How do I get started?

Set aside a few minutes each day to start. The best time is early morning before your day gets going. Find a quiet place where you can sit in the correct position and observe your breath. For beginners, counting breaths (exhalations) is the simplest way to start. Ten minutes a day is enough in the early stages of your mindfulness training program.

Is there a particular way to sit, a specific posture? What do I do with my hands?

You can sit in the full lotus, half-lotus, or Seiza positions. The main point is for your knees to be firmly on the floor, and you sit bones placed on a cushion so that your hips are slightly higher than your knees. Put your hands in the Dhyan Mudra position. It is difficult to explain this in detail here. It’s always best to attend local meditation classes and learn directly from a meditation teacher.

What should I focus on during meditation?

When deciding on what to do with your mind in meditation, it is essential to identify your goal. Not all meditation is the same or has the same benefit. I teach Warrior Zen meditation, which is a distillation of traditional Zen Meditation, often called Shikentaza.

My approach to meditation is to build a powerful awareness of the entire self, to experience a complete integration of internal and external. To begin this practice, focus on the breath, allowing all external and internal sounds, thoughts, and emotions to come and go as they please.

Focus on counting each exhalation of your breath until you reach ten. Then return to one and start the count again. No matter what disturbs your focus on the count, simply return to it without attempting to rid your mind of any of these disturbances. Focus your eyes on one spot on the floor about 3 feet in front of you. Don't allow your eyes to wander, try to keep them focused on that one spot as if you were focusing hard to thread a needle. Or, imagine how a cat stares at its prey as it lowers its weight, getting ready to pounce.

My mind is so busy, it is always jumping from this thing to that thing, so I find it hard to quiet it down. How can I make my inner chatter stop?

The more you try to stop it, the harder it will become. Stop trying and focus on counting breaths. When your mind wanders, come back to your posture, straighten your back, put strength in your Hara (lower belly), and return to the counting of your breaths. Meditating alone can be difficult; it requires effort and will power. So, finding a place to meditate with others will provide support for your practice.

How do I stop myself from falling asleep?

Falling asleep is a natural reaction to becoming deeply relaxed. If your room is too warm, that may be adding to the problem. A temperature of 65-68 degrees is high enough. Falling asleep is somewhat like a wandering mind. Because you are so comfortable, your mind is wandering into the subconscious.

A mindfulness training program is about being fully present, so it is not helpful to sleep. When you notice you are nodding off, straighten your back, put power in your Hara, and return to the count, focus your eyes strongly on one spot on the floor three feet in front of you, and with each exhalation, intensify your focus as if your life depends on it.

I get painful legs, and they go numb. How can I manage this and keep focused on my breath? It's so challenging.

First, it is important to understand why you are feeling pain and numbness.

• Is it because you have not practiced much and your legs have not adapted yet?
• Is it because you have a physical injury or disfunction?
• Did you work out too hard on your legs yesterday?

If you have a physical disability, damage, or prosthetics, it may be best to consider a different posture. If you cannot sit on the floor, simply move your practice to a chair and make sure you keep your back straight and feet flat on the floor in front of you in a natural position. Other than that, try to focus directly on the pain or discomfort. Use all your will power, breathing in and out for ten breaths. Then focus only on the breath again. When you are focusing on the discomfort, simply smile to yourself as you breathe out, acknowledging the discomfort.

I get anxious and a little afraid when I am sitting alone in the quiet. How can I get rid of this fear of being alone and sitting quietly?

When we sit in the Warrior Zen meditation position, all things that are happening, internal and external, are merely experiences that are passing through us as we sit and breathe, we meet them with courage.

When we feel this anxiety or fear, it may occur in the chest or the stomach. It can make our heart beat faster, and our stomach churn. Try to accept it and integrate it into your breathing. In particular, focus on your out-breath. With each out-breath, kindly acknowledge these feelings to yourself, and tell yourself it is OK to feel these things and return to counting your breath.

If it becomes overwhelming, take a rest from your practice. If it persists, it may be something trying to work itself out of your subconscious, so it may be worth considering talking to someone about it.