You want to calm down inside, reduce stress and finally focus on one thing. A meditation session is just what you need. But how long does it make sense to meditate? Is there a certain amount of time that you have to "stick it out"? Let's take a closer look at that today.
Meditation is on the rise, and for good reason! It offers a number of benefits for physical and mental health.
As with any exercise, it takes time before you feel the full effect. Especially for beginners, learning to feel the benefits of meditation is exciting. With dedication and perseverance, you will become a master - opening up a world of well-being for your mind and body.
However, beginners in particular tend to put themselves under pressure. They desperately want to know how long meditation makes sense and how much time they need to plan for a session.
We can understand that very well. But this much in advance: there is no exact "training plan" for this.
But let's go through this step by step now.
Table of contents
What are the benefits of meditation?
Meditation is an exercise of mindfulness and concentration designed to help us find calm, clarity and inner peace. By redirecting your thoughts and controlling your consciousness, you can achieve a state of undisturbed awareness.
The goal is to achieve mental balance.
A big plus: the meditation is free and can be done at any time from the comfort of your own home.
If you're looking for a technique to help you stay calm and focused even in the most intense moments, try meditation. Take just five minutes for yourself every morning and you'll see how quickly you notice positive changes in your life.
By meditating regularly, you can train your mind to focus inward and turn away from the external. This has a variety of positive effects on your physical and mental health. If you take time for yourself each day and meditate, you can:
- Reduce stress
- Calm inner restlessness
- Control anxiety
- Find inner peace
- Reduce depression symptoms
- Improve concentration and attention
- Get sleep disorders under control
- Fight addictions
- Overcome sadness
- lower blood pressure
and much more. Look also here: "This is what happens to your brain when you meditate daily".
Meditation restructures the brain. Not only do new neural pathways form, but focus in the frontal cortex is sharpened while anxiety is reduced and neurons regenerate and reform. Through the practice of meditation, our brains are profoundly shaped!
Nevertheless, it is not easy for many people to find inner peace. In this day and age, we have become accustomed to being incessantly in thought. We have to plan, control and think about everything.
To break this habit, it is necessary to practice mindfulness. How much you really benefit from brain practice depends solely on the dedication of your meditative routine - that is, its duration and consistency!
7 reasons why you should do yoga in the evening!
How do I start meditation?
Starting to meditate may seem like a daunting task, but with the right approach, it can easily become part of your daily routine.
Taking a few moments to relax and clear your mind is a great way to focus and calm down in your day-to-day life.
Find a place in your home or other location where you will not be disturbed for the duration of your session. Assume a comfortable posture, close your eyes, and focus on slowing your breath, releasing tension with each exhalation.
If you want to further your education, you can find countless instructions on the Internet about various meditation techniques. With consistency, effort and patience, you will soon be able to enjoy all the benefits of meditation!
Important: complete silence. Cell phones, TV, family members - you must avoid all of these at the beginning of meditation. Later, when you have more practice and no longer constantly ask how long meditation really has to be, then it will be easy for you to simply block out the distractions.
With regular practice, you'll find it easier to create space between your thoughts, which helps reduce stress and other negative effects. You may also find that additional meditation exercises help!
Important: exercise patience
Usually we do something to achieve a goal. We eat to stop being hungry, we work to earn money, and so on. Here, it is always clear why we do something.
If the benefit ceases to exist, the activity ceases to exist as well. Or who would still work if there was no more money to be earned?
Meditating is somewhat different.
Better concentration, fewer negative thoughts, and inner peace are great, but meditation is so much more than that. We learn with each session that we don't need an immediate reward for what we do. Rather, it's about the moment itself and channeling our thoughts. Just being, and being now, in this moment - if you can achieve that, you're already a pro.
The question of the duration and effect of meditation then becomes superfluous at some point. Of course, it still matters how often we meditate. There is also a difference between 10 minutes and 60 minutes. But this compulsive urge to optimize something in order to achieve more and more wears off. Then we meditate simply for the sake of meditation - because it corresponds to our nature.
You can watch a very great YouTube video to dive into the topic here:
What are the types of meditation?
Meditation is an ancient practice that has found its way into modern life and can be a powerful tool for managing stress, clearing your path, and developing a mindfulness that can improve the quality of life.
There are many different types of meditation, from Vipassana or insight meditation to Zazen or Zen meditation.
Each type offers unique benefits, but generally involves becoming still, letting thoughts come and go without holding onto them, and opening to self-exploration and being in the present moment.
Other variations include mantra meditation - silently repeating words or phrases while focusing on your breath - Kundalini yoga, sound meditation with singing bowls or chanting mantras, visualization meditation, and even movement meditations like walking meditation.
If you're interested in discovering the power of a daily meditation practice, there are countless offerings that can help you find what's right for you!
If you are constantly asking yourself how long you need to meditate, then you may not have found the right approach and method for you.
