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As the sun rises, a new day begins. This fresh start is, for many, an optimal time to settle into meditation as it provides a clean slate for us to create our lives upon.
Whether you are new to meditation or an experienced practitioner, setting a habit of daily morning meditation can empower your waking life.
Many people are curious as to what time is the best time to meditate.
While there are no steadfast rules to meditation, there are numerous benefits of morning meditation that encourage exploration of this type of daily habit.
By starting your day on a mindful note, you set a subtle but strong tone for the rest of the day.
As with any type of wellness habit, the best ones are the ones that you actually do.
So, as you explore your own morning meditation practice, be mindful of making it truly yours – something you will look forward to settling into each day as you rise into wakefulness.
There are numerous morning meditation tips to consider that can empower your personal practice and make it more effective.
Each of these tips will help you to design your unique meditation practice so that it works best for you and your lifestyle.
10 Morning Meditation Tips
1. For the best morning meditation, start as soon as you rise.
When your alarm goes off (or if you wake naturally when your body prompts itself out of sleep), take a few moments to become conscious of that subtle transition between sleep and wakefulness.
Beginning your day by being mindful of this transition is a great way to set your stage for a consciously-directed day of activity.
Now, while we’re all unique and thrive on different schedules, if you’re interested in creating a lifestyle that includes morning meditation, it’s best to get into the habit of starting right away.
Rather than becoming immediately consumed by social media or the needs of other people in your household, make it a priority to meditate before tending to the world.
Making meditation a first-thing priority sends a message to the universe – and to ourselves – that shows our commitment to self-care, the spiritual journey, and our overall well being.
If your morning is tight and doesn’t include much space for meditation first thing in the morning, or if you have young children that require your immediate assistance, see if you can squeeze in a 5-minute meditation – even if you don’t get out of bed to do it.
By focusing your attention on your breath for even just a short while, you remind yourself to be right where you are, which is really the only place we ever are.
If a first-thing meditation doesn’t feel right to you, know that this isn’t a rule set in stone. You might need to engage with the day first before sitting down for meditation.
2. Set your phone to airplane mode each night to avoid distractions upon waking.
Avoiding morning distractions can be difficult.
With countless apps that send notifications at all hours and friends or family that may message during the night, setting your phone to airplane mode before bed can be an incredibly helpful habit to keep your mind set on morning meditation.
For the best morning meditation, you’ll want your mind to be as uncluttered as possible.
By removing the potential to become inundated with notifications when you rise, you’ll be more tuned into the present moment and to yourself.
This is challenging for a lot of us. We’re heavily reliant upon our phones and other personal devices, so having to sit in mindful awareness before engaging with these devices can be uncomfortable.
Explore this discomfort (if it is present) with a meditative perspective, becoming curious about and compassionate towards your experience.
3. Set a short-term goal to make morning meditation a habit.
Daily morning meditation is most effective when it’s just that: daily.
It’s not always easy to create a new habit or routine, but it’s an important step if we wish to really explore the potential that morning meditation has to offer.
Set a goal for yourself to meditate every morning for one week.
Once you have one week under your belt, add another week… and then another.
Setting challenging but realistic goals will help to keep you motivated.
Don’t overwhelm with yourself – and remember to be patient. Creating new healthy habits takes time.
How long should you meditate in the morning?
It depends on how comfortable and experienced you are with meditation, as well as what your daily routine looks like.
With that said, it’s important to have a specific time in mind for the duration of your short-term goal.
So, you might start off with ten minute meditations each morning for one week and then reassess after day seven.
4. Stretch lightly before you sit for daily morning meditation.
Sitting up straight after you’ve been in bed for seven or eight hours can be uncomfortable, and if your body is tense during meditation, it will be harder to focus on the present moment or whatever other anchor you’ve chosen for your practice.
After you wake up, take a few moments to stretch, either in bed or on the floor in your room.
Light movements will get the blood flowing and help to stretch out any tight muscles.
There are a variety of yoga poses that you can explore, or you can simply follow the call of your body.
Depending on your mobility and your present moment needs for movement, your morning stretches will be unique to who you are.
5. Alternatively, if staying in bed makes morning meditation easier, focus on mindful breathing before you rise.
On the other hand, getting out of bed before meditating is not a requirement.
Again, remind yourself that the best morning meditation is the one that you actually do.
If sitting in formal meditation position first thing in the morning seems too challenging for you at this point, stay right where you are.
You can meditate in bed in either a lying down or upright position. An upright position is ideal in most cases as it symbolizes the transition into outward action.
Whether you decide to rest flat on your back or prop yourself up to rest with your back against the wall or headboard, simply take a few minutes while in bed to begin your meditation practice.
Many people wonder how to meditate in the morning, and the answer is that it’s no different than any other time – except that you are allowed to stay in bed if this helps!
One of the simplest ways of meditating in the morning is to practice breath awareness.
A form of mindfulness meditation, breath awareness involves simply following each inhalation and each exhalation.
This is a wonderful grounding practice to help root you into the physical world before moving forward with your daily activities.
If you require extra support with this, you can explore a guided morning meditation to keep you focused.
If you wish to move into a more formal meditation practice once out of bed, you are more than welcome to!
6. Consider walking meditation if this feels better suited for you.
Walking meditation is another great practice that can help to get the body and mind prepared for mindful action.
You can practice walking meditation indoors or outdoors, whichever suits your personal circumstances.
If the natural world around the place you live is inspiring, an outdoor walk can help you to reconnect with the abundance and blessing of each new day.
