How Often Should I Meditate?

Just as with how long you should meditate, there are questions about how often you should meditate too. How often do you need to relax in one spot, clear your mind, and focus on your breathing?

How it works

• Start small. Take time out initially for a midweek and a weekend meditation to begin the voyage of self-discovery and spiritual healing.
• Build up your routine to include extra sessions during the week to suit your needs.
• Plan your sessions in to help build the meditation habit.

Of course, an experienced meditator, will say that you should meditate every day and when you’re used to meditating, you will probably want to do that yourself. If you’re trying to proactively meditate, then you’ll need to take out some time each day, to focus and concentrate on the practice. So, that’s why we ask the question, how often should I meditate?

Beginners Start Small

Meditation is a practice that requires active participation. That means, that you are actively engaging in the practice and therefore are dedicating time to the practice. Without this, your meditation will be sporadic and you will fail to reach the best of what it has to offer. At the very least, if you’re new to meditation, try to meditate at least twice a week, once midweek and once at the weekend. A midweek meditation will help to filter out any negativity that’s crept in during the first few days of the week, while a weekend meditation can be an opportunity for self-discovery and spiritual healing. So, take some time out either on Saturday or Sunday, for a meditation where you let your mind dictate the journey. Just sit and let whatever thoughts come to the surface. You will instinctively know which thoughts to acknowledge and let pass by and you will know the thoughts you should pursue for greater understanding and healing.

You’re guaranteed to reap the full benefits of your meditation practice, when you fully concentrate on it, and let go of all the stress and anxiety that has been built in you. You’ll feel calmer, more relaxed, and refreshed, so you’re ready to take on life, with a brighter and more positive perspective. And once you’ve made it a routine, you will undoubtedly want to add more days to your practice.

Build Up The Routine

If you’ve established that midweek and weekend routine, then try to add additional days during the week. As we’ve said before, you don’t have to take huge chunks out of your day, just a few minutes before bed is better than nothing. You could even try to build up your routine, to include a small session just before you go to bed each night. It would certainly help you wind down and prepare for sleep. Chances are, if you’ve been busy all day, your mind will still be running at full speed, so, by adding a meditation session just before you go to bed, you’ll ensure that those thoughts don’t interrupt your sleep.

Conversely, you could try to meditate during the day, during your lunch break, for example. You have a lunch break for a reason, and that’s to help you break up your day. Your work may be important, but your health is even more so, because you’ll burn out if you work nonstop. So, take that opportunity to relax and focus your mind. Set aside some time to meditate and remove yourself from your work. That way you’ll be able to tackle the afternoon with a renewed spirit and happier outlook.

Make It A Habit

More often than not, people start a meditation programme that they don’t finish, because they don’t make a habit out of it. So, if you’re starting out, plan for your meditation sessions. Write it out in your diary or journal, set a timer or an alert on your phone, so that you can be reminded of your meditation sessions. As with everything related to health and fitness, meditation needs to become a habit.

So, make it one. By planning for a session and setting an alert for yourself, your body will eventually respond automatically, when the time comes for you to meditate. And making it a habit, helps you ensure that your body remembers to meditate, even if you don’t consciously remember. It’ll eventually become natural, and you won’t even have to think about it, when the time comes. So, plan for your sessions, and make it a habit.

Keep Trying

As the saying goes, “easier said than done”. Of course, building up a routine and making meditation practices a habit can be difficult, but as long as you keep trying, you’ll eventually be able to meditate every day, even if it’s only for five minutes. As long as you’re meditating at least twice per week, you’re already halfway there.

So, keep trying, and you’ll soon reap the full benefits of your meditation practice, and see the wonders it does for your mind, spirit, and body. As we’ve mentioned before, meditation is not a “one-size fits all” situation, it can be tailored to your routine, and your life. So, in whatever way works for you, try to include meditation as part of your weekly routines and build it up from there. Eventually, you’ll find yourself meditating every day, whether it’s before bed, during your lunch break or both. So, build up that routine and start to reap the wonderful benefits mediation will bring you.