Fukan-Zazengi 11: Sitting Cross-Legged.

 


We usually spread a thick mat on the place where we sit, and use a round cushion on top of that. Either sit in the full lotus posture or sit in the half lotus posture. To sit in the full lotus posture, first put the right foot on the left thigh, then put the left foot on the right thigh. To sit in the half lotus posture, just press the left foot onto the right thigh. Spread the clothing loosely and make it neat. Then put the right hand above the left foot, and place the left hand on the right palm. The thumbs meet and support each other. Just make the body right and sit up straight. Do not lean to the left, incline to the right, slouch forward, or lean backward. The ears must be aligned with the shoulders, and the nose aligned with the navel. Hold the tongue against the palate, keep the lips and teeth closed, and keep the eyes open. Breathe softly through the nose.


The next section of Fukan-zazengi is directions for the upright bodily posture of zazen.

Master Dogen describes the traditional cross-legged posture as the standard, but many western people these days use kneeling stools or upturned zafus to facilitate a kneeling posture. Nishijima Roshi wasn't a big fan of kneeling postures and advised people to try to adopt a cross-legged posture. Burmese posture (above photo) is a very accessible one which provides base stability and lets the pelvis tilt forward off the edge of the zafu providing a nice stability in the lower back.

If we're really tight in the hips we might have to stretch and free them up a bit before such a posture becomes comfortable. I find cobbler's pose (below image) a very good exercise for this. I just sit in this position for 5 minutes before zazen letting the knees relax down towards the floor in their own time, and it loosens up rotation in my hips. Sitting like this for 10, 15, 20 minutes while watching TV or reading or whatever also really helps me loosen up. Pressing the lower back against a wall or the base of a sofa while doing this helps maintain a good back posture.

With practice we can put the foot higher up onto the calf of the opposite leg, and then maybe can try half lotus if we open up the hip rotation enough.

A piece of good advice that I got around crossed-legged sitting was to alternate which leg I have uppermost each time I sit zazen. In this way both hips get a chance to open. I'm tighter on one side than on the other however - I can comfortably sit half lotus with my right leg on top, but not with the other. It's an ongoing thing. Best not to rush it and hurt the knee with twisting transfered from a hip that's not ready to rotate externally.

On a general point - good hip flexibility has been linked with longevity in life and better mobility in old age, so practicing sitting in a cross-legged posture likely has very good benefits for our bodies.



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