Lengthening Meditation Times (with transcript)

Q&A: Lengthening Meditation Times

I have a problem going past 30 minutes. What do I do?

Master Culadasa explains how to extend the length of our meditation time.

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Student: I still have a problem going passed 30 minutes.

Culadasa: With how long you sit? Yeah. Now, usually when somebody begins to practice, they'll start off with a shorter period of time and then gradually extend it. And you need to push yourself.

If you always meditate for a particular period of time, and then you try to sit longer than that, there is some part of your mind that's going to say, "Hey, I thought we were done!", and it's going to turn on the switch that floods your mind with a feeling of restlessness and impatience.

Right? And so in order to extend your meditation time, you're going to have remember not to say, "Oh, I'm restless and impatient, I guess I better quit and go do something else" and instead say, "Oh, there's restlessness and impatience arising. Oh yeah, I should have known that would happen. Oh well, now let me go back to my breath." And then you can go beyond that.

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