Best time to meditate
Meditation is a practice that entails spending time focusing on yourself, your state of mind, your body and your whole internal environment. It is a deep and personal experience. Everyone is different and we all follow our own path. There is no ideal time to meditate. It’s all about what’s right for you and you alone. That being said, most of us have busy lives and without prior planning, it can be difficult to find a time during the day to do our daily meditation. So here are Yogilab’s suggestions that may be helpful in determining what would be the best time for you to meditate.
It is really up to you to determine when you can meditate. There is no right or wrong time, you just need to make it a habit, a routine that fits into your daily life. Some people meditate in the morning when they get up, others after their shower, others when they reach their workplace, before their lunch break, during their lunch break, after lunch, after the gym, in the evening when they get home, while walking their dog, before going to sleep… There are as many possible times as there are meditators.
Find what works best for you and stick to it. Select a time when you will not be too disturbed, when you can be comfortable, when you are not too tired, or when you need calm and clarity more than usual.
Meditation In The Morning
In his best-selling book “Miracle Morning”, Hal Elrod advises getting up at the crack of dawn and adopting a routine whose first element is meditation: “To start each day with calm, clarity and peace of mind, do the opposite of what most people do – start each morning with a period of purposeful silence. How we experience our mornings can have a big impact on the rest of our day. We’ve all had those stressful, chaotic mornings where we feel exhausted and at our wits’ end when the day has just begun. Those days rarely inspire us to do great things. So if you’re one of those people who like to take advantage of the extra 15 minutes the snooze button offers, try changing this habit. Using those 15 minutes to meditate before you start your day can help you refocus, find inner peace, and approach the ups and downs of the day with more perspective and patience.
Most importantly, meditating in the morning allows you to establish a clear and calm state of mind to start your day, rather than rushing into action and to-do lists in a frantic and unnecessarily stressful way. Morning meditation can be a gentle transition period between rest and activity, during which we take care of ourselves and then start the day with a better quality of presence and attention.
At first, it may be difficult to wake up earlier. But eventually, you will find that those 15 minutes are as vital as your morning coffee or tea. Remember, however, that morning meditation is not for everyone and that you need to be alert and fully awake to meditate. For those who are not morning people at all, it may be a struggle and decrease the quality of the meditation. In this case, it may be a good idea to consider meditation at another time of day. But to be 100% sure this is not for you, try it for an extensive period of time first. Your body and mind both might need some time to adjust to this new routine.
Meditation In The Evening
Incorporating meditation into our evening routine can be a great way to calm the mind after a day’s work and a very good way to relax and prepare for a night of deep, restful sleep. Just as morning meditation can be a good transition from waking up to being more active, evening meditation can be a good transition from the working day to a more relaxed state of being. It is also a good way to give ourselves space to mentally process the events, emotions, and reactions of the day. It can help us to observe ourselves and better understand our behaviors, actions, and feelings on a much more intimate level.
Some may want to meditate between work and evening activities, others before going to bed. The challenge then is not to forget to meditate in the midst of our evening activities, which can sometimes cause us to lose sight of our commitment to deliberately take a moment to meditate. If you decide to meditate before bed, it is important to meditate at least an hour before bedtime to avoid falling asleep during meditation. Setting a reminder on your smartphone may be a good idea.
Meditation During The Day
It may be that despite our intention to meditate every morning or evening, there are days when this is not possible. We might have to get up even earlier or go to bed even later than usual or whatever. So we have to be flexible and do our best to find another time during the day to sit and meditate for a few minutes. We can also choose to meditate in the middle of the day just because that is the time that suits us best. Meditating in the afternoon is for many people the optimal time. Because the morning is when they are most productive and can get a day’s work done. They want to take advantage of this time of increased performance when everything is clear and achievable.
After lunch, our minds are often more blurry. Between the intense activity of the morning and the digestive process, our brains need a break. A good idea is to go for a walk to breathe fresh air and digest. And then you can finish your break with a meditation session so that you can get on with the rest of the day in a calmer, more focused state of mind.
Meditation At Work
Even if for many people it is preferable to start their day with a meditation session, this practice can be very useful at other times of the day such as at work. No matter if you already practiced before coming to the office, it is the ideal way to take a break that will inevitably have a positive impact on yourself and your work. You don’t have to meditate just to relieve the stress or pressure of work. The key is to take a snapshot of your state of mind. And if you feel good, meditating on it will increase your sense of well-being tenfold, even at work!
Don’t Meditate Just After Eating
Meditate preferably on an empty stomach. Digestion can disrupt meditation and make you sleepy. If you are afraid of not being able to keep up the practice in the morning, take a small snack, an apple, or some dried fruit for example, and plan your breakfast after the meditation session. In the evening, try to eat lightly and mindfully, allowing a few hours to pass before meditating or just before bed.
The Key To Success Is To Be Consistent
The experience of meditation is like a compass, you can carry it with you all the time and remember that it is there to guide you when you get lost. Short moments of mindfulness during the day, even if it is a reminder on your phone, are important to find your way back. Lack of time is very regularly invoked to justify an absence or an abandonment of the meditation practice. However, it becomes easy to integrate meditation into your life when you allow yourself to practice it for shorter periods of time: sitting for ten minutes when you wake up or before going to bed, or for one minute just before going to a meeting or an appointment, in the car or in the waiting room. 60 seconds during which you consciously choose to stop time and focus your awareness on your feelings or on the rhythm of your breathing.
