How Long Should I Meditate For And How Often?

You’re in a comfortable position and the house it quiet but then you think how long should I meditate for?

Is 10 minutes enough time? Should I sit once a day or twice? Does it even need to be every day? What’s the best time of day to meditate? You are not alone in asking these questions. I wondered about this when I starting meditating, 15 years ago. Let me clear this up for you.

(Just a quick side note. I am not a doctor, mental health practitioner, or meditation teacher. I am simply someone with an interest in mindful living and my own meditation experience to share with you. Take what you need and leave the rest.)

Is meditation still popular?

Meditation and mindfulness are here to stay. According to a Pew Research publication from 2018, 40% of Americans say they meditate at least once weekly. In the UK, there are now over 5000 classroom teachers trained to deliver mindfulness and meditation to pupils (source: mindful.org).

So how long should I meditate for?

When you are new to meditation, it’s normal to want to know how to get the best results from your daily meditation. You have a legitimate reason for wanting to give up some of your time, so you want to do it well.

My first meditation tip should put your mind at ease. Any time meditating is time well spent. Yes, there are multiple suggestions about the best amount of time to meditate, but sometimes they don’t fit your life.

The most important factor is consistency. When I first started meditating, the thought of sitting for an hour every day (advised by my then yoga teacher) completely threw me. I could barely manage 5 minutes without getting stressed and giving up.

What you need to understand is there is no perfect amount of time to meditate. Your stamina will increase over time, just as your fitness does when you exercise your body regularly.

How to work out how much time you should meditate for?

Factor in a few things.

What is your daily life like? If you are a mom like me, with a busy schedule, just work with what you have. Ten minutes after dinner is how much time you can find? Great! Take those ten minutes and use them well.

How comfortable are you sitting? If you have any physical health issues that make it uncomfortable to sit still, then just try two short meditations of 5 minutes each.

How is your nervous system or emotional wellbeing right now? When I was recovering from series times of worry, I could not sit for long before becoming too panicky. I kept my meditations short, used a guided meditation app such as Calm and sometimes did a moving mindfulness meditation such as Tai Chi.

I think a good starting point for most people is 5 minutes. That’s it. Just 5 minutes of quiet, still time. Maybe trying increasing by 1 minute the following week. 10 minutes may be your sweet spot or you might carry on, you might even reach an hour. Total respect if you do.

Just to let you know, I could only manage 10 minutes of meditation for several years. It’s only been the last couple of years that I have moved up to a 20-30 minute daily practice. There are no rules, no race and no competition. Meditation shouldn’t be a struggle. Try to think of it as a daily gift to yourself.

Can I get any benefit from a short 5 minute meditation?

Yes! I think doing short 5 minute meditations, once of twice a day, is a really great way to get used to meditation. 5 minutes is enough to clear your head, give your body and mind a rest and set the foundation for your daily practice.

Being consistent is always key when trying to make positive changes. Small step by small step. Trust me, it works.

“There is only one way to eat an elephant; a bite at a time.”

Desmond Tutu

I’m a vegetarian, but you get the idea?

Wherever you are at, the best way to meditate is to just start. Today, if possible.

What does the research say?

According to this 2018 study published in Behavioural Brain Research, 13 minutes a day of meditation for 8 weeks resulted in “decreased negative mood state and enhanced attention, working memory, and recognition memory”.

This corresponds with the work of Herbert Benson on the power of Relaxation Response (source American Psychological Association (2008)). Think of the relaxation response as the opposite to your stress response. You can be achieve it in a variety of mindful ways. Praying, chanting, repeating movements, knitting even and meditation. According to Benson, once or twice a day for 10-20 minutes is enough.

If you struggle with worry and stress, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) might be a good style of meditation to try. A meta-analysis study published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research in 2015 suggested “MBSR is moderately effective in reducing stress” but it requires a daily practice of 45 minute meditations. This might be too big a jump if you are new to meditation.

It seems like there really is no optimal length of time for best results. From my experience, 20 minutes of morning meditation is a great way to start my day. Having a relaxed start to the day is essential for my busy life as a homeschooler.

You can even choose a different type of mindfulness meditation if sitting still on a cushion is not your thing. Tai Chi, mindful walking,knitting, running, body scan, drawing. Just do it with deep breaths and focus on the present moment.

Quick tip: try out different types of meditation at first, journal on each one and see which works best for you.

Why is it so hard to meditate?

I am a runner as well and I used to (and still sometimes) used to say it’s easier to run for 2 hours than to meditate for 15 minutes. Why is that?

Our minds are always working.

