What better way to start your day than to meditate in the morning? Starting the day right by meditating for about 20 minutes (or less!) can help kickstart your morning. By centering yourself early in the day, you’ll be ready for the challenges the day brings.
Even if lots of people like to regularly meditate in the morning, many find it hard to stick with the habit. Understandably, some can be a bit hesitant with the idea because it seems to be too daunting and too time-consuming.
Some feel overwhelmed about having to give up a few minutes of sleep just to meditate in the morning. While some just don’t know how to do it. For this article, I’ll share with you how to meditate in the morning as well as the reasons why you should do it.
This guide will also give you some simple tips that you can follow so you can include meditation as a daily practice in your life. Whether you do it for 30 minutes, 20 minutes or even for 5 minutes.
The important thing is you start today.
Why Should I Meditate In The Morning?
Meditation, even when it is not done in the morning, can help with your physical, mental, and emotional health. But, choosing to do it in the morning can bring even more benefits to your life such as the following:
Boost Energy
Meditation helps with the release of endorphins, which do not only improve the mood but also give a boost of energy. When you start the day with lots of energy, you’d feel better and you’ll be more ready to take on whatever the day brings. Of course, adding movement and a bit of yoga to your morning meditation will help with the energy boost!
Start The Day With Positivity
With meditation early in the morning, you can start the day with positivity. This can set the mood throughout the day. Most people start the day with an alarm and then a list of things to do. That can be daunting because waking up with an alarm may not set you in the best mood. Add a list of chores to do and you can feel overwhelmed. With meditation, the day can start more peacefully.
Prepare The Mind For Challenges
Meditation also helps the mind to prepare to tackle any challenge. You don’t just feel positive but you can also analyze things better. The subconscious mind is at peace and you don’t need to panic because you can see situations in a better view. You’ll also be able to think clearly and find solutions to those challenges.
Relieves Stress And Anxiety
Calming yourself with meditation at the beginning of the day when nothing has happened yet makes it easier not to feel stressed or worried about things that might not happen.
Helps In Multitasking
When you’re prepping for a busy day, meditation in the morning also helps. Some say that you can’t really multitask but you actually can. Driving is one form of multitasking because you do several actions. You use your eyes to watch out for pedestrians on the road, other vehicles, as well as the various meters found on the dashboard.
You also use the ears to listen to sirens and horns. Meditation helps train your mind to have an intense focus on the task or tasks you need to do.
How To Meditate In The Morning
Well, now that we know the many benefits of meditating in the morning, may this be enough to help you get started with getting into this routine. Here are the steps that you can follow:
Wake Up A Few Minutes Earlier
If you are afraid that you’ll be late just because you are meditating, then take an extra step of waking up earlier for your meditation. You don’t need to wake up hours in advance because a few minutes of meditation will already do you good. You can extend your meditation sessions as you like.
Wear Comfortable Clothing
You don’t need to dress up to meditate. Just remember to wear comfortable clothing like this Harlem pants. Find clothes that you can move freely with. Wear the ones that are not scratchy or will limit your movements. You can certainly meditate in whatever you’re wearing while sleeping but just make sure it’s comfortable.
Find An Appropriate Space
You can meditate just about anywhere in your house. You can even meditate at a hotel bed when you’re on vacation. The important thing is you find a place where you won’t be disturbed.
A dedicated room for meditation is ideal. But in reality, that may not be suited for all. Most simply find a corner in their room and sit on a meditation cushion or zafu zabuton set to meditate. You can also improve the ambiance by lighting up some scented candles or diffusing essential oils for aromatherapy.
Figure Out The Best Technique
There are many different techniques to meditate. If one isn’t working for you, you should try the others until you find one suited for your lifestyle and preference. Some involve breathing control while others have a mantra that you should recite. Some can be combined with movement and yoga to enable you to get your day started energetically. At first, some may feel weird but if you just let go and do them, you’ll figure out which one is best suited for you.
Set A Timer
Sometimes, when you’re fully meditating, you won’t be able to tell how much time has already gone by. If you have appointments or work in the morning, using a timer will help prevent that. If you don’t have anything scheduled for the day, you can meditate as long as you want.
I’m not a huge fan of meditation apps, as they can introduce distraction into a practice that is generally focused around eliminating distractions. However, the Insight Timer is a nice, free meditation timer app that doesn’t require a subscription.
Repeat Daily
All the preparations and stuff that you prepare would be useless if you don’t stick to your meditation routine. When you find a technique that works for you, find the time and the inspiration to do it regularly.
Start Healthy: Morning Meditation Techniques
Meditation can be different for all. Some techniques work best for others while some find them not relaxing at all. Instead of pushing the body to meditate using a technique that works for someone else, it is best to find a suitable technique for yourself. Several techniques are easy and simple enough even for beginners. Here are a few techniques you should try out.
