In Japan seiza is a popular way of sitting everywhere but most Westerners only know this culture through martial arts. We can see seiza culture in karate and judo classes when fighters sit to rest. Also some people who practice meditation use this position as a way to “balance” the body and be able to maintain the seiza sitting position for a while. for hours.
Seiza is effective in eliminating people’s fear and anxiety. Some scientific studies have even shown that seiza is a method that affects blood pressure, heart rate and mental alertness. Meditation practitioners say that seiza can help achieve “wisdom” while sitting, helping to see the world as it is and accept things that happen in life equanimously.
To sit in seiza position, users need to follow etiquette and have proper technique. Breathing plays a very important role when sitting. Beginners need to pay careful attention to counting from one to ten without interruption. For thousands of years meditators have used this simple counting technique to develop mental discipline, maintain alertness and minimize distraction.
Seiza enthusiasts tend to count the number of times they exhale. Start at one and count to ten then repeat. If you forget, start again from the beginning, don’t try to “catch up” or find out where you missed the beat. Counting your breaths will help you balance your internal state without falling asleep. In addition, when you do this, your mind is completely in control and will feel really relaxed.
So what do we do if the mind still appears? Random thoughts? The unofficial rules of seiza say that you should accept the fact that your brain is constantly thinking. Don’t try to avoid it, but don’t indulge in testing your thoughts through theorizing them or using logical analysis. The simple thing is that you just need to take note of things that happen in your brain normally and then immediately ignore them.
Also for those It will be difficult for someone new to seiza to maintain one position for hours. Therefore, Japanese people use a specialized seiza cushion to solve back pain or leg pain while sitting.
Seiza is a sacred culture in Japan Copy. Japanese people always respect and care for this tradition because of the meaningful lessons and spiritual values that seiza brings.
