The Infinite Breath

I had the opportunity to study Zen meditation for the fourth time this past April.  I was in Kyoto to see friends and the cherry-blossoms, and I stayed at the Shunkoin Temple (at Myoshinji), as usual.  As part of the temple activities, there is a regular meditation class every morning at the very civilized hour of 9 am (unlike our own Zen Center here in San Francisco, whose morning zazen is at 6:05 am).  The class attracts a random assortment of seekers and tourists - the deputy head priest, Takafumi Kawakami, teaches in English, so there are usually Americans, Australians and a scattering of Europeans in the group.  Some days, there was no one else in the class so Rev. Kawakami and I meditated alone in the beautiful Meditation Hall of the temple, which faces the Garden of Boulders, a lovingly designed space originally built in the late 16th century.

As usual, Rev. Kawakami instructed us to sit up straight, fold our hands in our laps and focus on the breath. This is not unlike the Middendorf-style breath meditation which precedes many workshops, and which we observe at the beginning of every meeting of the Middendorf Study Group. At Shunkoin, the meditation is broken up into two segments of 15 minutes each, with a brief stretch and a few questions in between (”How do you feel?” “Did the time pass quickly or slowly?”).  Rev. Kawakami uses sticks of traditional Japanese incense to time the meditation - these sticks burn for approximately 30 minutes, and fill the room with the earthy scent of cedar or musk, which usually dissipates quickly in the drafty Meditation Hall, especially if the large windows to the garden are open.  The room is usually filled with light in the morning, suffused with shades of green from the large garden just outside.

In many ways, zen meditation and Middendorf breath work are moving in the same direction: clarity of mind when we let go of ego and allow the essence of our being to flourish.  This is no small achievement, of course.  The mind is usually so busy with chatter - memories, dreams, reflections (as Jung might say) - that it takes at LEAST the first 15 minutes just to settle down.  In our breath workshops, we sometimes alternate 5 minutes of meditation with 5 minutes of “small steps” (something the like the Buddhist Walking Meditation), followed by a Slow Spinal Roll, the quintessential Middendorf movement-sequence.

In my Zen meditation practice, I do not move from the cushion - I sit with legs crossed, hands folded, in the traditional posture.  Middendorf breath work is traditionally done on one of the low stools that I use when I teach a class, but any firm surface, about 20 inches from the ground, will do as well.  The idea in the Middendorf work is that the hips be slightly higher than the knees.  Likewise with Zen meditation - the cushion helps to elevate the hips while the feet remain on the ground (or on the opposite thigh in the Full Lotus position). But body-position, of course, is not the essence of meditation - it merely offers a comfortable way to sit which encourages us to keep the spine straight.  The Zen style suggests we put our hands in our laps - some teachers suggest that the thumbs should be touching each other head-on.  At Shunkoin, we are taught to let the thumbs lie in the palms, side-by-side.  And in the Middendorf work, our hands are on our thighs - left hand on left thigh, right hand on right thigh, with the palms down.  Any of these positions will do.

In my own practice, I sometimes wonder if there is a difference between light sleep and meditation.  The Dalai Lama has said that “sleep is the best meditation,” but I always feel slightly guilty if I dose off for a moment which sitting the lotus position.  So far, this has never happened on a Middendorf stool.

My Conscious Stretching Class for The City is ending this week after a two-year run.  It has been an amazing experience teaching for large groups like this - generally 20 or 30 people for the whole first year.  Lately, the class has been shrinking - the move to City Hall did not help, even though the North Light Court is a beautiful, spacious room.  It’s a little too wide-open for the comfort of my students, I think, and teaching here has made me realize the importance of the PLACE (in the Eudora Welty sense) to the success of the class. But now, of course, I have more time for this blog.  Stay tuned!

The past week has seen a severe deterioration in air-quality in the whole Bay Area.  At least in San Francisco proper, we are protected by a steady breeze from the ocean.  Unfortunately, on warm days when the atmospehre “inverts,” the breezes die down and even come from inland.  My experience has been that the early morning is the best time for running, breath work and any strenuous outdoor activity.  Until about 8 am, the breeze comes in from the ocean.  It seems to shift, or die down, at around 8.  Also unfortunately, there seems to be no restriction on oil-fired roofing, a popular summer activity for California builders, since it rarely rains between June and September.  And there are just as many cars on the streets (bridges, freeways, etc.) as on any clear day.  I recommend to my students that they buy a simple flu-mask at any drugstore, and wear it as much as possible when outdoors. I also recommend that they try to avoid places where the pollution is compounded - busy intersections (whether driving or on foot), constructions sites, freshly painted or freshly carpeted rooms or buildings and anywhere where their senses (smell, taste, touch, etc.) tell them that the air is bad.  

Welcome to my Infinite Breath blog. We will be exploring the wonders of the breath, the sensation of the movement of breath, Sensory Awareness, The Alexander Technique, LearningMethods, and many other stimulating topics. Stay tuned - and, please, feel free to comment on anything you see here. I welcome input from clients, colleagues, students and friends. This is an open forum for the exploration of the wonders of The Infinite Breath!