A whole forum just for practice logs, that's alright isn't it?
Haven't meditated regularly for ages and I feel maybe it would be good to get back into it, not for any specific enlightenment goals but to cultivate some peace and inner pleasure at least, and maybe to return to that place where you lose distinction between self and objects. I know it's supposed to be something of a trap, to want to use meditation for just pleasure, but I could do with it.
So maybe something simple like watching the breath for a couple of weeks, hour a day maybe - if I can get myself to take the trouble - I'm not sure if I have any capacity for that any more.

Concentration for pleasure can be a trap, but compared to no contemplation is instead a hook, like a loss leader, and it does develop valuable skills, and can be really healing and healthful, as well as profound and transformative in its own way, so I recommend it if the alternative is not doing anything.

I have two recommendations


1) Work your way up to an hour. If you think you might burn out or flake out on doing this, start with 20 minutes of breath watching or counting or whathave you

2) rather than do it for pleasure, try to learn the jhanas, which can be quite rapturous indeed and are one of the key factors of insight, should you choose to apply your concetration skills toward insight later on.

-max

OK thank you both. Yes I should have a look at what the jhanas are about, formal buddhism isn't something I'm familiar with and it would be as well to see where my own experiences fit in or not.

I concur with both of mma's points. Start with a time you can do comfortably, then increment as you can. Getting past the hour mark is where the Jhana factors first emerged for me.

Eric