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.

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.


Added at Sept. 26, 2020
Original file name length20sep09.mp3

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