As humans in a modern, technological world, we too often lose sight of the natural world around us.
Mindfully walking through your neighbourhood, becoming aware of all the incredible life forms that contribute to the functioning of the whole, can give you a mental boost and spark positivity, gratitude, and joy.
Some of the benefits of morning meditation (much like meditation at any other time of the day) is that it helps us to tune into what is actually present versus whatever lives as imagery in the mind.
By tuning into the present moment through a walking meditation, you become more aware of everything that filters in through your senses, as well as of the physical body.
Starting the day this way inspires peace and contentment.
7. Reap the benefits of morning meditation by tuning into the energies of the sun.
What makes morning meditation different to evening meditation? Or to meditation at any other time of the day for that matter?
While there is nothing particularly different about the technique you use while meditating in the morning, you can call upon the energies of the sun when meditating first thing in the morning.
Many years ago, before artificial lights and electronic clocks had been invented, cultures all around the world lived in reverence of the sun.
Daily activities were guided by this divine energy that rose and set each day.
While we no longer rely only on the sun for light (though it is still the most powerful light source we have), tuning into the energies of the sun helps us to line up with the natural rhythms of the world around and within us.
The sun symbolizes energy, vitality, clarity, fertility, and prosperity. When we meditate in the morning, we can invoke these energies within us, allowing them to inspire our outward actions to follow.
We can keep this notion of ‘energies’ in mind when it comes to evening meditation as well. At night, we can tap into what the darkness, or the moon, symbolizes – reflection, wisdom, restoration, stillness, and tranquility.
Tuning into the world’s natural cycles helps us to sync up to our innate circadian rhythm.
As we do this, we start to feel more energized during the day and more prepared for rest when night falls.
8. Set an intention for your day at the beginning or end of your morning meditation.
Setting an intention at the beginning of the day, either before or after your morning meditation, will get the ball rolling in the direction of whatever it is you wish to accomplish.
If you set an intention at the very beginning of your meditation, this will help you to stay focused during the practice.
Whatever qualities you intend to carry through the day will be harnessed during your meditation.
Alternatively, you might practice a more mindful meditation in the morning, becoming intuitively aware of whatever energies are present within you on that day.
After sitting for some time with your thoughts, emotions, and whatever else is present, you might then set an intention based on whatever you discovered during your practice.
9. Use whichever meditation technique helps you to feel focused and energized.
If you’re wondering how to meditate in the morning, the answer is unspecific: there is no single ‘right way’ to practice morning meditation.
Mindfulness meditation, mantra meditation, guided morning meditation, or any other style you love is perfectly suitable for your practice. The right choice is the one that works for you.
With that said, meditations that help you to feel focused and energized are the ones to consider.
If any meditation practice makes you feel sleepy, it’s not the ideal choice – especially in the morning.
There are many guided morning meditations that can help to invoke gratitude, positive energy, abundance, and creativity.
If guided meditations help you to stay focused, consider this a great option until you become more comfortable with self-led sessions.
10. Be flexible with the duration and set a timer.
How long should you meditate in the morning? This is entirely up to you.
If you set a goal of 20 minutes but end up flustered by the end of it because you lack the time you need to get ready for the day, your practice is no longer beneficial.
Be flexible with the time you set, knowing that you don’t have to live up to any ideals you hold about how long meditation ‘should be’.
If your intention is to harness benefits of morning meditation such as increased energy, focus, and joy, ensure that your practice is pushing you just the right amount.
Too much of a push and you’ll end up frustrated and stressed out.
Once you find your ideal time – whether five, ten, thirty, or sixty minutes – set a timer (or listen until the end of your guided morning meditation).
Without a cue to signify the end of your practice, you’ll likely become caught up in thoughts about what time it is.
Set a timer so that you can free your mind of worry as you sink into your morning meditation practice.
In Summary
Like any other meditation practice, a morning meditation is a personalized practice that needs to work for you.
If you are new to meditation or have yet to solidify a daily morning meditation routine, take your time to explore what works for you and what doesn’t.
By setting measurable goals for yourself that are both challenging and attainable, you’ll be well on your way to developing a new habit of morning meditation.
Avoiding distractions is crucial, so setting this new habit might also involve breaking old ones.
If we are used to checking social media feeds first thing in the morning, increased mindfulness of this habit will help us to break it.
Think about the qualities that the waking day embodies – radiance, confidence, vitality, abundance, and opportunity.
Can you find those characteristics within yourself? Can you harness them through your practice?
By tuning mindfully into the realm of possibilities that each day brings, we reap the benefits of morning meditation.
Practice patience and compassion as you explore this, using these morning meditation tips to guide you.
You may also be interested in:
1. How Long Should You Meditate Each Day?
2. The Pros & Cons of Meditation
4. Profound Meditation Program 3.0
5. Yoga Poses For Beginners [Downward Dog – Adho Mukha Svanasana]
6. How to Know If You Meditate Correctly
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Morning meditation is a great habit I’m trying to get back! I can see how it changes my focus and energy through the day. Great post 🙂 thanks!
I love the benefits of even a brief meditation habit, and am just recently getting back into it once again. There are a lot of great apps out there that can help, too.
Some excellent tips here. Its definitely a habit I wish to involve in my daily life. In fact. I think you have just inspired me and i am going to start now!
Thanks so much for the great tips! So important to carve out some time from our hectic hurly-burly lives for some moments of calm..
I love meditating first thing after waking up, almost like prolonging the waking up slumber while being aware of your surroundings. Great tips in this post 🙂