It all started on a warm summer day, somewhere in a quiet room with four strangers, a few round cushions and a silence that was almost tangible. For twenty minutes, not a word was spoken. For a seasoned to-do-list junkie, sitting still felt like a real challenge. My legs quickly started to fall asleep, my head started racing and I didn’t really know what to do with it. It was, as so often, my husband who pushed me in this direction: a summer course in Zen meditation. And I am still so grateful for that.
What is Zen anyway?
Zen is a branch of Buddhism that revolves around direct experience, simplicity and the practice of mindfulness. No complicated rituals or endless theories, but just the opposite: simplicity, silence and being with what is. Zen does not ask you to learn something new, but rather to unlearn . To stop running, judging, analyzing and above all: endless thinking.
Zen meditation – also called zazen – is the central exercise within this teaching. You sit, breathe and observe. Nothing more. Or well, that's how it seems. In reality, all sorts of things happen. Especially within yourself.
Also read 👉 You can learn to meditate very easily
The magic of doing nothing
On the second day of my summer course, something unexpected happened. I got on my bike, and the world around me suddenly seemed... more alive. Colors exploded, people smiled warmer, the scents of blooming flowers seemed to embrace me. I felt like Maya the Bee taking her first flight. It was a small, silent party in my head and heart. And I thought: aha! So this is what they mean by 'the power of meditation'.
Zen is not a trick, it is an attitude to life
Because let's be honest, I don't meditate twenty minutes in lotus position with a candle every day. But what I do use every day is the zen mindset. And I learned that from Ramon Roelofs - perhaps better known as Charlie Lownoise. This man, who once made many a dance floor vibrate with happy hardcore beats, taught me something that changed my life forever: you don't have to have an opinion about everything.
Sounds simple? It is. And at the same time so liberating. Not judging – yourself, others, situations – gives you so much mental space. It’s like you can constantly press the pause button and take a breath, before you automatically react.
Finding peace in a busy world
Our world keeps turning. Always. Deadlines, notifications, obligations – it doesn’t stop. And yet you can stop yourself. For a while. By sitting still, breathing and doing nothing. Zen teaches you that silence is not empty, but full. Full of space, insights, peace.
Zen meditation is not a miracle cure, but an invitation. A way to get out of your head and into the moment. To not always take your own thoughts so seriously. And to discover that happiness is not to be found somewhere out there, but right here. Now. In your breathing, a ray of sunshine on your skin, the smell of freshly cut grass.
Start Simple
Want to try it yourself? You don't have to go on a retreat to Japan right away. Just start small:
- Find a quiet place where you can be alone for a while
- Sit on a cushion, chair or mat
- Set a timer for 5 minutes with a soft sound
- Close your eyes halfway and focus on your breathing
- Count your breaths to ten and start again
- Are you lost? No problem. Just come back
Build your sessions slowly. Do it your way. It's not about perfection, it's about the practice itself.
Zen for life
I learned all this in 2014 and it stays with me to this day. Sometimes I have weeks where I barely sit still. Sometimes I faithfully sit down every day. But the essence of Zen, for me, I always carry with me: I don't have to have an opinion about everything. And that, dear reader, is perhaps the greatest freedom there is.
Want to get a taste of Zen yourself? Then take a look at Zen.nl , where you can follow a course – just like I did. Who knows, it might change your life too, in a way you didn't expect.
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