The practice of yoga, as you may realize, has been around for thousands of years. Several researches have claimed it to be around for more than 5,000 years, actually. It was first developed in India as a philosophical practice that is centered significantly on obtaining union with the mind and body; hence it is named yoga from the Sanskrit word yuj meaning to unite.

The sequences of ashtanga yoga are primarily based on the book entitled Makaranda. This ancient spiritual approach is an energetic exercise originally intended for the teenage boys. However, things have changed and is now been performed by individuals of all ages.

The term ashtanga yoga actually means eight limbs namely yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi.

Yama has five parts such as aparigraha (non- covetousness), brahmacharya (celibacy), asteya (not robbing), satya (honesty) and ahimsa (non- violenece).
Asana is a posture that focuses on breaking free from the tensions.

Pratyahara provides internal strength by getting rid of different manner of interruptions that will lead to the development of will- power.

Dharana begins with concentration which is integrated with meditation finishing off in samadhi.

Samadhi has four impediments namely abhinivesha (fondness of the world), asmita (egoism), avidya (ignorance) and raga- dvesha (all likes and dislikes).
Dhyana proposes that material attachment, gluttony, slothfulness and subtle yearnings are considered as obstacles.

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Zen meditation is a Japanese technique of focusing on a specific thing or thought. The tradition has been passing on from one generation to the other for almost many centuries now. Buddhists used to practice this unique type of meditation. In fact, Zen Buddhists are often referred to as ‘Meditation Buddhists’.

The amount of time devoted by Zen mediators varies widely. Experts recommend a minimum period of about five minutes on a daily basis. This is sufficient for householders to benefit from the immense benefits of Zen meditation.

The main thing one needs to focus on is daily practice. Daily practice of Zen meditation for a small period of time is more than enough to benefit from its effects than spending about half an hour once in a week.

Zen meditation has evolved as a boon to people across the globe who are really stressed out due to the irregularity, chaos and tensions existing in their daily life.

Zen meditation involves sitting in a prescribed position, closing your mind to the thoughts and images for a certain period of time. Here, your heart rate will gradually decrease and breathing becomes shallow. Slowly, you will get in to a state of deep reflective meditation.

With the help of Zen meditation, you can easily create a synergy that would further assist you in connecting to all aspects of your existence such as the body, the soul and the mind. The energy that’s required to strengthen the synergy that you have collected comes from practicing Zen meditation.

When practicing Zen meditation, your mind will only be involved. You will not be engrossing your thoughts in to what happened in the past or what will happen in the future.

You will reach a moment where you will only be reacting to what is happening to you at the present.

Zen meditation is a technique that helps you to awaken your true nature. Here, you don’t need to subscribe any of the religious teaching. You just need to realize that there is a ‘Buddha’ inside you. Awaken the Buddha inside you and you will be able get a deep insight of yourself.

Zen meditation was actually meant to awaken the real person inside you.

A) Here are some of the benefits followed in Zen meditation:

1. Zen meditation lets the practitioner to relax

2. It helps you to keep one stress free.

3. It helps you to find the real you.

B) Nine steps to achieve Zen meditation:

a) Name your breaths: for instance; in and out.

b) Pay close attention to when your breath gets deep and you feel more at peace.

c) Think of your body when you breathe in and when you breathe out try to relax each part of your body. You need to focus on one part at a time. Initiate with the shoulders.

d) Calm your body parts when you breathe in feel the compassion when you breathe out.

e) Relax your facial muscles one by one and send a half smile to all parts of the body.

f) Relax all the muscles that are still tense.

g) Think of joy when you breathe in.

h) Get back to your breathe in and breathe out position.

i) Sit in the position relax.

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Zen meditation is also referred to as Zazen. It is a type of meditation that works centrally. It is actually the study of oneself. Most Zen Buddhists are also referred to as “Zen”. When attaining enlightenment, Buddha was seen in seated meditation. Today, Zen meditation has come with the same seated meditating tradition.

This type of meditation was pursued for long 2500 years and passed on from one generation to the other. This has been considered to be the most important thing that has been passed on. It spread its wings from India to China, then Japan to rest of the Asia and finally to the western country.

Zen meditation has evolved as a boon to people across the globe who are really stressed out due to the irregularity, chaos and tensions existing in their daily life. It is a very simple practice. You will find it very easy to describe and more easy to follow.

However, just as other meditation practices, it takes your efforts to enjoy the benefits.

Human beings have a tendency to visualize body, breath and mind separately. When it comes to Zen meditation, all these aspects unite as one big reality.

The most important thing to focus on here is the position of the body. The body follows a specific pattern to communicate to the world and to communicate to itself internally. The manner in which you position your body has a lot to do with what happens to you breath and ultimately to the mind.

The most recommended pose in Zen meditation is the sitting position. The use of Zafu or a small pillow in order to raise the back a little is common. It helps the knees to touch the ground. With your bottom on the pillow and two knees touching the ground, you tend to create a tripod base that provides you three hundred and sixty-degree stability.

Here are some of the most common Zen meditations:

a) Burmese position

There are many varied leg positions, you can follow when seated in this position. The first and the simplest pose possible here is in which you need to cross your legs and both your feet rest flat on the floor. Rest the knees on the floor. Now, the muscles will get loose and your knees begin to drop.

Sit on the third of the Zafu pillow and shift your body forward a little. Imagine that top of your head is pushing towards the ceiling, stretch your body, keep your body straight and let your muscles go soft and relax. With your buttock on the Zafu push your stomach a little and keep your body upright.

b) Half lotus position

This is a position where the left foot should be placed on to the right thigh and the right leg should be touched under.

c) Seize position

Kneel with your buttocks resting on the upturned feet that form an anatomical cushion. You can even use a pillow in order to keep the weight away from the ankles.

Follow the Zen meditation techniques mentioned above and benefit from these.

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