posture of the mind. The body posture must be balanced, rooted and open. Full lotus and half lotus positions are commonly recommended. If these are too difficult, other poses such as Burmese or Seiza can help. In the photo the “zafu” references are a small pillow used to lift the pelvis. You may notice that the hands in all the images look the same. The hand position is called dharmadhatu-mudra, which means “reality gesture”. The knuckles of the upward-facing left hand rest on the knuckles of the upward-facing right hand, which, as a whole, rests on the person's thighs and lower abdomen. The thumbs touch gently forming a natural arch. The breathing posture is very similar to how we begin our constructive rest in the Alexander Technique. As described by the White Wind Zen Community, you cannot observe the breath. Watching it defeats the purpose of the exercise. A quote I liked from their site is: “Like thoughts, breath comes and goes. If anger arises, the breath becomes angry. If sadness arises, the breath sighs. If your practice is tense, your breathing is tense... Every breath is fresh, new: you have never breathed this breath before.”. He describes each breath as “a touchstone through which you can unite body and mind.” Every breath you take in this moment brings you one step closer to body-mind unity. The posture of the mind is a little more difficult to describe. For my purpose, the mind is a person separate from you. You may take a posture, but your mind may remain in the past. He might boast that he concentrates so well on his breathing. He may fuss or scream. You have experiences and your mind has experiences through awareness. Bring awareness to the mind, so that it can have the same experiences as the body. When you get lost in thoughts, feelings, or drowsiness, bring yourself back to the breath. Don't feel the breath, just breathe the breath. I have made many connections between the Zazen meditation process and the Alexander Technique. Posture is an important point. In the Alexander Technique, the focus is on a natural posture, with little or no tension. Constructive Rest focuses on slowing the mind, bringing awareness to the present moment, and focusing on the breath. Zazen is based on posture and uses breath and awareness to connect the body to the mind. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay What I thought was the biggest difference between the second was that the Alexander Technique had to be practiced all day. Zazen are meditative sessions that can be left, life can be lived and returned to. I believe that multiple Zazen sessions combined with one discipline.