Meditation Timer

Consistency beats length. Most of the studies that found benefits from mindfulness meditation, including better attention, lower reported stress and small improvements in blood pressure, used sessions of 10 to 20 minutes on most days, often as part of an eight-week programme. A daily ten minutes is worth more than an occasional hour. If you are starting, five minutes is a perfectly good session; the aim in the first weeks is to make sitting down a habit, not to endure it.

The timer's presets run from 5 to 60 minutes. Set the interval bell if you want a gentle marker every few minutes; many people use it as a cue to notice where their attention has gone and bring it back, which is the actual practice.

1. Sit upright on a chair or cushion, hands resting, eyes closed or lowered.
2. Settle for the first minute: notice the weight of the body and the sounds in the room.
3. Follow the breath, usually at the nostrils or the belly. Do not control it; just feel it.
4. When you notice the mind has wandered, which it will within seconds, note that and return to the breath without commentary. That return is the repetition that trains attention.
5. Finish gently when the closing bell sounds: a few deeper breaths, open the eyes, take a moment before standing.

The optional breathing guide on this page animates a slow rhythm (about six breaths per minute) that many people find calming. It is a useful on-ramp for those who find silent sitting difficult, and the standalone breathing exercise tool offers box breathing and 4-7-8 patterns for the same purpose.

The bells are synthesised in the browser, so there is nothing to download and no risk of an advert or a notification interrupting a session. The opening bell marks the start, interval bells can repeat every 1 to 15 minutes, and the closing bell rises gradually rather than snapping you out. If you prefer sound throughout, open the white noise generator in another tab; rain or a low fan sound masks household noise well without giving the mind something to follow.

• Is it better with eyes open or closed? Either. Closed is easier for beginners; open with a soft downward gaze suits people who get sleepy.
• What is the best time of day? Whenever you will actually do it. Morning sessions tend to survive busy days better; evening sessions help with sleep for some people and make others too alert.
• What if I fall asleep? Sit more upright, open the eyes, or meditate earlier in the day. If you are constantly falling asleep, you are probably short of sleep; a nap may be the more honest answer.
• Should I count breaths? Counting to ten and starting again is a well-tested aid for a wandering mind. Drop it once attention is steadier.