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You’re listening to the Mindful15 Podcast, Episode 162, with Monica Tomm. Mindful15 features 15-minute practical lessons in meditation and mindfulness, because we believe mindfulness is for everyone!
One of my most frequently-asked questions is “How long and how often should I meditate?” But there’s a problem hidden in the phrasing of this question, and I’m going to address that before I get on to discussing optimal length and frequency of meditation sessions.And, is there such a thing as too much meditation? I’ll address that, too.
“How long should I meditate” sounds like a pretty simple question, but phrasing is everything. I’d prefer you ask whether there’s an optimal length or frequency for meditation. Why? Because the word “should” is problematic. If I give you a number, if I say you should aim for xx minutes per day, or xx number of days per week, I create a potential problem. What if you can’t or don’t live up to the schedule I set for you? You might well conclude that you’re not doing enough or not doing it right and that kind of thinking can be so discouraging as to cause you to give up on meditation altogether. I have an entire episode devoted to the problems of should.
Okay, so now that I’ve hopefully convinced you to stop shoulding yourself, let’s get on with the topic at hand. 
At Mindful15, we recommend 15 minutes of meditation per day. After all, we’re called Mindful15 for a reason! 15 minutes is enough for you to notice significant benefits. 
But, maybe you’re not able to sit that long. That’s okay. Even five minutes a day can be beneficial. And, no, I am not placating you. I really mean that! 
What’s most important is to do what you can. Perhaps, after practicing for 5 minutes a day, you’ll build enough skill and notice enough benefit to motivate you to do 7 minutes a day, and then over time to move to 10 minutes and so on. Of course, you may be thinking “it’s not a matter of skill. I just don’t have the time.” Then I have an episode especially for you. It’s called Oh yes, you do have time to meditate which debunks the myth of not enough time.
While sitting 15 minutes a day is a solid practice, sitting longer has advantages. The longer you sit, the quieter your mind becomes. There’s no specific prescription for how long, though. You can experiment and see what works for you. Some people like to do two or three short sessions per day. Others prefer one longer session, maybe 30 to 60 minutes. Our Mindful15 Weekly Meditation Practice typically includes a 30-minute guided meditation and sometimes more than one meditation in the hour-long practice.
What I want you to take away from this discussion is that you should do what you can manage to do, and be satisfied that you’re doing something healthy for yourself. Over time, if you want to, you can expand your practice. That’s it.
Now, you’ll notice that there’s a theme running through this discussion. Whether you do five minutes or an hour, I recommend you meditate every day. Again, there’s no rule that says you have to do this, but there are two good reasons for my recommendation.
First, the more regular your practice, the more likely you are to benefit from it. Please remember the goal of meditation practice: To build your mindfulness skills so that you’re able to bring them out of meditation and into your daily life. Ultimately, you want to practice mindfulness all the time. Daily sitting practice helps to remind you to do this.
Second, the hardest part of establishing a meditation practice is remembering to meditate! That’s why I strongly recommend creating a meditation habit. When something is habitual, it takes no effort to remember to do it.