How do you sit while traveling?

[Anthony]

Sorry for running long.

I have been traveling a lot lately for the holidays and I'll be traveling a lot more pretty soon in the next couple of months, both for work and leisure.

While I was traveling for the holidays, I did not fit zazen into my schedule unfortunately. I was visiting my parents' house in my hometown and I was staying in my old childhood bedroom with my wife. This meant I did not have a lot of space to sit quietly and basically no solitary time.

I suspect staying in a hotel for my upcoming travel will make sitting easier, but will still be a challenge.

I was wondering: what do other TreeLeaf folks do to accommodate zazen while traveling?

gassho,
Anthony satlah

[Shinshi]

I will sometimes see if there is a sangha I can sit with when I travel. More often I just sit in my hotel room to start and end my day. In my youth I had an inflatable zafu I traveled with but it wasn't that comfortable. Now I just fold a blanket and use the room pillows. I also do a lot of insta-zen - i just sit in the moments I can find.

I use this technique at times. Kotei posted this a while ago - how to fold a cushion from a blanket.

https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/treeleaf-community-topics-about-zen-practice/archive-of-older-threads/8495-how-to-fold-a-cushion-from-a-blanket

Just some thoughts.

Gassho,

Shinshi

SaT-LaH

[Anthony]

I will sometimes see if there is a sangha I can sit with when I travel. More often I just sit in my hotel room to start and end my day. In my youth I had an inflatable zafu I traveled with but it wasn't that comfortable. Now I just fold a blanket and use the room pillows. I also do a lot of insta-zen - i just sit in the moments I can find.

I use this technique at times. Kotei posted this a while ago - how to fold a cushion from a blanket.

https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/treeleaf-community-topics-about-zen-practice/archive-of-older-threads/8495-how-to-fold-a-cushion-from-a-blanket

Just some thoughts.

Gassho,

Shinshi

SaT-LaH

Thanks for sharing Shinshi! Kotei's technique here would definitely help me in solving the "space" problem!

That said, I'm still wondering about the problem of not having solitary alone time. While traveling with my wife, for example, there is really never a time we are apart. I guess I could try to wake up early and sit in the hotel room while she sleeps, but I'm not sure if there are better solutions out there. Finding a sangha to go to would be great, but of course there aren't sanghas everywhere (except TreeLeaf of course ).

Gassho, Anthony
satlah

[Bion]

Oh, whenever I have been away from home over night, I just sit next to the bed wherever I sleep, first thing in the morning, or if that can't be, I'll find a moment before going to bed, somewhere, even on top of the bed before going under the covers. For me, not sitting is just not an option, so I just make it work, but usually, there is always a moment of chilling, relax time, post lunch, or other moment, when I can quietly withdraw somewhere and cross my legs, or sit somewhere, while others are asleep.

Gassho
sat lah

[Houzan]

Hi Anthony. Sometimes my life also don’t offer the opportunity to sit as I like. I would love it, but it’s just the reality some days. Maybe because of a too busy schedule (sometimes due to poor planning, sometimes despite of good planning) or, as you also mentioned, no solitary time (which is problematic if the people around you are not comfortable with your practice). I find those times challenging but also very good for my practice. I always sit however, although not always while sitting! These days I’ll sit with my newborn daughter sleeping on my chest or do kinhin trying to make her sleep. If life doesn’t allow a specific form, then flow with another: stare into the airplane seat in front of you, lie on your back and stare up at the roof or into the dark, walk kinhin to the grocery store, make dinner fully engaged. It is all sitting but in different forms. And I always bear in mind what Jundo says about how long you need to sit. If 5 minutes is all you manage, that’s fine. All this helps me not get attached to a specific form or a specific time, which I believe helps me I sit well. But hey, i might be wrong.

sorry for running long

Gassho, Hōzan
satlah

[Tairin]

I used to travel a lot for work. In hotels I generally used one of the large towels as my mat and then used one of the spare pillows as my zafu. I would fold the pillow to give it some height and more firmness. It would work well enough. I sit Burmese style. It was comfortable enough that I could sit for 30 minutes

if that wasn’t an option then I would use the desk chair that was there.

Last resort would be to sit laying on the bed but for me there is a huge risk of falling asleep.

when we travel to my in-laws I bring a zafu


Tairin
sat today and lah

[Jundo]

Just to mention ... on the side of logistics ... there are the "inflatable Zafus" ... (hint: there is a beachball inside ... )

https://zafu.net/product/inflatable-zafu?srsltid=AfmBOorLpAFrS47W4dsv6ghakJV_or-dmzjejygCig-9lCaWgucwbxAn

... but overpriced, if you asked me. A young Kid Kotei had a wonderful idea of blankets and belts or string ...

But here is the most vital aspect ...

We sit anywhere, any time or place, with what is. If you have a minute, standing on the porch ... stand Zazen for a minute on the porch. If you have 5 minutes in the car, waiting for your spouse to come out, sit 5 minutes in the car. If you need to sit in the bathroom, a closet, on the bed, in a busy family room with TV blaring and kids running around ...

sit in a the bathroom, a closet, on the bed, in a busy family room with TV blaring and kids running around.

Most important is the feeling in the bones that there is no "right time," no "better time," no other place and time, that this is the only place and time.

Gassho, J
stlah

[Tai Shi]

As many of you know, I sit zazen with Shikantaza, and about ten years ago when I entered our Zendo to become a Lay member I purchased a "Buddhist sitting cushion" for $40 and was told it was made in a Buddhist monastery. I was designed to be placed on a chair, and I have not used it in some time, thinking it might be as comfortable to sit on just the chair seat, so now, I will pull it out and place it on my chai. It has the advantage of being covered with a washable cover, and placing feet in a "proper" position, and it's portable.
Gassho
lah/sat