Meditation how many mins or hrs?

Can it be done the whole day or some min a day for best results?

[Gem]

Like a pianist practices only 1/2 hour a day won't progress so quickly as one who practices 6 hours a day, and concert pianist will practice day in and day out. I guess find a comfortable pace based on how far you'd want to take it.

[wstein]

Originally Posted by ojaybb

Can it be done the whole day or some min a day for best results?

One can eventually integrate meditation into one's life, at that point it can be all day.

However, that usually takes decades to achieve. The important thing is to meditate regularly, not 'missing' very often (1 in 20). For beginners doing a set amount of time at the same time each day in the same place helps them stick to the plan. This does risk developing a meditation habit which is counter to the meditative aspect of being aware. Generally breaking out of the habit is way less of a problem than not meditating regularly. So, if doing it in this fixed way helps you in the beginning, go for it. Just remember that at some point you need to learn to meditate anywhere at anytime.

As to how long, any amount is better than none. Never force yourself to meditate, doing so is totally counterproductive. If you are having trouble (and you will some days) get ready and stay with the intent of meditating for a few minutes at least. This avoids the part of you that doesn't want to meditate getting the idea that meditation is not important to you and can be canceled just because.

For very beginners probably no more than 10 minutes at a time once or twice a day is all one can expect. Most of that will just be fidgeting and not actually meditating. When you can actually meditate most of that amount of time, increase the time a modest amount (~25%). This is not a race or a power game, aggressive progression is a sure way to failure. Getting to an hour a day is enough to see steady progress and substantial results.

[advanced] Depending on your life situation, increasing the amount of time spent only meditating becomes impractical. You can fit in some extra time by squeezing it in whenever you have a quiet moment. If you want still more meditation time (and you likely will), you need to learn to mediate while doing other things. There are some meditations done while doing something else which can serve as a transition. The first baby step is to meditate with eyes open. The next baby step is to not 'end' your meditation but simply to open your eyes and resume 'normal' activities. This allows the meditative state to linger. A well known one that can be used as a transition step is 'walking mediation'. Once you work out how to stay in the meditative state during activities one can easily integrate mediation into everything if you choose.

[Gem]

I don't thing struggle is counter productive, on the contrary, if struggle occurs, that's when to persist, and soon notice that the struggle has passed. I think 10 minutes is like not worth bothering with because it'd take 10 mins just to get settled in... so go fer broke mate, give it all ya got.

[MIND POWER]

Originally Posted by Gem

I don't thing struggle is counter productive, on the contrary, if struggle occurs, that's when to persist, and soon notice that the struggle has passed. I think 10 minutes is like not worth bothering with because it'd take 10 mins just to get settled in... so go fer broke mate, give it all ya got.

How long do you meditate for then Gem......?

Meditation is a means of turning off your individual time stream so you can more easily discover unconscious attention. Some place in time and space will pop up for you to look over and that can be useful in recovering attention, which in this place has a lot to do with happiness. Being in the now is fun.
However my experience is that formal mediation is not for everyone. We each own a different motion observer and folks operate at different speeds.
So it makes sense to do what works for you. You can "meditate in life" by simply accepting everything as real. That is an interesting journey. The end is all toward the same place.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by MIND POWER

How long do you meditate for then Gem......?

Usually for one hour twice a day, but I also take retreats that involve continual meditation practice.

The usual tendency is for a person to meditate for a while, but when they begin to feel discomfort, get figety, impatient they stop, which gives rise to the ten minute thing... but all that means is, as soon as they 'don't like it anymore' they seek after what they do like and continue the habit of reacting adversely to this while entering desire for that, thus perpetuating (what people call) the ego, but really, these reaction patterns invariably revolve around thoughts about me; the I, the me, the my and mine.

If in ten minutes one begins to feel impatient, uncomfortable, figety, frustrated or whatever it is that disturbs the stillness of their mind, that is an opportunity to gain insight about how unstable one actually is, and often, a meditator can't remain undisrtracted for even one minute, and becomes dissappointed and is easily frustrated by it... but that means keep going, and notice the reactivity is self generated, and notice how it passes soon enough as one re-enters a calm state of mind.

The basis for practice is to cultivate a neutrality and equinimity of mind so that whatever experience happens to occur will not be met with the reactivity that disrupts what we call meditation.

[anthony c]

Originally Posted by ojaybb

Can it be done the whole day or some min a day for best results?

Hi
How long have you been meditating for?
If you only starting i would say baby steps like 10-20 min twice a day and then go up.If you feel like at the end of 10-20 min you are in a good place carry on till it goes away and then get up.
Gem is right it takes about 5-10 min to settle in,stop moving and scratching but just go on after session if you feel like it.
Meditating at the very beginning to me was just hard sitting still for 20 min.
Your goal at the start is to be patient and do it everyday(that is important not the time your doing it)not to skip much and do not give up.
Your goal is to practice to quite your mind and it will take a month or 2 just be patient and then u will get there.
Then you will be able to do 30 min+ with experience and after that you will be able to quite your mind quicker and then the quality of the meditation will be great and you will feel the benefits.
Good luck

[knightofalbion]

Firstly, a very warm welcome to the forum!

Secondly, how long to meditate for? There is no set time. Just do what feels right for you and produces the desired result.

[MIND POWER]

Originally Posted by Gem

Usually for one hour twice a day, but I also take retreats that involve continual meditation practice.

The usual tendency is for a person to meditate for a while, but when they begin to feel discomfort, get figety, impatient they stop, which gives rise to the ten minute thing... but all that means is, as soon as they 'don't like it anymore' they seek after what they do like and continue the habit of reacting adversely to this while entering desire for that, thus perpetuating (what people call) the ego, but really, these reaction patterns invariably revolve around thoughts about me; the I, the me, the my and mine.

If in ten minutes one begins to feel impatient, uncomfortable, figety, frustrated or whatever it is that disturbs the stillness of their mind, that is an opportunity to gain insight about how unstable one actually is, and often, a meditator can't remain undisrtracted for even one minute, and becomes dissappointed and is easily frustrated by it... but that means keep going, and notice the reactivity is self generated, and notice how it passes soon enough as one re-enters a calm state of mind.

The basis for practice is to cultivate a neutrality and equinimity of mind so that whatever experience happens to occur will not be met with the reactivity that disrupts what we call meditation.

Do you just do mindfullness? I think mindfullness is completely lazy. I only started afew days ago, i am approaching meditation as if it is a physiological workout for the mind. Visualisation, incanitations, explaining things, and then moments of focus on one thing is the closet I come to minfullness. What techniques do you do Gem??? Thanks for the reply.