I Meditate 20 Times A Day To Stay Centred

I meditate 20 times a day on average. But I also only meditate for about one hour total. One longer 30-minute session. Nineteen one-minute micro-meditations. Why? Because that’s how much meditation I need to stay centred. Any less, and at some point in the day I’ll slip into mindlessness. Into reactivity. Into that old place where my energy scatters and I stop feeling like myself.

You see, there’s a part of meditation most people ignore: what happens after the session ends. Yes, it’s possible to find centre while meditating. But staying centred—that’s the real discipline.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to stay centred using mindfulness, micro-meditations, and a guided practice to help you begin. But first—what does it actually mean to be centred?

What It Means To Be Centred

For years, I didn’t know what “being centred” even meant. In my teens and twenties, I was constantly knocked off course—by conflict at home, by desire, by stress, by strong emotions I couldn’t name. I wasn’t grounded. I was reactive. I was always spinning.

That’s the opposite of being centred.

To be centred means you’re rooted in your core. Anchored in your body. Aware of your values. It doesn’t mean you’re never afraid or never upset—but it means you’re not lost in those states. You can feel fear without being ruled by it. You can feel desire without abandoning your truth.

This is why staying centred isn’t just spiritual—it’s practical. When I’m centred, I’m productive. Clear. Decisive. I get through my to-do list with a strange kind of grace, because I’m not being tugged by every passing emotion or mental storm.

But how do you get centred? And how do you stay there?

As the Tao Te Ching puts it:

“Stay in the centre and you’ll be free to go any direction you choose.”

How To Get Centred

In my experience, staying centred comes down to a repeatable inner process—something I return to over and over, throughout the day.

There are four key phases:

• Calm and clear the mind
• Ground yourself in the present moment
• Tune into your deeper wisdom
• Take aligned, mindful action. Then reset. That’s where the 20 meditations come in.

Let’s walk through it.

1. Calm & Clear the Mind

Ever feel like life is pulling you in twenty directions at once? That mental noise—constant emails, notifications, inner chatter—can scatter your energy fast. So we start by clearing the noise.

Neuroscientists have found that even short meditation sessions can significantly reduce activity in the brain’s default mode network—the part responsible for self-referential thinking and mental noise (Brewer et al., Yale University, 2011).

So whether it’s a 30-minute sit, a nature walk, or one minute of deep breathing—you need some kind of reset ritual to quiet the mind. That’s your starting point.

2. Ground Yourself in the Present Moment

Once your mind is clear, drop into your body. Anchor your awareness.

This is the somatic part. Practices like breathwork, Tai Chi, Qigong, and mindful walking are all backed by research for improving interoception—the brain’s sense of internal signals—and lowering stress through vagal tone activation (Porges, Polyvagal Theory, 2009).

This is how you plant your awareness into the “now.” Not just mentally, but physically. This is how you grow roots.

What somatic exercise speaks to you? Let me know in the comments.

3. Tune In to Your Deeper Mind

Once you’ve cleared your head and grounded your body, now’s the time to listen to something deeper—your intuition and insight. That quiet voice. Your inner compass.

This step is subtle. It takes practice. In meditation, once you’ve passed the chatter and landed in stillness, there’s often a soft knowing underneath. A felt sense of “this is what matters now.” That’s the voice of centre. It’s not always verbal. But it’s there.

Research in contemplative neuroscience has linked these inner intuitions to activity in the insula and anterior cingulate cortex—regions associated with self-awareness and emotional regulation (Lutz et al., PNAS, 2004).

This is why I recommend a longer meditation session here. Let yourself drop in. Really drop in.

4. Take One Mindful Action

So you’ve heard your inner wisdom. Now act from it.

Do just one thing that’s aligned with your truth. It doesn’t have to be big. But do it mindfully. No multitasking. No rushing. Just presence. This is how you move from clarity into action.

It’s a simple idea, but it will change your day.

5. Micro-Meditation Time

Here’s where it all ties together.

After every single mindful action, pause. Just for a moment. Take one to five deep, meditative breaths. Feel your body. Let go of any noise that crept in. Return to calm. Return to now. Return to centre.

Then do it again.

This is how I meditate 20 times a day. One longer 30-minute sit. Nineteen 60-second resets. I use them between tasks. After calls. Before meals. Between thoughts. It keeps me from drifting. It keeps me from losing my place.

Stanford’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research has shown that even 60 seconds of mindfulness practice can reduce cortisol, increase focus, and shift your baseline state of mind (Jazaieri et al., 2013).

So yes—one minute counts.

This rhythm—clear, ground, listen, act, reset—that’s how I stay centred. Not once a day. All day.

And if you want to try it yourself, I’ve included a guided meditation above. It’s designed to help you experience that deep centre, the one that doesn’t vanish when the meditation ends.

Because staying centred? That’s the real practice.

Paul Harrison

Paul Harrison is a meditation teacher with 25 years of experience and a deep passion for helping others. Known for his empathy and authentic approach, he’s dedicated to guiding individuals and teams toward mindfulness, clarity, and well-being.