Lee Scher on Preparing for Long Sits

Thinking about taking part in the Portland Shambhala Center’s weeklong retreat, April 18-25? I asked Lee Scher, one of our meditation instructors, for suggestions on how people can prepare for long sits. Here’s what he said:

Meditation practice is most helpful when you can make it a regular part of your routine. Sakyong Mipham has encouraged us to practice resting the mind in meditation once or twice a day, beginning with 10 or 15 minute periods.  This way we’re developing a more stable, clearer, stronger mind day by day, and bringing that mind into our lives.

 

Meditating for longer periods of time—an hour, a morning, a day (at a nyinthun) or a week (at a weekthun)—is a great way to refresh and deepen your practice. Here are some suggestions for preparing yourself for a longer sit, which come from my own personal experience:

 

1.     The day before your practice, eat light, healthy meals and get a good night’s rest. Your practice will be clearer, more relaxed and more wakeful. (I find that limiting my intake of alcohol, sugar, caffeine and other mind-altering substances also improves my practice.)

2.     Get some good, vigorous exercise. Take a hike, go to the gym, go to a yoga class, etc. If you’ve taken care of your body, connected with it, and experienced some kind of physical exertion, your mind will have a stronger (and happier) base to come home to and rest with.

3.      Make a point of finishing projects or bringing them to a good stopping point. Give yourself permission to set aside whatever’s unresolved or still needs attention in your life. You can get back to these things after your retreat.

4.     Make sure you leave some space in your schedule before and after your practice. This will help your mind and body integrate the benefit more fully, and make the transition before and after more gentle. 

5.     Before you practice, think about your personal intention (the why), and remind yourself of the specific meditation technique you’re using (the how). Reading something by a favorite dharma teacher can be a great source of inspiration. Hopefully your intention includes a good dose of unconditional friendliness: inviting yourself and your world to be as they are.

        —Lee