We have thousands of thoughts every day and trying to quiet them mind enough to stop those thoughts is no easier than catching a single raindrop. Here’s my second meditation tip for you. Meditation is not stopping your thoughts. This is a common misconception. As meditation teacher Jeff Warren taught me, meditation is learning to pop out of your thoughts.

When you think of the ancient practice of meditation, you might have an image of Buddhist monks, sitting in a thought free state for hours. You don’t need to achieve this to experience the positive changes that come from mindfulness meditation. You are simply training your mindfulness muscle by becoming aware of the thought, popping out and coming back to the breath.

It feels weird to sit and do nothing.

This is probably what you are thinking if you are a busy mom with young kids running around. Who has the time to sit and do nothing? However, I’m talking about 10 or 20 minutes a day. It’s easy to spend that much time (and a lot more) reading the news or scrolling social media.

If you are used to filling in any gap of time with an activity or task, start writing your meditation time in your diary. Set a reminder in your phone, write it out and keep it visible. Give yourself the help you need to create a regular meditation practice.

I get uncomfortable.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor is unnecessary to meditate. Just because your yoga teacher does it with ease, it doesn’t mean you have to. Sit upright on a chair, or try a walking meditation instead.

I don’t have anywhere quiet to sit.

As much as it’s nice to have a quiet spot to meditate, it is not essential. The noise going on need not disrupt your meditation. Don’t get drawn into the noise and add a story to it “is that the delivery van I was waiting for, my neighbour’s dog is so annoying”. Observe it, let the noise pass you by and keep coming back to your breath. If this is still too hard, then put on some soothing music or nature sounds.

The benefits of meditation.

There are multiple benefits of a daily meditation practice. These are my top 5.

1. Slowing down. I am guessing you have noticed just how fast-paced life is now. There is no letup from the constant doing. You always need to be somewhere, sort something out, drop off your child at school, call that friend, visit that relative.In between all this doing, you are checking emails, scrolling social media and getting calls. There is no off anymore. It is physically and emotionally exhausting. Meditation allows you (possibly even forces you) to sit still and just be.
2. Stress reduction.The practice of meditation encourages relaxation, deeper breathing and a brief break for your mind. Remember the relaxation response from earlier? If you spend a lot of time in the stress response (the opposite of the relaxation response), meditation in any form can help rebalance this.
3. Enhances your attention. Meditation is a great tool for encouraging a greater attention span, improving focus, and increasing concentration. The more you incorporate any mindfulness practices into your day, the better. If you have a mind that pings around, constantly jumping from one thing to another (that’s me), meditation might just be the tonic for you.
4. Could improve your sleep.I have suffered from insomnia on and off for years. It became really bad after the birth of my second child and I still struggle at times with it. Combining my daily meditation practice with a before bed guided meditation to relax and unwind has been a tremendous help. The Sleep Foundation has lots of information about meditation and sleep problems.
5. Encourages mindfulness in the rest of your life.This is my favorite benefit of meditation. If you have checked out my about me page, you will have noticed the reason I came to blogging is to document my journey to becoming a happier, joyful and more present mom (or mum). I don’t want to sleepwalk through life. I want to be fully present for all the fun and beauty (and the harder parts too). Life is a vibrant, musical, rich experience. Meditation is a great way to be fully present and engaged with your world. Enjoy it.

How to get started with a daily meditation practice.

Find a guided meditation.

Guided meditation is a brilliant tool when you are starting out. It walks you through the steps and gives you something to anchor your attention to. There are lots of free guided meditations on YouTube. I love the Calm app. You can try the first of the 7 Days to Calm Series below.

Join a group meditation.

There are lots of places now that offer group meditations. Just have a search online for your local area.

Set a timer and start with 3 minutes.

If the whole thing is just too daunting for you, sit somewhere comfortable and set a timer for just 3 minutes. Just practice listening to your breath and popping out of your thoughts. When you are comfortable with 3 minutes, move onto 4, then 5. You might find your way to longer meditation sessions or you might stay at regular short ones. Either is great.

Final thoughts on how long should I meditate for?

Meditation is a personal experience. Just be playful. Try out a few different techniques (walking, sitting, guided, coloring, Tai Chi), keep and journal and find your own style. The best thing is any time you allow yourself some quiet is a gift to yourself. So be generous and grateful.

Are you new to meditation? Have you found anything that works for you or are you still unsure if mindfulness is the thing for you?

Let me know below, share your thoughts.

Have a peaceful day.

Amanda x

Remember, the entrance door to the sanctuary is inside you.

RUMI