Justine and I started a 6 week introduction to Zen meditation course at the Houston Zen Center last week.
We spent the first half of the class learning a little about the history and practice of Zen. After that, we practiced mediation – both seated and walking.
We performed the seated meditation while sitting on top of a small round cushion called a zafu. The zafu is placed on top of a large rectangular pad called a zabuton.
We practiced two separate seated meditations. One facing the center of the room and the other facing the wall. Each session was lead by the Sensei (instructor) for about 10 minutes.
After that, we practiced walking meditation for 10 minutes by controlling our breathing while slowing walking around the meditation room. It’s more difficult than it sounds.
The first class went pretty well. I can honestly say I felt more relaxed by the end. Relaxing my body was much easier than relaxing my mind. I might have cleared my mind for 2-3 minutes total for the first class. I suppose 2-3 minutes is better than nothing, right?
- Dave
