Sometimes we can set our own pace with the progression of a practice, other times we can benefit from a little guidance. Here are some general rules that can help you to advance your own practice over time.

1) You may determine that in your busy day you only have time to do 5 minutes of meditation, no more. That is fine. This is much better than doing none at all. It will serve you in your day when you start it with a little calmness.

2) Over time you may discover that you absolutely love the benefits of a meditation practice. As a result you may want to stretch that 5 minutes out to a 10 minute period. Then as you become even more disciplined, you want to sit even longer. After a number of years, like this author, you may find yourself sitting for 90 minutes in meditation because you love how it helps you in every area of your life. Listen to yourself to determine when you are ready to sit a little longer.

3) With most meditations there is no set time limit, or recommended rate at which to lengthen the duration. In a running program you will find that you add a certain number of minutes to a run in order to slowly build up the stress on the muscles. This is not so in meditation. Of course, if you find that you cannot sit for 5 minutes without any moment of inner peace, it may not be such a good idea to increase the length of your meditation to 10 minutes.

4) You may find yourself so deeply caught up in a meditation that a much longer length of time was spent sitting than was planned. This is OK, provided it is not on the morning of a big job interview. Part of the joy of meditation is experiencing a state where time seems to fly by. Of course it is because of experiences like that that we can benefit from having a timer nearby, so that we can remember to attend to our earthly responsibilities.

5) If you are following the guidelines of a meditation teacher, ask them for specifics on how to advance it. There are certain techniques that should only be progressed upon instruction from outside guidance. This is especially the case with some of the more powerful techniques passed on from spiritual men and women. For all the meditations in this guide, you can progress as you see fit.

Below is a meditation tracker worksheet. Use this to keep a track of your progress with your meditations.