My second 45-minute sitting session for Lesson One was last night.

The individual taking the course is the ultimate decision-maker in how often to sit, for how long, at what time of day, etc.

For now, at least, I'm taking Sharon's advice of spending at least 7 days in the practice part of each lesson. I sit on a zafu and zabuton, with a couple of other small cushions to produce a seated position that works well for me.

I've been starting at or just after 9 p.m., which is convenient for me in that it allows time for local noise and other distractions to become minimal.

You can practice Vipassana in the middle of tremendous distraction, and noisy neighbors will likely factor into the equation this weekend, but at least the first two nights were characterized by Sharon's voice and the rhythmic whir of the ceiling fan above me.

To my near astonishment, the cat hasn't been pestering me during these sessions, but if he begins to do so, I'll do my best to roll with it.