A few new things today.. First off this is a bit of a primer for those looking to incorporate a sitting practice into their own schedule. Many people have expressed a simple “get started” guide, but find even basic instruction too intimidating with its simplistic “Just Sit” philosophy.
Secondly, this is my first blog that contains a vlog component. I originally planned on starting a new YouTube channel, but ended up deciding to continue uploading to the one I have had for many years. Firstly, I feel like this maintains a healthy level of transparency of my online persona: I have never been one to hide behind a certain “anonymous” brand that is 100% congruent with each online identity. I prefer to simply be who I am, a human being, and filled with the same flaws as anyone else. It also allows viewers to watch older posts of mine and see where I’ve come from, even though they are basic vlogs with little meditative content… in essence, they are reality at its best.. I always strived to share wholly unedited clips, and never shoot a second time to improve the delivery.
But enough! Back to the matter at hand.
Want to learn how to sit? Many people will be plagued by the problems of fidgeting, discomfort, or the lack or an ability to concentrate on not concentrating.
But really all sitting practice, or zazen, is about, is mindfulness. Just appreciating every action and every moment. With practice, tasks like cleaning and cooking can become meditative practice, according to Leo Balbuta of Zen Habits.
Yet I was browsing Reddit yesterday, more specifically /r/zenhabits, and found a great link to Janine Holsinger’s blog, appropriately named “Just Start”, and an article called “Finding Zen”. In it, she mentions Kevin Rose’s “100 Breath, 30 day challenge”
So, this morning I tried it out, and here’s a video of me explaining a bit more about it.
humblepie: digital buddhism 