A very good complement offers yoga. Here you can learn all about the 21 most important yoga benefits.
How long to meditate as a beginner, intermediate, and advanced practitioner?
There is no general answer to how long you should meditate. In general, however, you should Beginner with 1-5 minutes daily sitting in silence. That is quite enough for the beginning. You have to learn what it's like to do nothing in the beginning.
At this point, we are still far away from the topic: not holding on to thoughts.
With time and continued practice, you should increase your meditation time - for advanced Practitioners are usually 10-15 minutes per session recommended.
If you already advanced you can also sit for longer, for example 20 minutes or even One hour.
To cultivate a consistent meditation practice and dive deeper into spirituality, it can be beneficial to meditate for 20 minutes each day. For variety, you can also schedule shorter meditations of 3 to 5 minutes daily.
Also, once or twice a week, take more time for your practice by meditating for 30-40 minutes or even an hour - giving you more space to explore the depths of meditation!
Ultimately, the duration of meditation depends on each individual and their own experience. So feel free to experiment and do what works best for you!
The fact is: every second of meditation works. Longer sessions have more potential to have their full effect, but short sessions also help.
Meditation duration and effect
Not every advanced student has time every day to devote 20 minutes or an hour to the subject. Not infrequently, everyday life gets in the way. Depending on the duration of the unit, the effect on body and mind changes.
| Meditation duration | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1-2 minutes | Awareness of the breath and the moment. Spiritual refreshment. |
| 5-10 minutes | Clarity and tranquility. |
| 15-20 minutes | Stable meditation with noticeable calm. |
| 30-45 minutes | Opening of deep layers of consciousness. |
| 60 minutes | Spiritual experiences, transcendence of body and mind. |
1-2 minutes:
Optimal for total beginners. Even if you have limited time or are new to meditation practice, just a few minutes can be of great benefit.
In this short window of time, your mind cannot dive deeply into meditation. But you will learn to breathe consciously and in a relaxed way, and to become aware of yourself in this moment. This little time out will have a restorative effect throughout the day that may surprise you!
5-10 minutes:
Spend just 5-10 minutes a day meditating, and in just a few weeks you will begin to experience the profound benefits.
You gain clarity and calmness immediately after meditating. Even if these benefits are small at first, you can already feel the change.
15-20 minutes:
The ability to sit in silence for 15-20 minutes is a skill that many struggle with. However, once you manage it, your meditation practice will be more consistent. If you don't meditate for a day, you will feel that something is missing.
30-45 minutes:
After forty minutes of meditation, new realms of consciousness open up. Perhaps you have an experience that is difficult to put into words - then meditation has become an integral part of your life and well-being.
60 minutes:
How long do full professionals meditate? A whole hour and sometimes even longer. To meditate for that long is a remarkable feeling.
If you can manage to stay calm and comfortable all the time, then we probably don't need to explain to you the amazing results you can achieve. Spiritual revelations and experiences beyond mind and body are regularly experienced during this practice.
What scientific study says
To illustrate the benefits of daily meditation, a 2017 study examined how it affected subjects' stress levels. After 49 days of daily 20- to 40-minute meditation, participants reported feeling more relaxed and mindful than before they began meditating.
Another 2017 study found that participants' mood improved after nine weeks of daily meditation practice.
And then there's also a 2019 study showing that after just eight weeks and 13 minutes of meditation daily, mood, attention, and memory improved.
If you want to reap the full benefits of meditation - including a change in your attitude and emotions - then you should meditate for at least 13 minutes a day for a period of about 8 weeks.
Research shows that repetition plays an essential role when trying to achieve intense effects through meditation.
So take a moment each day to relax and reflect; who knows what profound changes that will bring!
Tips on how to get the most out of your meditation practice
Meditating can help bring a sense of peace and clarity that can be very valuable during difficult times. If you're looking for ways to get the most out of your meditation practice, here are a few tips.
- Meditate during the day: Try to squeeze in a short session during the day instead of saving it for bedtime; that way, you can start reaping the benefits during the day.
- Search place: It's also helpful to find a place to meditate, even if it's just a quiet corner of the room; that way you can calm your mind before you start.
- Select correct species: It can also be helpful to read up on different types of meditation: Breathing exercises, mindfulness practices, guided meditations - pick what you like and make time for it every day.
- It's easier together: Finally, try practicing with friends or even in an online community. It's good to have support when you embark on this journey, and tracking your progress together can provide an extra boost of motivation.
All in all, take it slow and enjoy the journey!
Our conclusion
One of the most common questions people ask when they start meditating is how long they should meditate. The answer, as with most things in life, is that it depends.
Meditation can be an incredibly powerful way to relieve stress, realign your thoughts, and permanently change your outlook on life in a positive way. Just five minutes a day can have a profound impact on how you experience your everyday life.
So sit back, relax and let's dive in!
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