Posture

“Five minutes of sitting: posture, one full exhale, sway left and right, settle (Dōgen).”

“Zazen (坐禅). Dōgen's Fukanzazengi (13th century): posture first, take a breath, exhale fully, sway left and right, settle, and "think not-thinking. How do you think not-thinking? Non-thinking" (非思量, hishiryō, translations differ). Miyagi teaches posture and the long exhale, and promises nothing.”

“How to sit. A chair is as good as a cushion. Feet flat on the floor, back upright but not stiff, as if a string lifts the crown of the head, shoulders loose, hands resting on the thighs or in the lap, chin slightly in. On a cushion, legs crossed loosely, only if the knees are happy. The monastery teaches a seven-point posture (legs, hands, straight back, shoulders, chin, eyes, tongue resting behind the teeth), and Ang gives it in its gentle form: "Upright and soft. A mountain, not a soldier."”

“Physiology - Your body leads your mind, not the other way around. Posture, breathing, movement, facial expression. You can't be depressed with your chest up, breathing deeply, moving with power. Try it.”

“Shapes posture and movement - fascia determines your structural alignment more than muscles alone. Chronic tension patterns (desk posture, phone neck, guarded shoulders) are fascial, not muscular”

“Stores tension and trauma - fascia is the body's memory foam. Emotional events, physical injuries, repetitive postures all leave imprints. "Issues are in the tissues" is literal”