Bowing

There's a lot of bowing in Zen practice.  Bowing is an opportunity to practice respect, humility and selflessness.  Sometimes we bow to the Buddha or bodhisattvas, sometimes to a teacher, and sometimes to each other.  We even bow to our food before we serve and eat it.  

Bowing is not a worshipful activity that invites us to become obsequious, pompous or self-conscious.  We don't let our egos get in the way by comparing our bows with others'.  Neither do we bow carelessly, tossing off a bow on the way to something or somewhere else.  When it's time to bow, we just bow simply, sincerely and wholeheartedly..

Standing bows

• Stand upright with hands either in gassho or shashu, as appropriate and weight distributed evenly on the feet. 
  
• Bend forward from the hips, keeping the back straight.  If the hands are in gassho, they don't change position relative to the face and body or move independently.  If the hands are in shashu, they remain close to the body with forearms parallel to the floor. 
  
• The only moving hinge in the body during a standing bow is the hips -- not the elbows, back or knees.

Full prostrations

• Bow slightly in gassho, then drop gently to your knees, allowing the right knee to meet the floor slightly before the left.  Keep your back straight and your eyes forward.
• Bend forward and move your hands apart, allowing the back of the right hand to meet the floor just slightly before the left.  Touch your forehead to the floor between your palms.  
• Keeping your palms parallel to the floor, raise your hands to the level of your ears (raising the feet of the Buddha over your head in respect), then lower them.  
• Sit up, returning your hands to gassho, shift your weight back onto your feet, and stand up.​