I believe that setting for your Practice is important. When talking about my own Eleventh Step practice, I usually refer to myself has a bit “airy fairy,” by which I mean that my wife and I have a meditation room that is set aside just for that purpose, decorated with artifacts we deem holy. You may find your favorite ambience, as others do, in nature; sitting on the shore by the ocean, or strolling through the woods and settling down by a stream to embrace your quiet surroundings.

Practiced meditators suggest that we create a spot to return to daily, and I invite you to explore this idea–whether the space be on your deck outside, overlooking an expansive view, or a room in your house, or even just a certain corner of a room; we can create a holy setting as long as we return daily. The continuous practice in the same place will effectuate the vibration of peace; you will find yourself wanting to enter into the practice as you approach your sitting area.

I find early morning to be the best time; it is said that when the world around you starts waking up, their mental vibrations can be picked up. This is why 4 a.m. is a nice time to begin sitting, as most people in your neighborhood won’t be noisily awake yet–sitting with one’s own busy mind is enough to attend to, and when you bring in the whole community it will become an exhausting practice of observing not only your thoughts but everyone else’s also.

The ambiance my wife and I have created in our meditation room makes the early morning call to practice one of complete enjoyment. I awake between 3 and 4 a.m. almost daily, and the ritual of practice begins as I descend from upstairs and walk into the meditation room, which is already aglow with the warmth of indirect lighting. My cushion is in place before an altar; holy images of spiritual figures seem to gaze back at me. I sit between two large Tibetan Singing Bowls, and as I strike the bowls, their vibration engulfs the room, and the crystals immediately catch the glow of candle light. Then the sandalwood incense is placed in the huge brass holder, the fragrance fills my surroundings and I find myself being transported to a place in consciousness–meditation has began. It all happens with the intention that has been established from showing up to daily practice for decades. The excitement to sit each day in a space that was created for participating in the Eleventh Step is contagious.