Vital Key # 3, Enjoy

APPLIED SAMURAI WISDOM

By, Dr. Grant Kruhly, Sensei and Founder

VITAL KEY # 3

Sheer Power, Perfect Stillness,Completely Awake

Sitting is an activity that powerfully radiates dignity, poise, and energy or the lack thereof. In today’s world, most people sit a great deal of each day: at computers, in classrooms, in cars or in restaurants. What this also means though is that it is a large part of your life. Let me say that again, it is a large part of your life.  Sitting down is so important in fact to the inner development of mind and heart that it forms the fundamental physical activity of most meditation traditions and until the modern century most Japanese martial traditions as well.

In Samurai culture sitting was refined to an art, and was of paramount importance, with various seated styles required of by social standing, age, gender, and social situation. Most of my readers will be familiar with sitting cross legged (onza) or kneeling (seiza). Samurai use both, as do Zen monks.  Samurai of high station also use a low stool whereas monks use a pillow or zafu to elevate their hips and facilitate a straight back.

Whenever and wherever you are sitting, first and foremost, straighten your back.  This may be uncomfortable at first depending on the habits you have had until today.  Step by step, your back will strengthen and you will be able to relax. You may want to take a deep breath as you settle into the chair or car and then exhale and relax the tension in your neck and shoulders.  Bring your shoulders back gently and allow them to drop.  Place some feeling below the navel.  Now check in with yourself; it only takes a moment, but it is vital to fill your whole body with your consciousness. 

If you are at a desk, you can cross your feet at the ankles or have both feet flat.  Be very sure to hold your head up.  I will discuss the science of this in articles to come but know that you need to hold your head up.  If you need to look down, move your eyes, not your head.  That may seem weird at first, but it is important, that is one of the reasons our eyes have a wide range of motion.

Remember that each of the 7 vital keys is also referred to as the 7 Dignities.  Therefore, I challenge you to resist the modern tendency to put your feet up on the desk or chair or whatever may be in front of you.  Samurai, and in fact, all European cultures would have considered such posture uncouth.  But there are deeper reasons as well, it is no accident that all the great mediation traditions require a straight back, with feet on the ground and head up. This posture opens energy pathways, facilitates proper breathing and circulation, makes the mind alert, calms and balances the nervous system and is in harmony with gravity.  

Although you may be very busy at work, periodically check in with your breath, feeling the rising and falling of your abdomen.  Breath is the interface between the life force and your body.  When our last breath leaves our body, we leave with it, it’s that important. I once asked my Sensei how often I should practice abdominal breathing and for how long?  He smiled and answered, “All day, every day, 24 hours.” Even with 38 years of training I am still not able to do that. Still, each day, I try a little more.

Remember, this is your life and you’re living it through your body, so imbue your posture with dignity and quiet strength.  The Samurai say that our dignity is exactly as we look, that’s true, and it is a good barometer. In Zen they say to sit like a majestic mountain. Try it, and see how you feel.  I can say with authority that conscious sitting will increase your energy and sense of personal power and your surroundings will absolutely reflect this back to you in marvelous and subtle ways.

Enjoy your life, all of it.

Just a reminder, be sure you have read the post entitled “The Challenge”  so that you have a reference frame for the approaches to life that I am sharing with you. 

Dr. Grant Kruhly, Sensei

GKruhly@gmail.com

Founder of:

AppliedSamuraiWisdom.Blogspot.com