Seiza (roughly meaning "to sit properly") is the traditional Japanese sitting posture of kneeling on your heels. The back is straightened. However, the seiza sitting position can become painful after a while for the inexperienced.
Since there were no chairs in ancient Japan, people basically sat in seiza. There is lore about a shogun of the Sengoku period who was so amazed at a chair that he had it carried in front of him during processions.
Seiza was also the prescribed posture for the ritual suicide (seppuku) of a samurai.
Thereby Seiza is rather a "comfortable" sitting posture. For formal occasions, in the Kiza sat, d.h. with feet up. A third, half-kneeling posture that harkens back to the sitting position of samurai in armor Tatehiza. In some Japanese martial arts, seiza, kiza and tatehiza are part of the ceremonial procedures, for example in Iai-Do like the "art of sword pulling or Kyodo yep. "Way of the bow",
Art of archery .
Foot position in Kiza
"Sitting still" in the seiza position can help to leave behind the fears of one’s own existence and the fear of one’s own impermanence that underlies them. It is also an excellent way to normalize the body’s functions. The essence of the exercise is to see the world as it really is, instead of constantly imagining how we want the world to be.
Posture
You squat down with your knees open and then place your left knee on the floor. The right knee is placed about two handbreadths beside it. Then place the feet flat on the floor with the big toes on top of each other. Finally, the buttocks are lowered onto the heels.
The back is kept straight and the lumbar spine is slightly tilted forward so that the spine can assume its natural S-shape. Do not let the lumbar spine sag backwards or the back as a whole lean back too far, otherwise painful muscle tension may occur. It is best to distribute the weight between the feet and the knees.
Keep the head upright. The ears are in a line above the shoulder. The nose is aligned over the knot of the belt. This causes the neck to tilt forward slightly. In Iai-Do this is very important, because it allows the spine to assume its natural S-shape Seme (pressure to the front) arises. The chin is slightly tucked in and the neck is stretched at the same time. One has the feeling as if the head is pulled straight upwards by the hair.
It is also important to center the body to avoid muscle spasms and stiffness.
Another way to find the right position of the body is to imagine a pendulum hanging down from the top of the skull inside the body. Imagine the weight at the height of your own waist (about three finger widths below the navel). If one leans too far forward or backward, the pendulum leaves the center of the body. Correctly aligned, the weight is in the front half of the hara (lower abdomen between the hip joints).
The shoulders are loose and the arms fall down naturally. The right hand is placed on the thigh with the palm facing upwards so that the small finger side touches the lower abdomen. The left hand is placed in the right hand in the same way, the thumb tips touch each other without tension. In this way, the thumb and fingers form an oval shape, just below the navel. This point is called Tanden or Seika-Tanden and corresponds approximately to the center of gravity of our body.
The left hand over the right hand symbolizes the calm pole covering the active pole. The thumbs unite the two opposites. The Tanden is seen as the center of being, it is enclosed by the Hara. From this point, according to the Japanese view, life is lived.
Of course, there are several variations of the hand posture described above, but the one described above is the most balanced and relaxed method of sitting.
You lower your gaze to a point about a meter in front of your knees, but without letting your head fall forward. You can tell if you are lying correctly when your nose is still in the field of vision. This posture helps to half-close the eyes, thus eliminating most of the visuals around you, but without getting sleepy.
The tongue rests against the palate and is lightly pressed against the upper row of teeth. The jaws lie loosely on each other. Stop the sometimes disturbing production of saliva by sucking the air out of the space between the tongue and the mouth. How to avoid swallowing.
Breathing
Breathing is done in a very special way. The ancient Taoists believed that the breath is life itself and that each person has a certain amount of breaths available, and so calm, slow breathing was considered to guarantee a long life.
Breathe calmly and without tension to the solar plexus (lat.) German: "Sonnengeflecht,
dense network of nerve fibers,
ca. 1 hand width above the navel a. The abdomen expands forward while the upper body expands without any muscle tension. The shoulders should not move at all. However, they should also not be artificially depressed. You simply leave them to gravity.
Breathing in ends naturally when the lungs are filled and it goes no further. The breath itself determines the change to exhalation. The exhalation should be even more gentle than the inhalation. No noise should be made, but simply let the extended belly collapse into itself. Continue exhaling until you feel the urge to inhale, and the change is automatic and natural. One should also make sure that the abdomen does not become too lax, but that the abdominal muscles remain in their natural tension.
The rhythm of breathing should not be forced either. With continued practice it will rather slow down all by itself. In some cases, the breathing rate may drop to two breaths per minute. However, you should not set this as a goal, but simply breathe calmly and naturally.
The posture of the mind
By following the natural rhythm of your breathing, you first begin to count inhalations and exhalations internally. As concentration increases, only the exhalations are counted – always from one to ten. If you get confused, you simply start again from the beginning and do not care about the last number. This is not important. It is not important to reach a certain number, one simply counts.
You notice thoughts that arise, but you do not give them any great importance. Rather, just watch them and let them draw. In no case should you try to solve any problems or develop any arguments. Rather, one simply concentrates on counting. All thoughts have the same value when you sit – none at all. One always returns to breathing. This applies to all disturbing thoughts, hallucinations, panic, fear, and other illusions that may arise from the subconscious mind. Just sit.
Then, when the stream of thoughts slowly comes to rest, you can stop counting and you just sit. If thoughts capture our attention again, we simply start counting again.
Other aspects
The falling asleep of the legs can be avoided if a rolled up blanket is clamped between hips and heels to increase the sitting position. You have to expect a certain degree of pain in Seiza, but the exercise is not a test of willpower, trying to hold out as long as possible.
It is best to sit in a quiet room, with little lighting and few visual and other distractions. Music also interferes, since the purpose of the exercise is precisely to eliminate distraction and diversion. With time you will be experienced enough to do the exercise in any place you like. Noise and other distractions then no longer reach you.
After sitting, the legs should be loosened up. To do this, bend forward and rest your forehead on the floor. Place the hands next to the head with the inner surface facing upwards and raise them slightly. This posture symbolizes openness and acceptance of all that this world has to offer us. If you remain in this position for a while before sitting up, you can sit longer.
All that is really necessary is a place where one is left alone and some quiet breaths. If one needs support, then Seiza can also be practiced in a group, but this is not absolutely necessary.