I like this definition of seiza written by Andrew J. Brown. It reminds me why I chose it as a spiritual practice:
Seiza (静坐 — literally, “quiet sitting”) meditation was developed and established by Okada Torajiro (1872-1920) in Japan during the early years of the 20th century and was the form of meditation parcticed by Imaoka Shin’ichirō and Kiitsu Kyōkai. It is exceptionally minimalistic and does not rely upon any external organizations, temples, churches, tithing, dogma, theory, canon, worship, beliefs, literature, scriptures, calendar, prayers, hymns, priesthood, hierarchy, relics, icons, saints, homage, cults of personality, holidays, myths, cosmology, symbols, architecture, laws or commandments. Neither is Seiza tied to particular intellectual, rational or medical ideas or theories. It does not depend on emotion, piety, or devotionalism. It is not otherworldly, mystical, nor renunciatory. It is not tied to a particular race, ethnicity, or culture. It is not congressional and needs no pilgrimage. Nor does it proselytize or support military aggression. To practise Seiza, one needs no group or leader, no visualization, vocalization, counting, or mantra repetition, and no special symbolic objects, apparatus, or clothing.
Perhaps how we breath affects our thoughts while we write them. Perhaps better thoughts could be born out of better breathing.
Advice from Miki Nakura
I first learned how to do seiza through the guidance of Miki Nakura. Here are some advice I learned from the group seiza sessions I had with him.
- Do not think of result. The purpose of seiza is to become a person of the lower belly. A person of the lower belly is a peaceful person.
- The seiza posture is an independent posture. Our body and mind is closely related.
- Stop exhaling at the point of 80%.
- Practice concaving your upper belly. You will see later that you can put power in your lower belly.
- Parts of the belly in seiza: rapara (upper belly), sitapara (lower belly), and tanden.
- The subtle difference between zazen and seiza is that in seiza it is encouraged to drop the solar plexus to achieve a more natural sitting position in accordance with gravity. In contrast, the traditional zazen posture seems to encourage self-power (i.e., “I must experience satori with my self-power.”).
- Your heso (navel) should face heaven.
History of seiza
Friends of Seiza (Seizanotomo)
Okada didn’t have an organization
Resources
- Hara: The Vital Center of Man (book)
- Recommendations for Doing Seiza book (available in: https://archive.org/details/okadashikiseizan0000unse)
References
Brown, A. J. (2024, January 19). Basic Information & Weekly Zoom Meetings on Thursdays. Caute. https://kiitsukyokai.blogspot.com/2023/05/weekly-zoom-meetings-and-basic.html
Nakura, Miki. Fundamentals of Seiza, Sitting-in-Stillness: A Simple Sitting and Breathing Method Established by Okada Torajiro.
Keep the lumbar vertebrae upright and stable whether sitting, standing, or walking. Neither slump nor clench. Keep the lower back erect and buoyant all the time, not allowing it to bend under the weight of the upper body. Maintain this positive carriage consistently, everywhere, all the time, and in any situation.