Meditation: How Much Time Does It Really Take?

Question:

"How much time does meditation really take?"

Saundra Jain, MA, PsyD, LPC:

When you mention meditation and its many benefits, people often imagine a solitary robed monk sitting in a traditional lotus position for hours on end. As you await their response, you can almost see the person’s anxiety increase, as they are lost in images of a monk deep in meditation.

Even though many of us yearn for a moment of peace and quiet, the prospect of meditation seems instantly intolerable.  

I often hear people say:

“I could never sit still for that long.”

“My mind never slows down enough to do that.”

“I can’t make my mind go blank.”

The list of excuses goes on and on. Our fast-paced, on-the-go society does not support a moment of quiet reflection. How often do friends, colleagues, or family members reject an invitation for coffee or lunch with this reply, “I’m just too busy.”?

Being busy and productive are inherent expectations, which our society rewards over a contemplative lifestyle. Sure, we’ll all talk about how great that would be but very few actually walk the walk and talk the talk. To be honest, there’s a price to be paid.  When I was growing up, one of my dad’s favorite sayings was, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch”. He actually knew a lot more than I realized at the time. Here’s a question worthy of our attention:

Can we incorporate meditation into a busy lifestyle?

The good news is there is no set rule about how much time it takes to reap the benefits of meditation. In fact, a little goes a long way! Let’s take a quick look at some of the benefits before we address the question of time. One study shows that at a neurobiological level, there are volumetric increases in both the amygdala and the hippocampus after just eight weeks of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MBCT). 1,2 Based on this information, meditation is good for the brain! Don’t you agree?

Let’s not stop there. We are all practicing clinicians so how does meditation make sense when it comes to our clinical practices? Here’s yet another bit of good news. MBCT shows promising results when dealing with Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Treatment-Resistant Depression.3,4,5 All in all, incorporating meditation into our clinical practices makes sense.

Time is a hot commodity. How much meditation is required to get true benefit?  

1) One hour, twice a day, seven days a week,

2) One hour, once a day, seven days a week

3) Thirty minutes, once a day, seven days a week

 4) Twenty minutes, once a day for three consecutive days

The answer: 4) Twenty minutes a day for three consecutive days! It simply doesn’t take that much time to garner the benefits of meditation. I wish we had more time to talk about this exciting topic. Alas, time is limited. I hope you’ll join me this year at the US Psychiatric Congress where I’ll be presenting a session entitled: “ Brief, Brief, Brief! Scientific Breakthroughs and Clinical Applications of Ultra Short Meditation Training” where we’ll take a closer look at the benefits of brief meditation.

See you in San Diego!

Saundra Jain, MA, PsyD, LPC

1 Hölzel BK et al. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci . 2010;5(1):11-17.

2 Hölzel BK et al. Psychiatry Res . 2011;191(1):36-43.

3 Kim B et al. J Anxiety Disord . 2010;24(6):590-595.

4 Evans S et al. J Anxiety Disord . 2008;22(4):716-722.

5 Kenny MA, Williams JM. Behav Res Ther . 2007;45(3):617-625.