Zazen while travelling

[Shoka]

Dee,

First I'm in LA. Welcome! Second, it's going to be hot hot hot this week so I don't recommend meditating by the pool unfortunately.

As to travel and finding a space. I agree you could be upfront with your roommate if you know them well enough. My sister and I travel together a lot and we used to end up in bed late because we are both awake but don't want to wake the other. It's pretty funny, now we both know better and just get up (unless we have the dogs, cause once you move there is a schedule for getting outside for adventure.)

Sometimes just saying hey I get up and do this in the morning don't worry about disturbing me is easier than both laying silently in bed for a hour.

Also check out your hotel for spaces that you might use. As someone else said in the fitness room it won't be odd at all for someone to do yoga and then meditate. Most people won't even bat and eye.

Also depending on where you are there are tons of zen centers, Buddhist groups and all sorts of things you might be able to find a group to sit with.

Good luck!

Gassho,

Shoka
Sattoday

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[Joyo]

On the bus from the airport, on the toilet (pants up preferably), by the pool in a deck chair. In the elevator too, but security might come. While the room mate is watching TV, just sit in the bed and put TV and room mate out of mind. No limit.

Gassho, J

This is exactly what I do when traveling. I don't have formal sitting times like I do when I'm at home.

Gassho,
Joyo
sat today/lah

[Kyonin]

Hi Dee,

These past few years I have been traveling a lot more that I would have expected. So I have adapted zazen to this. Instead of playing a game on the phone, I sit zazen while waiting for the plane.

I have sat in parks, malls, bus stations, hotel rooms, living rooms of strange people and even in restrooms. The time has been from 1 minute to 1 hour.

You can sit zazen pretty much everywhere plus you can make your whole trip a zazen session. Sometimes you sit, sometimes you go sightseeing. But it is all zazen at the end.

Hope that helps.

Gassho,

Kyonin
Sat/LAH

[1adam12]

Hi Dee,

These past few years I have been traveling a lot more that I would have expected. So I have adapted zazen to this. Instead of playing a game on the phone, I sit zazen while waiting for the plane.

I have sat in parks, malls, bus stations, hotel rooms, living rooms of strange people and even in restrooms. The time has been from 1 minute to 1 hour.

You can sit zazen pretty much everywhere plus you can make your whole trip a zazen session. Sometimes you sit, sometimes you go sightseeing. But it is all zazen at the end.

Hope that helps.

Gassho,

Kyonin
Sat/LAH

So true. Thank you.


[emoji1374]


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[Tairin]

I just came back from a week of camping (not glamping). I didn’t formally sit like at home but I took the opportunities that presented themselves. Sat at the campfire at night. Sat at the beach shore. Sat at the picnic table. Sat at the river side. I didn’t stress about the amount of time each day although I tried to make sure there was at least some time each day.


Tairin
Sat this morning by the river’s edge listening to the frogs

[sjlabat]

I travel from time to time as well. For the most part, I've had a room to myself so, the roommate issue has not often came up often. I find I usually have to be more intentional about keeping to my zazen practice and not letting it 'slide' due to traveling. Overall, I've found this to be helpful - not getting 'stuck' in "right" vs. "wrong" kind of zazen but keep to the practice of it and not get to rigid about how I do zazen.

gassho
sjl
sat, lah

[Ishin]

I’m currently traveling with my family. While in our condo I sit when I can in my bedroom. Often it’s quite loud and chaotic. I see this as good practice as sometimes right now is loud and chaotic. Sometimes I sit at the beach with my very easily embarrassed teenagers around me. I don’t make a big deal of it I just sit in my chair and sit. If you didn’t know I was sitting you wouldn’t know. I’m just sitting. Why make a big deal of not making a big deal.

You can also do other things. Walk, Samu etc.

Make everything right now.

Gassho
Ishin
Sat Today/ lah

[Shinshou]

I kind of dropped stressing about practice while traveling a while ago. Sometimes I find a good moment alone, but for the most part, I just kind of meditate by being WITH the trip, and the people I'm traveling with, and I just immerse myself in that. The cushion is always there when I return. Often, I would barely find a minute to sit zazen, and I would return feeling guilty that I let practice lag. Now I drop that guilt and just try to be in the moment.

Gassho, sat today, lah

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Same here, you took the words straight out of my brain. I just returned from a week long beach vacation with my family. I think I formally sat two times, but I sat informally so many times throughout the week, it's impossible to count - while holding a five year old in the ocean, sitting with eyes closed listening to the kids play in the pool, seeing a squabble bubble up, tending to a bruised shin....I used to feel bad that I sometimes chose other meaningful activities while on vacation (or even occasionally in regular non-vacation life), but it's not a competition. No one is keeping score.

Shinshou (Daniel)
Sat Today

[Meishin]

Make everything right now.

Yes.

For whatever reason, I have no trouble waking early and doing my sit while lying in bed. Don't fall back asleep. So when we travel, I do lying-down-Buddha-sits for the most part. Sometimes I'll do sitting-down-Buddha-sits if it's workable. But Shinshou, Ishin and Geika are right. Traveling is a wonderful opportunity to be fully present.

Matter of fact, leaving soon for travels until late August.

Gassho
Meishin
Sat Today LAH