Opening sequence

When  you hear  "Line up!"  or  "One  line!" (Or  however  many lines  is  necessary for  everyone  to line up), stand  shoulder­ to­ shoulder facing  the front of  the dojo,  in rank  order. Try to  line up  so that  the instructor, standing before  your line, is  right in the middle  of the line.  If class is so  big that the  senior student says  to form  more than one  line, try to  line up  so that  the lines are  approximately the same length.
 
1. “Seiza!” Sit down in  seiza, so that knees are  aligned with the person  on your left.
2. “Mokuso!” Quiet meditation  ­­ just lower your gaze,  relax, and breathe.
3. “Mokuso yame!” End  meditation.
4. “Shomen ni rei!” Bow to  the front  of the room  (which shows  respect for your  training space, to  the institution of karate,  and to the line of  instructors).
5. “Sensei ni rei!”  Bow to  the  instructor. When  you're  bowing, you  can  say "onegaishimasu,"  which, roughly  translated,  means  "Please," i.e.,  please  teach  me,  please help  me,  please  hold  class, etc. (You may also  say "oss," the ubiquitous  sign of respect in karate.)
6. “Otaga ni rei!” Bow to each  other. This shows  respect for each  other. At the signal  of the instructor, get up quickly,  without necessarily waiting for the  person on your left  to rise.

Closing sequence

This  is the  same  as the  opening  sequence. During  the  bow  to the  instructor  ("sensei ni  rei!"),  you may say "arigato  gozaimashita", which means "Thank  you." "Thank you” in English is fine, too. At the end, the instructor will get up. Wait until the person on your left bows and gets up before you do the same.