How often, and for how long, should you meditate?

I get asked all the time about how long it is best to meditate for. I see the problem being that meditation is seen as something that has to be fitted into an already busy life. Where will I find time to do that as well? becomes the attitude.

When you introduce mindfulness practices into your life it is easier to stay focused in your day to day activities. Things like noticing how you are feeling, taking time to tune into your breathe, and having full awareness and attention on what you are doing in the moment are all helpful ways to start training yourself to be more in the present moment.

Also making meditation part of your lifestyle to bring about healthy and happy relationships and inner peace can be done with the whole family. Introduce children to quiet time and make a point of all sitting together and sharing things that you are grateful for each day can be really profound and help to create a strong family bond. When you teach meditation to your children you are giving them a sense of personal responsibility and emotional intelligence from a young age.

I would suggest sitting in meditation each morning when you wake for a few minutes to set you up for the day ahead. Then again in the evening before going to sleep. Sometimes when you are rigid in setting times it can go against you for you are likely to sit waiting for the time to pass rather than in meditation.

The longer you sit the more profound the results you will gain. Longer sessions push you through resistances and help you to see the habit patterns of your mind. When you react, how you react, the feelings that are stirred in you and the thoughts that come from your scattered mind. It can be challenging but the rewards are well worth the effort.

If you think that doing nothing, then nothing will change. So if you are happy in your life, have a deep sense of inner peace and joy no matter what life brings you then carry on and do nothing. However, if you want to be free from the endless thoughts in your head and to have a sense of deep peace then I would recommend taking up a meditation practice.