Question
Hello,
I'm scheduled to go to a Zen Center for a few days. I've been before, and I had quite a difficult time with sitting. It appeared that I was in pain (particularly my back). Any suggestions for how I can look at this?
Thank you very much.
Answer
Hey Matt.. I'm a very practical person and certainly not one to condone anything that might be bad for the back or for the body in general. Most reliable and responsible teachers of both hatha-yoga and tai-chi stress the importance of not overburdening the body. That means while stretching, for instance, to never go beyond the point of even the slightest sense of physical aggravation. The second a person feels any kind of bodily aggravation, one should stop. There's no forcing at all. That's the teaching in yoga and tai-chi, at any rate. And I think it's a wise one. If a teacher suggests that you merely "distance yourself" from avoidable back pain or "learn from it" they might just be a quack, possibly a sadist. I say--avoid it! If your guide doesn't like it, then tough. Your functioning, healthy body is far more important than someone else's philosophical ideas. So maybe if you feel this pain, you could suggest that you try some other position for the meditation. And if your guide won't let you do it, I'd think about leaving.
Wouldn't that be a kind of living koan in itself!
