To Practice Zazen:

Begin by finding a quiet place, free from distraction as much as possible. This could be a secluded room in your home or a peaceful place outside, or it could be that the time you choose to sit makes for a peaceful setting, even in a room usually accustomed to activity. What's helpful is to have an environment that doesn't cause worry or fear of interruption but allows you to sit comfortably, and unrestricted by external factors.

Next, find a place to sit on the floor where you feel comfortable. A thick rug or a large thin cushion works well to insulate your seat bones and ankle joints from hard surfaces, while still providing the firmness needed to be supportive. Cross your legs and place either your left foot onto your right inner thigh or your right foot on your left inner thigh. This is called the half-lotus position. If you're able to, you can place both feet on each opposite inner thigh. This is called the full-lotus position. Find a smaller, thicker cushion or two to elevate your bottom above the level of the floor. Depending on your flexibility, the thicker the cushion(s) and the higher your seat, the more your knees should descend and engage with the floor, creating the base of a pyramid with your bottom. 

*If sitting in the position is difficult due to leg stiffness or joint pain, one can sit on their knees in the seiza position or upright on a firm chair, their legs at a right angle and feet flatly resting on the floor. The important thing to remember is to maintain a straight spine, as detailed in the steps below.

Engage your lower back by pulling it in toward your navel. Sit up straight and extend your spine vertically, as if stacking each vertebrae perfectly on top of the other, all the way through your neck. Tuck your chin slightly toward your chest and imagine a pole running vertically through the center of your back and up through the top and back of your head. Your body is now completely supported and balanced and you can sit effortlessly without straining to stay in place. 

Relax your shoulders and arms and allow them to hang comfortably to the sides of your body. Raise your left hand and make an L shape with your thumb and fingers. Use your right hand to grasp your left thumb in a loose fist while enveloping your right fist with your remaining fingers on your left hand. Place your hands comfortably in your lap, held closely to your abdomen just below your navel. Relax your shoulders again. Your body is now positioned perfectly for Zazen.

Now, begin by taking a few large breaths to clear your airways and regulate your breathing. Relax your eyes and allow them to rest on the ground a few feet in front of you. Continue breathing naturally, not trying to control your breath, but beginning to become aware of it. As you breathe in, be aware that you are breathing in. As you breathe out, be aware that you are breathing out. Concentrate your energy on your abdomen, bringing your breathing away from your lungs, and down deeper to your belly. As you inhale, your belly expands. As you exhale, your belly contracts. Breathing in, you are aware of your breathing in and your belly expanding. Breathing out, you are aware of your breathing out and your belly contracting. As you do this, your breathing will naturally slow down and your body will fall into a perfect rhythm. If your nasal passages are clear, you should be able to close your mouth and breathe comfortably through your nose, inhaling naturally and exhaling slowly and smoothly. This is the form of zazen.

With your physical being in position, your mind is now free. But the mind likes to be busy and it will begin conjuring thoughts, ideas, plans, and ruminations. If you allow it, the mind will happily occupy itself elsewhere in different places and different times. This is not Zazen. Zazen is being fully aware and present in the moment. So as thoughts begin to appear, simply choose not to follow them. Allow them to go on their way, certain to return at a later date, freeing your mind to be fully present in the now. 

Open your senses. Allow the world to come to you. Feel the air. Hear and smell your immediate environment. Transform yourself from a thought producing, ego projecting "me" into an empty vessel, open to receiving the world as it passes through you, or better yet, an empty mirror, reflecting everything around you in perfect clarity, free from judgement or opinion. Continue breathing.

If you feel too untethered, it can be helpful to count your breaths. Breathing in naturally, you are aware of breathing in. Breathing out slowly, you count, oooooooonnnnnnnnnneeeee. Breathing in naturally you are aware of breathing in. Breathing out slowly, you count, tttwwwwwooooooooo. Count to ten in this way and then begin again at one. If you lose track, begin again at one.

It can also be helpful to set a timer for yourself, in order to release yourself from worrying about time while you sit. Perhaps ten or fifteen minutes is a good place to start. Personally, I enjoy 25 minute sittings. Whichever you choose, by pre-determining the length, you dispense of the need to think about time while also committing yourself to an achievable duration.

Finally, remember that it is a practice. Do not look for rewards or expect insights, or sit with a goal in mind. Sitting is the goal. Try to create a regular practice. Something daily, if possible. And if you do, your practice will begin to reach beyond your sitting and your mindfulness while sitting becomes mindfulness in activity. But for now, sitting is enough. Everything is just as it is.