The more people are attracted to the meditation practice, the more questions are etching on the internet. How long should I meditate? How often should I meditate? What’s the best time for Meditation? Which type of Meditation is best? How to stretch my meditation practice? Are 5-10 minutes of Meditation enough to get the results?
These are common questions of beginner because He or she wants better results from the Meditation, and why not? You should do it seriously. Otherwise, there’s no meaning.
How Long And How Often Should You Meditate?
The different types of Meditation recommend different amounts of time devotion. Transcendental Meditation recommends 20 minutes twice a day. Vipassana meditation asks 60 minutes twice a day. Breath-focused Samatha meditation suggests 10-15 minutes a day. However, It’s neither compulsory to force yourself to hit this time limit nor limit yourself. You can devote anywhere between 5 to 60 minutes daily to meditation, but persistence and consistent practice are mattered most.
Daily 10 minutes a day meditation is way more effective than 60 minutes of Meditation sometimes in a month.
Let me share some scientific studies on Meditation that show the benefits over meditators and the amount of time they spent for practice.
- Forty-seven chronic pain patients experienced a noticeable improvement in depression, anxiety, pain, and global impression of change from 1 hour a day mindfulness meditation. (Source: pubmed.gov)
- Research on novice meditators (ages of 18-45), Daily guided Meditation, or listening to meditation podcasts for 13 minutes a day decreased negative mood state and anxiety level, enhanced attention, working memory, and recognition. (Source: pubmed.gov)
- Twelve minutes a day for 12 weeks of kirtan kriya meditation or music listening can improve cognitive function, sleep, mood, quality of life. (Source: pubmed.gov)
Meditation is gaining more popularity in the field of mind control, cognition, self-awareness, and sleep-related problems. It might be an interesting topic for researchers to determine how much time is required to solve each psychological problem through Meditation.
let me elaborate on this topic,
How Long Should You Meditate?
If you are a beginner, the initial days of Meditation might be uncomfortable for you. You can solve this problem by doing Meditation in a short session, maybe 5 -10 minutes a day. You can starch it and extend the session if you are comfortable enough, but not too much, that feel tired, frustrated, and resist yourself next time.
Bursting myths that the longer you Meditation the more you get benefited or you leverage from Meditation by practicing some time a week or getting a quick-rich scheme this doesn’t apply for beginners.
Remember, The quality of meditation matters for getting the results, not merely a quantity of time. Put the efforts persistently. Whenever your mind wanders, bring it back on the practice, and the level of awareness determines the quality of Meditation.
Most people ask this question How long? Because they want to bargain with Meditation, maybe they have less time or want to spend less time on practice and wishing more benefits from it. You must understand that developing a skill requires time, and once it’s developed, benefits will come to you automatically.
One study of Mindfulness Meditation on sleep shows the effect of reducing sleep-related daytime impairment, which means Meditation can improve the quality of sleep, so you have more time and more energy during the day. You can spend this spare time in a meditation practice that will give more benefits over time.
Maybe I gave the solution of a common excuse ‘I don’t have more time to spare for meditation.’ However, It’s all about prioritizing the things in life. If you have a high priority for Meditation, you will cultivate it in your routine activity.
Related Post: What Makes Meditation Hard?
How Often Should You Meditate?
That’s a most important concern. The simple answer is ‘Every day and if possible, meditate twice a day.’ Including Meditation in your daily schedule is a ‘must’ for deriving maximum benefits out of it. Once you develop the habit of Meditation, It will become an effortless practice, and soon you will notice some good changes in your life.
Meditation is an exercise of the brain or mind; Like any other physical exercise, here consistency is necessary to strengthen the muscles and shape the body. No one can make a good physique by going gym, lifting heavy weights, and exercising hard sometimes in a month or year.
Almost all meditation trainers or gurus suggest focusing on the consistency of Meditation rather than the quantity of time spend. It will come automatically if you are regular with practice.
Like every other skill, Practice, Persistence, and Patient is the key to success in Meditation also.
Start from a short session (5-10-15 minutes, As per your strength). Be consistent and persistent. You may start seeing some significant benefits within 1-2 months. However, It totally depends on you.
Initially, Meditation may seem boring, fuzzy, or self-inflicted torment, but we should focus on the practice of Meditation by inhibiting all other negativities.
I want to share some tips on Building a habit of meditating that will help you stick with practice in the longer run.
Tips For Creating A Habit Of Meditation
- Be clear with the answer that Why you want to meditate?
- Choose one meditation method which is most comfortable for you (Guided Meditation is most suitable for beginners)
- Set up a silent environment to support your practice
- Tie meditation with a triggers
- Make a firm resolution for Meditation
- Reward yourself after finishing the Meditation
- Use the meditation app and track your progress
- Join online community or local meditation training to get yourself exposed and motivated
Here I want to expand the 4, 5, & 6 tips; Triggering is the most effective method for developing a habit and sticking on the habit. You can set triggers, like after taking a bath I will meditate, or after doing a routine workout or at a particular time at exactly 6:00 AM I will meditate, no matter what I am doing; I will stick to the practice that is tip number 5 firm resolution. Reward yourself after completing the practice that will encourage you to do it again next time. These three tips are most effective for building habits.
What is the best time of Day to meditate?
Most spiritual leaders insist on meditation when night tunes to Day (4 – 6 AM, Brahma muhurta) and Day turns to night (Evening time 6 – 7 PM) due to some significant changes occur in nature at this time.
The atmosphere becomes more peaceful and silent during this time that influences our mind and body to be stable and convenient for meditation.
However, If you can’t do it in these times, stick with your routine; anyhow you are eligible for benefits if you are consistent enough.
How long does it take for meditation to work?
It totally depends on your practice, persistence, and consistency. However, You should expect a baseline of 4 – 8 weeks. Again, it varies from person to person, you would probably start noticing some changes after 1 – 2 months of continuous practice. Please don’t strongly hold this baseline and don’t pock yourself if you don’t find any changes after 2 months.
Related Article: How To Know If Meditation Is Working?
FAQs
Is it possible to meditate for hours?
Yes, It is possible to sit in meditation for hours, but you shouldn’t bother about it as a beginner. Hundreds of thousands of Miles of journey start from a single step. First, Develop a routine for meditation and stretch your meditation time a little bit every week.
For example, If you are comfortably meditating for 15 minutes a day, then try to do it for 20 minutes, from next week 25 minutes, from next week 30 minutes. Likewise, You would be in a position to do it for 1 or 2 hours a day.
How long should a beginner meditate?
Beginners should meditate until their body and mind allow them. It can be 5-10 minutes of mini session or even shorter. In the beginning, they should focus on quality and consistency for meditation, not merely on the quantity of time spend. Developing a meditation routine is very important.
What happens if you meditate every Day?
If you are regularly meditating for 2-3 months, you will sooner or later start noticing some good changes in your behavior and thought process. Meditation provides so many benefits on a physical, mental, and spiritual level.
According to scientific studies, meditation helps reduce mental stress, control anxiety, improve cognition, increase self-awareness, improve sleep quality, and better control emotions and feelings. These are common occurrences if you meditate daily. Although All these benefits might not come together, it requires time and effort to knock down each block.
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