Meditating 60 min 1 time a day or 30 min 2 times

[Emne]

I want to meditate around 60 minutes every day. Does it matter if I do it all at once or instead meditate 30 minutes twice a day?

[Enlightenment]

It's important to reach at least 45 minutes in one sitting. 

[Peo]

I think is better to do it 1 hour in stead of mediating 30 min twice a day. Once your meditation gets into the 40-60 minutes your meditation gets much deeper. For me personally in the 40-60 minutes my mind is much more silent and i can even have some non-dual experience, but its only happened to me two times.

Edited March 24, 2019 by Peo
forgot something

[Vipassana]

Build up to two 60 min sits

[Consilience]

I would say one 60 min > two 30 mins. But! If all your schedule allows is two 30 minute schedules, that’s what’s most important imo. 

12 hours ago, Peo said:

I think is better to do it 1 hour in stead of mediating 30 min twice a day. Once your meditation gets into the 40-60 minutes your meditation gets much deeper. For me personally in the 40-60 minutes my mind is much more silent and i can even have some non-dual experience, but its only happened to me two times.

Interestingly, Ive had experiences where the meditation quality started to degrade at around the 40 minute mark and by 60 mins moneky mind was on full throttle. But Ive also experienced exactly what you’re talking about haha.

[tedens]

..so..feel that.. while practice along

Edited March 25, 2019 by tedens

[Forestluv]

I think the consistency as a daily practice is a more important factor. 

[Joseph Maynor]

For newbies I would suggest the 60 mins per day for 1 hour per day.  As you get more advanced you can meditate for shorter segments.  I meditated for 60 mins per day for a couple of years religiously and I can't over-stress the impact this had on my Enlightenment work and practice.

Edited March 25, 2019 by Joseph Maynor

[tedens]

11 minutes ago, Serotoninluv said:

I think the consistency as a daily practice is a more important factor. 

Here's a little problem...cause of distractions.

Edited March 25, 2019 by tedens

[still_no_satori]

Quoting from a book by Eknath Easwaran...

The heart of this program is meditation: half an hour every morning, as early as convenient. Do not increase this period; if you want to meditate more, have half an hour in the evening also, preferably at the very end of the day.

Its only fair to point out that Easwaran is a practitioner of 'passage meditation' and that is his chosen method but still...if a master of meditation says 30 minutes is fine then it is fine. 

10 hours ago, Serotoninluv said:

I think the consistency as a daily practice is a more important factor. 

This is the takeaway.

Make it daily and make it something you KNOW you can sustain long term. In life in general it is much more important to commence a habit you will ACTUALLY DO than something that is supposedly optimal but that doesn't resonate with you. It is better to go to the gym twice a week for life than every day for 2 months straight, then get sick of it and never go again. 

Edited March 25, 2019 by still_no_satori

[wren]

I’d agree with the 1 x 60 mins. I also find the sweet spot a little over 40 mins. 

 

But it most interestingly lately I have felt the benefits of doing it at the same time. For me it is most natural first thing in the morning. And when I sometimes sleep in on a Sunday morning, at the same time I would normally be meditating, I feel a tingling run right through me. 

[ivory]

It takes about three months to get used to a meditation practice. Try it one way for three months, then if you still want to explore the alternative, then try that for three months. Meditation is something you're going to be doing the rest of your life so take some time to explore and find out what works for you. No rush.

[Markus]

@Emne It does make a difference, I would assume. You should try it for yourself. One longer session might be more challenging/allow you to go deeper. Two sessions might allow you to stay more mindful throughout the day. So try it out and see what you like.

[sidaz10]

so meditate 60 min what about self inquiry 60min too ?

[Truth Addict]

@Emne

Consistency is just for building your discipline.

You should meditate as much as you need to, might be 5 mins, might be 5 hours.

@sidaz10 It's better to place quality above quantity at first.

Once quality is maintained, quantity is a matter of discipline.

Edited March 28, 2019 by Truth Addict