I was reading up on "Insight Meditation" yesterday and found this,
"
SUSTAINING ATTENTION -- SITTING
Time and Place
Focusing the mind on the body can be readily accomplished while sitting. You need to find a time and a place which affords you calm and freedom from disturbance. Reassuring darkness show me your hidden forest where I can set and only be with you when all else seems to have no comfort.
A quiet room with not much in it to distract the mind is ideal; a setting with light and space has a brightening and clearing effect, while a cluttered and gloomy room has just the opposite. Timing is also important, particularly as most people's days are quite structured with routines. It is not especially productive to meditate when you have something else to do, or when you're pressed for time. It's better to set aside a period -- say, in the early morning or in the evening after work -- when you can really give your full attention to the practice. Begin with fifteen minutes or so. Practice sincerely with the limitations of time and available energy, and avoid becoming mechanical about the routine. Meditation practice, supported by genuine willingness to investigate and make peace with oneself, will develop naturally in terms of duration and skill.
"
https://wahiduddin.net/meditation/insight.htmI have an empty room with white walls and when the sun rises the light that peeps through the partial opened blinds is quite comforting. Alternatively, I've found meditating in complete darkness at 3AM to be a little scary. I've had wonderful meditations at this time though as well... So I wonder, does lighting affect our meditation?
The stillness and the darkness of nite can sometimes feel like my only friend. It is a welcome visitor when it wakens me to its solitude and takes me into its deep dark arms and presence.