Concentration Meditation
Breathing concentration meditation is a very popular technique because of its simplicity. This is very easy to do and there are no tools needed to go into this kind of meditation. This meditation can be done alone. All you need to do is to focus on each breath. Each inhales and exhale should be thought of.
Keep the attention on the air flowing through the nostrils, and try not to let it waver. When it does, acknowledge that and bring your attention back to the breath.
Don’t consider each time you lose the breath to be a failure. Rather, consider each time you bring it back to be a victory! Quickly, you’ll get better at this technique.
Loving Kindness / Metta Meditation
This is one of my favorite types of meditation. It’s very easy: simply think of someone you love very much, and let your love for them fill you up as much as possible. While holding that love in your heart, begin to transfer your thoughts to people a bit further away from you. Maybe a cousin you haven’t seen in a while. Give them your love. Then take further steps, maybe to the barista at the cafe. Give them your love. Then take another step, until you’re giving love to people you’ve never met, and eventually to everyone in the world.
This exercise can make you feel really good and is a joyful meditation.
Guided Meditation
With guided meditations, some tools are used to help you relax such as music. There are lots of resources online that can provide guided meditations. These provide instructions on what to do or what to think and you just have to follow. Soothing music also accompanies the instructions for better relaxation and meditation.
Mantra Meditation
Sometimes, there are just so many things that cross your mind that you can’t relax because they keep popping up. To quiet your mind, mantra meditation can help by giving positive affirmations by simply repeating a word, words or sound.
Some people may laugh or maybe uncomfortable while humming or saying “om” while meditating but focusing on repeating those clears the mind of other thoughts. You can choose any mantra you’d like to say and repeat as long as you are comfortable with it.
Candle Staring
The candle staring technique is another good one that helps people who can’t focus while meditating. This is great for visual people whose attention can be captured with what they see. By staring at a candle, the focus is on how the flame moves. This helps people simply release other thoughts racing in their heads and just focus on the dancing flame.
Walking Meditation
Meditation isn’t limited to sitting in one position for a long time. Some people may be uncomfortable while sitting for prolonged periods, and movement is good! Walking meditation is a good technique that relaxes the mind and gives the body some exercise. You could even consider adding a bit of yoga to your walk, as well.
Those who are uncomfortable with the silence and stillness of other meditation techniques can use this to fell less stressed while still clearing the mind. Some walk-in fast pace while others take their time and slow down. This can also be done with the aid of music.
Bath Meditation
Bath meditation is soothing not only for the mind but also for the body. Relaxed muscles can be soothed with a hot bath and having this quiet time would be enough to feel like you’ve escaped life’s stressors.
Meditation and relaxing aren’t the same as sleeping and doing it while in the bathtub can help you stay awake. This technique is perfect after a tiring day at work but it can also be done in the morning before your day starts.
Mindfulness Meditation
This meditation technique may be a bit more challenging for beginners and even for novices but it is worth a try. No props are needed with this kind of meditation and this is improved as you practice.
This kind of meditation focuses on the self and on now. When doing this, you focus first on yourself and how you breathe. That focus is expanded to the other sensations that the body feels. You notice of the things that are connected or touching the body then focus on the things that you can hear. Afterwhich the process is reversed until you focus on your breath once again.
This meditation can be combined with bits of yoga and movement as well.
Related Questions
Is It Bad To Meditate At Night?
Meditation isn’t bad no matter what time it is. Meditation at night can help people sleep better because it can calm the mind. It can be difficult to sleep when you have lots of ideas or thoughts rushing in your head. You can quiet it down so you can sleep better through meditation. See here for more information on meditation in bed.
How Long Should A Beginner Meditate?
The length of the meditation is a personal thing. Most people don’t start with it because they think they have to spend a lot of time to meditate. The truth is, you can meditate for as little as 5 to 10 minutes a day. This length of time is perfect for beginners who just want to try it out. Some even meditate for only 1-2 minutes to start with then lengthen as you progress.
If you can stretch it out to 20 minutes or more, that’s great. But start slowly, and build up as you can.
Is longer meditation better?
Yes and no, a meditation that lasts for about half an hour is better than meditating for just a couple of minutes because it gives the mind a deeper level of self-awareness. On the contrary, longer meditations may not be better for some people especially if they are not comfortable with it.
The length of time is a personal preference, others want to mediate longer because they feel better with it. The length of time should not be forced, it should come naturally.
Conclusion
Meditation in the morning is a good activity to add to your routine. The duration will depend on your personal preference. It shouldn’t be forced but one should be open to trying it out. It has lots of benefits, which everyone should look forward to.
To mediate in the morning, you’d have to set a time for it. In the beginning, it may feel uncomfortable but it will feel natural as you progress. Also, there are different meditation techniques and finding one that best suits you will help you stick to your morning meditation routine.
