The following formal procedure (or a variation thereof) is typically performed twice each session. It is mostly done from a seated position, although occasionally the participants do not sit down in order to save time.

1. The sensei {chief instructor, master} calls out seiretsu {line up!}.
2. The karate-ka {karate practitioners} form one line shoulder-to-shoulder with heels touching and feet slightly apart by rank and seniority according to the amount of training time and age.

• The chief instructor usually lines up front of the students or at the end of the line.
• Typically another line of sempai {senior students, usually second dan and above} form another line almost perpendicular to the kohei {junior student} and dohai {equal level students}.

1. The leading kohei then announces "seiza" {sit straight on one’s heels!}.
2. The sensei kneels down, placing his left leg down first with the insteps touching the floor. Next, each sempai similarly sits down in turn followed by the kohei.
3. The leading kohei states "mokuso" {begin meditation!}.

• The karate-ka gaze approximately 45 degrees down toward the floor.
• They inhale slow, deep breaths through the nose and out through the mouth.

• It is important to maintain the straightest possible posture throughout the procedure.

• [One variation has students also closing their eyes during the meditation.]

1. The karate-ka then meditate for one minute or more, at which point the kohei says "mokuso yame" {end the meditation!}.

• The karate-ka look straight forward once again.
• [If the karate-ka had closed their eyes, the kohai states "kaimoku" {open your eyes!} at this point.]

1. If this process is being performed at the end of a training session, the dojo kun {dojo rules} are stated. The leading kohai announces each of the five rules in turn:
1. "Jin kaku kansei ni tsutomru koto" {Seek perfection of character"
2. "Makoto no michi o mamoru koto" {Be sincere}
3. "Doryoku no seishin o yashinau koto"{Endeavor}
4. "Regi o omonzuru koto" {Observe proper etiquette}
5. "Kekki no yu o imashimuru koto" {Refrain from violent behavior}
2. The karate-ka then preceed through a series of bowing actions to show respect for the dojo, the instructor, seniors, and each other.
1. The kohei says "shomen ni rei" {bow, give thanks, present a salutation to the front/alter/ancesters}. The sensei bows followed by the sempai and kohai. The sensei then turns to face the other karate-ka.
2. The kohei says "sensei ni rei" {bow to the chief instructor} and the sensei bows followed by the sempai and kohai. [This step is skipped if the sensei is absent.]
3. The sensei and kohai turn to face the sempai and the leading kohai says "sempai ni rei" {bow to the senior students}. [This step is skipped if the sempai are absent.]
4. The kohei says "otagai ni rei" {bow to each other} and the sensei, sempai, and kohai once again bow in turn.
3. The kohai announces "kiritsu" {stand up!, rise!}. The sensei, sempai, and kohai rise in turn with the right leg coming off of the floor first and ending up with the heels touching and feet slightly apart.
4. The sensei and students then perform a final bow to each other and begin or end the session.