The exercises, prayers, and meditations below require you to focus anywhere from 30 seconds to over eight minutes. Here's why The longer the exercise/prayer/meditation and the more often it is engaged, the more we are helping to create new neural networks in our brains and bodies. These exercises literally shape us on a neurobiological level. When practiced repeatedly, they help to create habits of thinking, feeling, and behaving that better align with our aim of living wisdom, contributing to the common good, and embodying love.