Extended meditation allows you to become the calm observer of your thoughts and emotions
The idea of emulating the tradition of Buddhist monks and spending hours – if not days – meditating, might seem fanciful to many. After all, a lifestyle that can support extended absences from work or family responsibilities is rare. I certainly don’t have a surplus of free time. Yet I’ve found that with a little planning, long periods of meditation can be incorporated into regular life.
It’s something that I’ve been doing for more than a decade now and it’s improved both my physical and mental health. On the former, it’s helped me to work through back pain, tension, and given me the energy to combat chronic fatigue. For the latter, it has provided me with a way to escape from my maze of thoughts and find a deep sense of peace and clarity of mind.
Extended meditation is beneficial when it is a natural evolution of your practice and doesn’t feel forced.
Arguably, these benefits grow exponentially depending on how long you can dedicate to the practice. But wellbeing and mindfulness instructor Hanna Bilko stresses that regularity is more important than time. Brief but consistent will be far more effective than extended but sporadic practice.
To begin with, try to carve out short spells at least a few times a week when you can practise mindfulness, whether it’s meditation, yoga, or Tai Chi. If possible, build up to a daily routine, as this could help to sustain the benefits. The next is to extend the sessions. Hanna suggests gentle increments of maybe five minutes a week until you get to a length that feels right for you. ‘This might change over time, or even from day-to-day,’ she says. ‘In my own practice, I have days where a shorter meditation is all I want and need.’
Buddhist tradition certainly indicates that it’s important not to force yourself to meditate for longer periods than you are comfortable with, or to get hung up on how much time you’re setting aside for the practice. It is, after all, about being present in the moment, which is the opposite of what’s referred to as striving – seeking a material or end goal. Extended meditation is beneficial when it is a natural evolution of your practice and doesn’t feel forced. The idea isn’t that it becomes another chore to add to a to-do list.
Starting a session with the thought you’re not leaving the cushion for one hour might see you focusing determinedly on the clock until you’ve notched up your 60 minutes. Hanna points out that ‘if you spend the whole time waiting for it to be over, you’re not going to get a lot out of the practice’. You’re likely to become disconnected from the sensations in your body and less aware of your breathing. One way to counteract this is to notice any feelings of striving, let the thoughts drift by, and then bring your focus back to the present.
The period of meditation is, of course, also dependent on how much time you have available. But if you find yourself thinking you just don’t have a spare hour, you could try to look at it from another perspective. It might be, for example, that an extended session helps you to think more clearly and increases your productivity for the day, or you could even discover it means you need less rest.
A 2010 study by the University of Kentucky, carried out in Delhi, India, looked at sleeping patterns of seven regular meditators, who practised for two or more hours daily, compared to 23 control participants. They discovered that, on average, the practitioners slept for five hours and 12 minutes per night whereas their non-meditating counterparts needed seven hours and 48 minutes.
Longer sessions can, however, pose challenges beyond time constraints. The process of going deeper into the mind can bring up strong feelings, both physical and mental. When considering the former, Hanna suggests asking yourself if you can feel relaxed about the discomfort: ‘Listen to your body, if it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it,’ she says.
‘Move around and stretch between sessions, or try some yoga poses.’ Sometimes being still and present with mild pain can help to release it, but there will be occasions when it’s better to move around or end the meditation. Psychologically, you might find strong emotions, including anger and sadness, swim up to the surface during stillness. This can be surprising when you’ve entered the practice hoping to find calm and to feel relaxed but it’s completely natural.
The brain has myriad coping mechanisms for storing emotional traumas and sometimes the action of being present can unlock buried or repressed feelings that you might have been unconsciously avoiding, or that felt too painful to bear. Doing things that ground you in physical reality after a meditation session can help. Routine activities such as walking or showering can ease your transition back to your day. For some, crying or releasing these feelings might be as much a part of the healing process as sitting and noticing breaths.
Putting emotions into words can also be beneficial. Professor of psychiatry at UCLA Dr Daniel J Siegel coined the phrase ‘name it to tame it’ to explain how articulating emotions could help people to cope with strong feelings. Journalling can also be an effective way to explore thoughts that come to the fore during and after a practice.
An extended session helps you to think more clearly and increases your productivity for the day.
Of course, long meditations won’t be practical or work for everyone. That’s totally fine and there’s no need to worry. Instead, try harnessing your full attention and awareness to everyday activities, as well as pastimes. This will increase and lengthen the mindful moments in your day, almost an extended practice in itself. And ultimately the benefits of meditation are seen when they are interwoven into daily life.
As Hakuin Ekaku, a Japanese Buddhist from the early 18th century, said:
‘While yet you live, practise meditation. Do not meditate only in a dark corner, but meditate always, standing, sitting, moving, and resting. When your meditation continues throughout waking and sleeping, wherever you are is heaven itself.’
A HOME-BASED MINI RETREAT
Hanna explains how to use your time to create space for dedicated self-care
I love a home mini retreat. Labelling it such makes it feel surprisingly special and indulgent. It gives you the opportunity to commit fully to self-care and feel justified in doing so. Incorporate props that differentiate the experience from just meditation – candles, incense sticks, music, cosy blankets, and cushions. Set them up slowly and delicately, turning this into part of the self-care ritual. You can also include other wellbeing practices beyond meditation, like starting with a relaxing breathing exercise, mindfully enjoying an immune-boosting tea, and finishing with a gratitude exercise.
Schedule a mini retreat as you would if you were actually going to an external setting. Arrange the time, the space, the props, the moment. And try not to wait until you’re at breaking point – self-care is most effective if it’s practised as part of regular life.
FIND YOUR BREATH
How to ease into your practice
- Sit comfortably in a room or area where you won’t be disturbed or distracted.
- Breathe naturally through your nose and bring conscious awareness to your breath, without trying to fix or change it. You might notice your breathing pattern naturally relaxing and deepening as the meditation continues but don’t try to force it.
- Notice the sensations that come with each inhalation and exhalation out of your nostrils.
- Continue to breathe through your nose. After each full inhale and exhale, count to 10. If you lose your place, return to one. This can also be reversed, so that the counting takes place before the start of each inhale.
- If your mind wanders, consciously try to stay present. Notice your thoughts and return to your breath, then continue counting.
- When ready, come out of the meditation by slowly opening your eyes and being still for a moment. Take your time reacclimatising to your surroundings.
