Doing What Is Necessary

[Taylor]

Because of one reason or another (sometimes out of my control, sometimes out of my own distraction) I end up sitting late at night. Probably not the best idea because I often become distracted with just how tired I am at that moment. Letting it be only goes so far against biology and me falling asleep, head against the wall. To balance this, often times I will gassho, and get up to do kinhin for a minute or two then return back to my zafu.

Question is: is that advisable? I could see how it could become a habit to just kill time but occasionally it really helps pep me back up for the last ten minutes or so of sitting. Really this is only an issue at night, during the morning it's not difficult to wake up.

Gassho
Taylor

[Jundo]

Re: Doing What Is Necessary

Because of one reason or another (sometimes out of my control, sometimes out of my own distraction) I end up sitting late at night. Probably not the best idea because I often become distracted with just how tired I am at that moment. Letting it be only goes so far against biology and me falling asleep, head against the wall. To balance this, often times I will gassho, and get up to do kinhin for a minute or two then return back to my zafu.

Question is: is that advisable? I could see how it could become a habit to just kill time but occasionally it really helps pep me back up for the last ten minutes or so of sitting. Really this is only an issue at night, during the morning it's not difficult to wake up.

Gassho
Taylor

Hmmmm ... Hmmm .... I think it is not so bad to break Zazen for Kinhin once in awhile, better not to make a habit of it.

Can you sit at another time? In the morning? During a break in your day?

Gassho, J

[Taylor]

Re: Doing What Is Necessary

I sit in the mornings and in the evenings. I'm afraid that I am a bit attached to the notion of punctuating my day with zazen, maybe doing it earlier would be better ops: Thanks!

Gassho
Taylor

[Shohei]

Re: Doing What Is Necessary

Hiya!

I'm an evening sit kinda guy, a night owl by nature... mornings are... em not my cup of tea.
Sleepiness sets in some nights and I think to my self (following my own little stories) If i do not cut this short im going to fall over... occasionally I have.... occasionally I've gotten up and did kinhin, occasionally I've seen its just a trick of my mind to get me to bend to its nagging(and check the clock/timer/incense/tv ). As Jundo already said its not so bad unless its really bad (every sitting of must be interrupted with some distraction). I switched my weekday mornings (those are my really sleepy times as I'm up at 5:30am to be to work for 7am) for Afternoon/Lunchtime or sometimes just insta-Zazen (baby rocking/dog walking/dishes/lineup).

Also if you really are so tired... go to bed!! You must need it. Try it the following night after your early bed time and see how things go.

/me slugs down the rest of the 20oz coffee

Gassho
Shohei