“Immersion time” is what I call the time it takes me to get fully into running or sitting once I get started.
In running there are always those awkward opening moments of getting the legs into gear, working out the kinks, and getting settled into a rhythm. I generally know within the first 50 steps what kind of run I’m going to have that day, but it usually takes about 20 minutes to get fully loose and “immersed.” Some days, I can just never get out of low gear.
In sitting, the opening few moments usually include back-and-forth rocking and shifting into an alert but comfortable posture, getting those lingering coughs or sniffles out of the way, locating and settling into the breath, coming back to the breath when the mind wanders, and observing the surging tide of random thoughts slowly recede. Oddly enough, this immersion process also takes about 20 minutes. And of course, there are days when one or more pesky thoughts just keeps buzzing around, like a mosquito in your ear.
I found it interesting to learn it takes me approximately the same amount of time to get fully immersed into both running and sitting.
