Once you have found your posture, breathe in and out deeply, sway left and right and then settle firmly and steadily. Think of not-thinking.

...Is the only referrence in the fukanzazengi to the breath when settling down. I'm probably letting my monkey mind get away with murder here but... when you sit you should just let your breath come nautrally in and out with out paying it any attention, yeh? But does that assume you are breathing correctly? For zazen is there a correct way?

The only other reference to breathing in relation to zazen I've come across is from Rev. Master Jiyu Kennet where she says if you are distracted you can breath in deeply imagining the energy going from the base of the spine to the crown of the head and then as you exhale it going down to the hara but only to do this a few tmes to focus and then get back on with sitting.

At the start of sitting I'm breathing down in my tummy and towards the end I'm breathing very shallowly in my stomach (I think) and occasionally end up taking in a sharp involuntary breath before settling back down. Does this mean that I'm breathing wrongly? I would asume that there is some inbalance for the occasional sharp intakes?

Any comments other than just sit :lol:

In gassho, Kev