Making a Time and a Place to practise

Many of us live rather busy lives. If we're going to take up a practice like Anapana we'll need to think a bit about when we might fit it into our daily or weekly schedule, as well as things like where we can do it.

Finding time

For the first couple of exercises all you need is a few quiet moments to yourself. Any few moments will do, when you can sit, stand, or even lie flat. When you're waiting for something to happen, waiting for a bus or a train for example. When you're sitting at your desk, about to start the next task. When you sit in your car, before you drive off. When you're surfing the internet and click on a link, just close your eyes for a moment and do the exercises, then open them to read the new page. When you're lying in bed but unable to sleep. The possibilities are endless, and a little quiet and calm will do you good at any time of day.

When you move on to Exercises 3, 4 and beyond, you'll probably need to make some time for them. At first five or ten minutes will be enough, but once you get to Exercise 5 you'll start to need a bit more time, say twenty to thirty minutes if you can. Think of the pattern of your day. Is there a time when you can be alone and without constant interruptions? It may depend on who you live with, and on their routine as well. If necessary you may have to negotiate a time to practise. Don't forget to silence your phone too, or it's bound to interrupt you.

How often?

Practise as often as you want to, or as often as you're able to. Using a few spare moments to repeat Exercises 1 and 2 is always helpful, and you can probably do that several times in the day. But finding time for further exercises may not be so easy for some of us. If you can manage a daily practice, you'll find that helpful and you'll begin to progress through the exercises. But if you can only manage two or three times a week, then do that. If it's helpful, you'll probably want to find more frequent opportunities. Manage what you can, but be realistic about what's possible for you.

If the pattern of your week varies, there may be some days when you have more time available than on others. At present the house where I live is empty, apart from me, for two to three hours on a Sunday morning. So I take that opportunity for a more prolonged practice than is possible on other days.

Morning, evening, midday, etc.

Are you a morning person or an evening person? I know many meditators like to rise early and practise first thing in the day, and they find that very helpful. But I can't, I keep falling asleep at that time. I find it more helpful to sit later in the day, and especially before going to bed at night. Do you have a lunch hour at work? Does that hold any possibilities for you? You may need to be creative to find or make both a time and a place that work for you.

Where to practise

That takes us to the question of where to practise. At first almost anywhere will do so long as you won't be interrupted constantly. But when your practice begins to lengthen, around Exercise 4 or 5, you may need to find a place where you can be alone. Again it will depend on where you live and who you live with. A bedroom may be suitable, or some other quiet corner. Again, if necessary, you may have to negotiate with other people. Wherever you decide to go, you'll just need a suitable chair there.

Sitting

On the floor?

You might associate meditation practices with people sitting on the floor or a yoga mat in the lotus posture or some other cross-legged position. That's fine if you've grown up able to sit cross-legged like that, but there is no need to take up that kind of sitting if you are not already adept at doing it. The reason why people use the lotus posture to meditate is because it creates a very straight and upright back. For some reason that seems to really help us be fully alert.

On a straight-backed chair?

However you can achieve exactly the same effect on an upright-backed chair, or even unsupported on a stool. When I began this practice I decided there was no way I could train my legs to sit on the floor without a great deal of unnecessary pain. So I adopted an upright chair, and it has never created a problem for me. I have an old office chair with a very high back which I often use, in the fully-upright position. I also have some old-fashioned dining chairs with high backs. Even the sofa is reasonably upright and high enough to support my shoulders, but it isn't as good as the office chair. You'll probably discover that you will never find the perfect place, or the perfect chair, but neither do you need to. Wherever you are you can find somewhere that's good enough, and a seat that's good enough, and that will do. The rest of it will depend on the attitude you bring with you.