How long should I meditate

How long do you think i should meditate before training that doesn't take all my time yet still gives results.

Im waiting for someone to answer the very same question, my freind... [IMG]http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubb/frown.gif[/IMG]

how long do you want... old masters meditated hours ...

my advice sit down and dont concentrate on the time concentrate on the things you should during meditation.... posture breath ....

nice day to u all cya [IMG]http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif[/IMG]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by igapetrik:
how long do you want... old masters meditated hours ...

my advice sit down and dont concentrate on the time concentrate on the things you should during meditation.... posture breath ....

nice day to u all cya [IMG]http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif[/IMG][/QUOTE]

I know but i only have so long i can meditate each day with school and everything

Hmm....like he said dont let time distract you...lets put it like this..you ask how long does it take?...well lets say you set a limit too two hours....even if you tried to meditate your mind would be clouded by how much time you have left..so the best thing to do is get some free time...do it when time is on your side like a weekend or something then take all the time you need to meditate...yes these busy days alot of us cant meditate with this busy world i know...so its hard..i can understand...but for those you do have free time and are asking this question...meditation isnt time based...its done to get rid of all the distractions such as time...to be one with yourself set aside from the world...i hope the little bit of what i said will help..and accept my forgiveness if this wasnt enlightening.

id suggest using an alarm clock if you stop and think about time half way through youl really spoil it, ive always kept my meditation and training pretty much seperate so i wouldnt have much of an opinion on how long to meditate before training, but dont see time as an obstacle even thought it is if you know what i mean, i appreciate im beig vague but cant think of a way to be more specific, your development will depend on your commitment and can take as long as it takes.

The most important aspect of timing your meditation is that you do it regularly...as in every day.

Start out with five minutes on the first day. Add half a minute on each succeeding day after that until you are up to twenty minutes, or at most, half an hour.

Hold your sitting to not more than half an hour for the first several months...or even a year. But sit every day. If you miss a day, make up the loss with an extra session (not with a twice-long session) the very next day.

If the time seems too short, rather than extend the session, do two sessions per day, morning and evening.

After a year of such daily practice, then feel free to extend the time further. But in that first year your main goal is to keep up the practice every day.

Respectfully,

Gan Uesli Starling
Kalamazoo MI USA

Everyday, 15 to 30 minutes a day. (THE BARE MINIMUM!)
Losing even one day, would set you back, in any type of meditation work.

And if you can do longer, I suggest meditating as long as possible. Or as long as your time permits.

I think if everyone would sit down for 10 minutes, to really understand what Meditating TRUELY is, then they would understand this: if you have a quiet spot, where you practice martial arts by yourself then, do ONE single attack, perfect it, learn EVERYTHING about this ONE attack. that IS meditating, not in the sense that you're learning everything about it, but in the sense that you're freeing yourself from everything, except the ONE attack. "whats meditating?"...calmness, thought of nothing, or of just one thing. see what i mean? if you're thinking of nothing except this ONE attack, isn't that the same thing as meditating on one question, idea, or object? Do any of you feel the same way, or have you just not thought about this?

anyways, back to the thread subject. why not try sitting down and clearing your head through "normal" meditation, then begin your workout, but just work on one attack the whole time. think of it as meditating, remember to let other ideas flow out of you.

its said that once you're good enough at meditating you can do it anywhere. walking down the street, fighting someone, etc. they also say once you've reached a certain point you are always in a meditation state. with that in mind, why not try my idea out.

[This message has been edited by Akemoshi (edited 02-10-2005).]

[This message has been edited by Akemoshi (edited 02-10-2005).]

if you mean one movement or one stance then maybe I can see your point, but if you're trying to perfect one martial arts technique, wouldn't that include lots of aspects (e.g power delivery, various applications, entry-exit to name just a few)?
IMHO you can use movements from MA for meditative purposes, but you'll need to remove the "contents" if you see what I mean..

For the flat-out beginner, I like to tell people start with just 10 minutes at a time. Do this every day for a week, even if you don't plan to train that day. You'll have a hard enough time just sitting still this long. Then try 15 minutes. After a week of that, move up to 20 minutes.

Something interesting starts to happen at the 20 minute threshold. You'll start to make more time for your sitting. You'll start to become a lot more aware of your body, emotions, etc. It's all about awareness.

Beyond this point, you have to find your own level. 30 minutes? 45? An hour? You'll figure it out. If someone tells you there's one amount of time that's right for everybody, stop listening to them. They're stuck in a weird place, too rigid. And rigidity does not equal discipline.

Most important, kepp in mind that there is no "goal" for meditation. A Zen teacher would say that once you're on the cushion (or chair or whatever), you're "there." No attainment with nothing to attain.

Namaste!

[This message has been edited by Kravist (edited 02-15-2005).]