Tefillin

Jewish practice include phylacteries or tefillin which are worn on the arm and on the head.  This accompanies morning prayer in many synagogues.   I grew up in a reform synagogue and must admit I never saw tefillin placed until I was in my later 30s.   The ultra religious Jewish men put them on every day of the week except for shabbas and jewish holidays.   I do not feel that one must ascribe to this degree of asceticism, however, any Jewish male over the age of 13 is negligent if they do not place tefillin at least a few times a year.  The reason is that it completes the binding of ones own neshama with the mysticism of the universe.  I feel a sense of sanity during the period that I have my tefillin placed that is not acheived in any other way.  Placing tefillin is a very diligent exercise requiring a very high acuity for speaking and focusing on the substance that you emit from your entire being.  Thus the uniform exercise is to observe shacharis or morning prayers with your tefillin in place.  One must not speak anything that is of the material world, non spirutal nature or of any common day speak while wearing tefillin.   This is not commonly observed in my experiences as many Jewish men still engage in common talk even after putting on their phylacteries.  Why cant you do this?  During the entire duration of phylacterie treatment of ones soul one is communicating directly with the world to come.  If you speak in non common terms, this will be the talk in the world to come as well.  Keeping your thoughts on mystical and spirutal items is essential to ensure that your experiences in unifying your soul with the universe is a pure experience.  In fact, one is forbidden to emit flatus or enter a bathroom when wearing tefillin. 
This is my impression. I hope that it may encourage more Jewish men to take up this practice, both in their synagogue and in their own homes.  The time period I believe you should observe for tefillin should be approximately 12 minutes at the least.  At home, this is my practice as I open a prayer book and visit an array of the shacharis prayer service passages of prayer.