Most of the time when people talk about meditation, you hear a couple of things:
· It’s really great and has tons of benefits
· You should do it consistently, usually daily
When this is what you always hear, it might surprise you to also hear that you might be better off doing short meditations rather than long ones.
If it’s so good for you, and you should do it daily, then doesn’t it also make sense that you should meditate for as long as you can each day? Not necessarily. If you can find long periods of time in your day to fit in a lengthy meditation, more power to you.
But there is an argument to be made for doing short meditations.
Others are more likely to understand and leave you alone
Maybe your spouse doesn’t get why you meditate. Or you might have kids who won’t leave you alone for a 30–60 minute meditation. Perhaps you have a roommate that isn’t into the whole be quiet and respect your roomie thing.
When you share a space with other people, or are responsible for little humans, finding time for a lengthy meditation that doesn’t get interrupted can be pretty rare. But you can usually find 15 minutes or so to practice a short one. Sometimes you can even sneak off on a “bathroom break” and get a 2–3 minute meditation done if that’s all you can manage.
You can do more than one
When you do shorter meditations, it makes it easier to find time for them. But it also leaves it open for you to practice multiple times a day when you have more time. This can be really useful if you meditate to reduce anxiety or stress, because it allows you to practice whenever you need it.
You can arm yourself with an arsenal of short meditations that fit your needs, from anxiety or stress reduction to breath awareness and more. Whether you use an app where you favorite these meditations, download them into your phone, or simply commit them to memory or do what comes naturally, you can easily access the calm, peaceful state that comes with meditation anytime, anywhere.
When you understand that even a short meditation can help, it becomes much easier to find a meditation short enough to suit however much time you have when you feel the need.