Seiza, Breath, and Intention: Reflections on ritual

I have been contemplating about rituals recently.

I began my Sado Okeiko (tea ceremony practice) this year - 

One of my intention for the year.

The first challenge is the hour of seiza—

a numbing, fidget-inducing, blood-stoppingly painful seated position.

The interesting thing is that the precise, simple, but prolonged processes—

such as purifying the bowl or performing the sequence of observing the bowl—

consume your focus.

Eventually, you only feel the pain (pretty bad) when you are coming out of seiza.

It’s kind of like our Yoga practice,

where focusing on your breath and the response of your body to the poses becomes your anchor,

and the poses themselves become secondary.

In the focus of Sado or Yoga practice, we witness our resistance, distraction, tension,

and maybe also clarity, calmness, and presence.

Just as I forget the pain until I get out of seiza,

with the focus you choose,

you step away from the thinking mind and remain with the process of your body.

I consider ritual is a deliberate structure that creates space for self-observation

beyond the thinking mind.

When this happens, we connect deeply to ourselves—

and paradoxically, we connect to something bigger than ourselves.

The world can feel unsettling — often, if not most of the time.

When there is so much beyond our control,

perhaps our chosen rituals become even more meaningful.

Could they be a way to cultivate peace deliberately within ourselves?

I wonder what other deliberate structures are accessible, sustainable, and meaningful—

ways to mark a punctuation in your day

that bring more awareness and choice into your life.

I’d love to know what your choices are.