Zen Fellowship of Bakersfield

By Gary Enns | 2023-02-11 | Saturday Morning Kusen | Posture Tend to the posture first. Slight curve in the lower lumbar, shoulders back and dropped, collarbones up. The heart area of the body is open. No slumping. Press the crown of the head to the sky.  Zazen posture is the rediscovery of our healthy, awake, ready posture, full of energy. Eyes are straight in the skull, but the skull itself is swiveled on the spine so that the gaze is around forty-five degrees down. This is important. The head must not droop down like a wilting rose, as that brings the cervical spine out of alignment, and we lose the balance and dignity of the posture. Instead, straighten the cervical spine, pressing it back and lengthening it, and then swivel the head atop the neck, bringing the chin down and tucking it slightly.  Hands are gently at rest in the lap in the dhyana mudra . Eyes are gently open, gazing ahead at the wall, not fixed on anything specific. Wall-gazing is attentive yet gentle, an openness