Interactive timer

Meditation timer with interval bell

Choose how long to sit, optionally choose a gentle bell at regular intervals, and press start. A soft tone and a brief flash of the page mark each interval and the end. Finished sessions are added to a small log so you can see how often you actually sit. It is a timer and a diary, not a measure of progress or wellbeing.

How to use it

Set a length, decide whether you want interval bells, and press start. Sit in a way you can stay in without strain: on a chair, a cushion or the floor, back reasonably upright and hands resting. Let your attention settle on one anchor, usually the breath or the sensations of sitting, and when it wanders, notice that and come back without scolding yourself. The bell is there so you do not have to watch the clock. The article on starting to meditate covers the basic technique, and what to do when you cannot focus is worth a read if your mind will not settle.

Keep this tab open and the screen awake while the timer runs. Browsers can slow down or pause timers in background tabs and when a phone locks, so the bell may be late or missing in that case. If you need a guaranteed end, also set a phone alarm.

The bell and the flash

There are no audio files. The soft tone is generated by your browser, which means it needs the box ticked and your device volume up, and some browsers only allow sound after you have pressed start, which is why the timer begins with a button. Interval bells use one pitch and the end uses a lower, longer tone. Each bell also briefly tints the box, so you can see it if sound is off. An interval bell only rings if it falls before the end of the session, so a ten minute sit with a ten minute interval has no interval bell, only the end bell.

The practice log

When a session runs to the end, the date and length are added to a list stored in your browser on this device. Stopping early is not logged, and that is a design choice, not a judgement: the log is meant to be a plain record of full sessions. The summary shows total sessions and minutes, how many different days you have practised, minutes in the last seven days, and the run of days in a row, counted back from today, or from yesterday if you have not sat yet today. A day with no session breaks the run. Nothing is sent to us or to anyone else. Clearing your browser data, using a different browser or a private window will lose the log, and the clear button erases it on this device. The log keeps the most recent 400 sessions.

Use the numbers lightly. A streak can turn a calming habit into one more thing to fail at. Missing a day says nothing about you, and the daily practice guide explains how to build a routine that survives ordinary life. If you want a tick-list instead of a log, try the daily practice checklist.

Limits and safety

Meditation is a general wellbeing practice, not a treatment. Some people find that sitting in silence stirs up difficult feelings, memories or anxiety. If that happens, open your eyes, move, shorten the session or stop. If distress continues or you feel unsafe, talk to a doctor or licensed mental health professional, and in a crisis contact your local emergency number or a crisis line for your country (in the US, call or text 988). Nothing on this page diagnoses or treats any condition.

Where this comes from

The advice to start with short sessions, anchor attention on a simple object such as the breath, and return gently when the mind wanders reflects the general introductions to meditation published by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, which also notes that meditation is generally considered safe for healthy people but can occasionally cause unpleasant feelings. The streak and summary arithmetic is simple counting of dates, done in your local time. This page was written from published general guidance. It has not been clinically tested, and it is general information, not medical advice. See the disclaimer.