Golden thread alignment

Golden – of high degree of excellence: superb. Advantageous. Preciousness. This word alludes to the degree of importance placed on awareness and maintenance of the posture of the mind and body within the eternal moment.

Thread – Filament, a continuous slender element –Tenuous, or of feeble support. This alludes to the delicate nature of its proper execution and maintenance – “tensed enough to support, but relaxed enough to maintain with out interruption or undue stress”

Alignment – Relative adjustment of parts, things, thoughts or ideas static or dynamic, oriented within space and or time in relation to each other. Complete/precise adjustment of body parts and mental functions relative to, and in context with/to each other.

“Find the breath and be attentive to it as it enters the nose/throat/chest/body traveling to your Center point, returning to the nose and exiting the body – it is good to be aware of the breath throughout your waking moments… on and off the cushion. Endeavor to be aware of this alignment in all waking moments - sitting, standing and walking”

Posture and Alignment - Feel there is a golden thread attached to the center rear of the top of the skull/the crown, just at the point before it begins to slope downward to the neck; feel the thread extends straight up into the heavens and being tensioned by an unseen force above – feel it is suspending the spinal column (dragon bone) taught from the back of the skull with a slight steady extension/elongation – exerting just barely enough force to extend and suspend the limp yet upright torso while feeling the buttocks firmly planted on the cushion, gravity holding it fast. Let the rest of the upper body hang from the Golden thread… surrender the body to its support.

Keep your chin tucked in slightly – no more than 1 or two degrees, so that your face is square with the earths surface, relaxed facing forward and erect, ears vertically in line with the shoulders. When the chin goes in the crown/golden thread point goes up ever so slightly – decompressing the vertebrae/disks in the neck and upper and lower back regions. Visualize/feel the vertebrae being realigned, stacked one atop the other like a tall stack of coins - but they assume the natural gentle "S" curve of a healthy upright spine, there should be no undue tension in the lower lumbar/back. Be aware of the sensation of the spine gently subtly being elongated; relax the body and drop the shoulders while being attentive to this subtle elongation of the spine from the top rear of the skull to the base of the spine.

Endeavour to maintain this posture/alignment throughout your sitting/zazen, in addition this posture can be practiced when walking and sitting on a chair, it will induce a wakeful, relaxed and alert condition in your body and mind at the minimum. After a time the alignment will become natural and instinctive… it will ever be present in and available to your awareness, subtly engaging the mind and body when aware on a moment-to-moment basis. An aware mind in a relaxed, aligned and ready body is the Way.

Linking the “Golden thread alignment” with the “Center point” and breath is a potent process for clarifying the mind, sharpening awareness body and environment, manifesting serene relaxed preparedness of being in the eternal moment.