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meditationUsing Zazen Meditation to Find Inner Peace

Looking to meditation to help you find some inner peace is one of the primary reasons that people start practicing meditation. However, it is very important that you take some time to carefully study the different meditation methods and you will find several that are available. One such method is the Zazen meditation method. This is a method of meditation that is unique to Zen Buddhists and involves meditation to help center the mind as well as body into a single point.

There are several different positions of Zazen that can be used when meditating and finding the position that you are most comfortable with is important. Of course, there is more to meditation than simply being comfortable, but you do need to be comfortable enough that you can focus and concentrate without hurting, or being overly uncomfortable. Some of the most common position in Zazen includes the Burmese, half Lotus, Lotus, and Seiza positions. These are positions that are frequently known to even those who do not actively practice meditation making them quite common.

Some of the most important aspects of Zazen meditation regardless of which position you choose to use, is always keeping the back as straight as possible. This allows the diaphragm to move without restrictions, and makes it much easier to breathe, as well as relax. Additionally, it is very important to keep your mouth closed, and breathe only through your nose and make certain that you are taking deep breaths. Shallow breathing is not suitable during Zazen meditation.

During Zazen meditation, it is very important that deep breathing be one of the main focuses of your concentration. Dedicating much of your thought to your breathing will allow you to ensure that you are able to focus on the task of centering all of your thoughts, as well as your body into a single point. Additionally, during Zazen meditation you are not doing any chants, or making any sounds. Your goal is to be as still, and as quiet as possible.

Many find that the best way to obtain the best Zazen positions is through the usage of a zafu, which is a small pillow. Using the zafu makes it much easier to obtain proper placement in positions such as the Burmese, half Lotus, and full Lotus. Though the usage of a seiza bench is much more effective when trying to obtain a proper Seize position, you could additionally use the zafu during that time as well.

Spending dedicated time each day practicing Zazen meditation will allow you to slowly start to master the techniques and find the inner peace that meditation promotes. However, before expecting immediate results, it is important that you ensure you are using a properly prepared area to meditate, and you free the space of distractions as well. This would require that there be no music, television or other distractions present so that you can truly focus on the breathing and thoughts that are needed in order to really practice Zazen meditation properly.