Q: Barb,
Are you sure 5 minutes every day is enough time to meditate? I have heard from many teachers that you have to do 20 or 30 minutes.
A: So many people ask me this question. All meditation teachers are sharing
their personal experiences and what works for them. I, too, for many years practiced this way by following a particular teacher who said anything less than 30 minutes wasn’t really meditation. Then in 2007 I went on retreat with the Dalai Lama and I saw this quote by A View on Buddhism “One should realize that continuity in meditation is considered essential; better five minutes a day, every day, than 2 hours once a week. For example, five minutes in the morning are likely to become longer over time, and can easily become part of your everyday life.” This completely opened my mind and heart to the concept that meditation is a “sitting with yourself” every day to connect within, the length of time is not nearly as important as the consistency of practicing every day. So this is what I teach in my book, The Practice, wake-up every morning and the first thing you should do is connect with yourself in meditation.
Blessings and love,
Barb