Heart sutra and breathing

[DGF]

Hello everyone,

iam learning the heart sutra and chanting in japanese,while iam practice i feel a bit confused with my breathing.

When do i breath in and when do i breath out. While am chanting the Heart sutra.
What is the timing. Is it just as it is?

Iam sorry if i missed a post about this.
I couldnt find it or i searched it wrong.

Gassha
Sat
Diana

[Shujin]

Hi Diana,

There may be varying opinions on this, but I don't focus on my breathing during chanting. I approaching chanting as reciting a text, rather than singing, so I just let the body take care of inhaling/exhaling.

Gassho,
Shujin

st/lah

[Junsho]

Hi Diana,

If you are interested we have a chanting circle to practice exactly this. In general we follow a chant book but if there just us there, we can give focus in the heart sutra. Also, participate of our cerimonies as well be part of our chanting circle will make you improve it in no time.

Gassho!
SatLah

[Bion]

Hello everyone,

iam learning the heart sutra and chanting in japanese,while iam practice i feel a bit confused with my breathing.

When do i breath in and when do i breath out. While am chanting the Heart sutra.
What is the timing. Is it just as it is?

Iam sorry if i missed a post about this.
I couldnt find it or i searched it wrong.

Gassha
Sat
Diana

Just breathe normally whenever needed, while trying to complete the syllables. If you choose a steady and moderate rhythm, you will have time to inhale in between syllables.
Here's an example from our Monthly Zazenkai (starting at minute 8:36). I hope that helps:

Gassho
sat lah

[Jundo]

I also offer simple singing advice ... breathe from the diaphragm, deep, not high up in the chest.

Also, don't pause on breaths, but keep going with the beat, resuming after the breath as if one had not stopped.

One example is to watch some priests. These two priests are Shingon priests, not Soto-Zen, but the style of chanting is almost ** the same. You can see that they each take a breath at different moments, but keep going without pausing. Also, voice is deep and resonant. The exact place where a breath is taken does not really matter. Each body is different, so you do as your body needs. However, nice breaths, deep from the diaphragm ..
.

Gassho, Jundo
stlah

** (By the way, Shingon has a slight difference in wording in their Heart Sutra chant, discussed here if you wish to go down that rabbit hole) ...

https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/weekly-daily-zazen-sitting-netcasts/about-our-treeleaf-chants/14931-about-the-heart-sutra-hannya-shingyo#post14931