Meditation Timer

Choosing a length and sticking to it

If you are new to meditation, five minutes is plenty. It is short enough that you will actually do it, and long enough to notice how busy your mind is. After a week or two of daily five-minute sits, move to ten. Many people settle at ten or twenty minutes for a daily practice and keep thirty for days when they have more time.

Decide the length before you sit, then leave it alone. Stopping early when it feels uncomfortable is understandable, but staying with the restlessness until the bell is part of the practice. Consistency tends to matter more than length, so a short sit every day usually does more than a long one once a week.

Using interval bells and ambient sound

Interval bells are optional quiet chimes during the session, for example every five minutes. They are useful as a gentle check-in: when you hear one, notice whether you are still with your breath or lost in a plan for dinner, and come back without judging yourself. Some people use them to switch between techniques, such as breath focus for the first half and a body scan for the second.

An ambient sound, such as soft rain or a low hum, can mask household noise or traffic. If you find it distracting, turn it off. Silence with only the start and end bell is a perfectly good way to practise.

When to use the meditation timer

• A daily five or ten-minute sit first thing in the morning.
• A short pause between meetings to reset your attention.
• Breathing practice or a body scan before sleep.
• Group sessions in a class or office, with one shared bell.
• Quiet prayer, reflection or journaling time with a clear end.

How to use the meditation timer

1. Pick a preset of 5, 10, 20 or 30 minutes, or set your own length.
2. Turn on interval bells if you want gentle reminders, and choose how often they ring.
3. Choose an ambient sound or leave it off for silence.
4. Press Start, settle into a comfortable position and close your eyes when the first bell rings.
5. Open your eyes when you hear the closing bell, and take a moment before getting up.

Tips for a steadier practice

• Sit at the same time each day so the habit attaches to something you already do, such as morning tea.
• Test the bell volume before you start, so it is clear but not startling.
• Put your phone on silent or do not disturb, and leave the timer tab in front.
• When your mind wanders, simply notice and return to the breath. That return is the practice.
• Begin shorter than you think you can manage. Building up slowly is easier than recovering from a session that felt like a struggle.

Meditation timer FAQ

Related tools

• Breathing timer
• Ambient sounds
• Meditation timer collection