By practicing it often, whenever you have the opportunity or feel the need, and above all without feeling guilty about not being able to devote more time to it, you will soon experience concrete benefits in your daily life. You will feel less stressed, more centered, with a clearer mind, a heightened awareness of yourself and others, and a greater understanding of the world around you.
So, When Is The Best Time To Meditate?
The best time to meditate is when it suits our rhythm and schedule. It is at this time that we will experience the most benefits. There are no rules, it can vary from one individual to another and change over time. And this is very much in line with the essence of meditation: test, practice, and determine what is best for you. There is no wrong time to meditate. You can try all of the above suggestions, each for a few days in a row, and then decide what works best for you. In any case, a good way to stick to your commitment to meditate every day when you are just starting your practice is to block off a dedicated slot in your diary to honor this appointment with yourself.
Best time to meditate
Meditation is a practice that entails spending time focusing on yourself, your state of mind, your body and your whole internal environment. It is a deep and personal experience. Everyone is different and we all follow our own path. There is no ideal time to meditate. It’s all about what’s right for you and you alone. That being said, most of us have busy lives and without prior planning, it can be difficult to find a time during the day to do our daily meditation. So here are Yogilab’s suggestions that may be helpful in determining what would be the best time for you to meditate.
It is really up to you to determine when you can meditate. There is no right or wrong time, you just need to make it a habit, a routine that fits into your daily life. Some people meditate in the morning when they get up, others after their shower, others when they reach their workplace, before their lunch break, during their lunch break, after lunch, after the gym, in the evening when they get home, while walking their dog, before going to sleep… There are as many possible times as there are meditators.
Find what works best for you and stick to it. Select a time when you will not be too disturbed, when you can be comfortable, when you are not too tired, or when you need calm and clarity more than usual.
Meditation in the morning
In his best-selling book “Miracle Morning”, Hal Elrod advises getting up at the crack of dawn and adopting a routine whose first element is meditation: “To start each day with calm, clarity and peace of mind, do the opposite of what most people do – start each morning with a period of purposeful silence.
How we experience our mornings can have a big impact on the rest of our day . We’ve all had those stressful, chaotic mornings where we feel exhausted and at our wits’ end when the day has just begun. Those days rarely inspire us to do great things. So if you’re one of those people who like to take advantage of the extra 15 minutes the snooze button offers, try changing this habit. Using those 15 minutes to meditate before you start your day can help you refocus, find inner peace, and approach the ups and downs of the day with more perspective and patience.
Most importantly, meditating in the morning allows you to establish a clear and calm state of mind to start your day, rather than rushing into action and to-do lists in a frantic and unnecessarily stressful way. Morning meditation can be a gentle transition period between rest and activity, during which we take care of ourselves and then start the day with a better quality of presence and attention.
At first, it may be difficult to wake up earlier. But eventually, you will find that those 15 minutes are as vital as your morning coffee or tea. Remember, however, that morning meditation is not for everyone and that you need to be alert and fully awake to meditate.
For those who are not morning people at all, it may be a struggle and decrease the quality of the meditation. In this case, it may be a good idea to consider meditation at another time of day. But to be 100% sure this is not for you, try it for an extensive period of time first. Your body and mind both might need some time to adjust to this new routine.
Meditation in the evening
Incorporating meditation into our evening routine can be a great way to calm the mind after a day’s work and a very good way to relax and prepare for a night of deep, restful sleep. Just as morning meditation can be a good transition from waking up to being more active, evening meditation can be a good transition from the working day to a more relaxed state of being.
It is also a good way to give ourselves space to mentally process the events, emotions, and reactions of the day. It can help us to observe ourselves and better understand our behaviors, actions, and feelings on a much more intimate level.
Some may want to meditate between work and evening activities, others before going to bed. The challenge then is not to forget to meditate in the midst of our evening activities, which can sometimes cause us to lose sight of our commitment to deliberately take a moment to meditate. If you decide to meditate before bed, it is important to meditate at least an hour before bedtime to avoid falling asleep during meditation. Setting a reminder on your smartphone may be a good idea.
Meditation during the day
It may be that despite our intention to meditate every morning or evening, there are days when this is not possible. We might have to get up even earlier or go to bed even later than usual or whatever. So we have to be flexible and do our best to find another time during the day to sit and meditate for a few minutes.
We can also choose to meditate in the middle of the day just because that is the time that suits us best. Meditating in the afternoon is for many people the optimal time. Because the morning is when they are most productive and can get a day’s work done. They want to take advantage of this time of increased performance when everything is clear and achievable.
After lunch, our minds are often more blurry. Between the intense activity of the morning and the digestive process, our brains need a break. A good idea is to go for a walk to breathe fresh air and digest. And then you can finish your break with a meditation session so that you can get on with the rest of the day in a calmer, more focused state of mind.
Meditation at work
Even if for many people it is preferable to start their day with a meditation session, this practice can be very useful at other times of the day such as at work. No matter if you already practiced before coming to the office, it is the ideal way to take a break that will inevitably have a positive impact on yourself and your work. You don’t have to meditate just to relieve the stress or pressure of work. The key is to take a snapshot of your state of mind. And if you feel good, meditating on it will increase your sense of well-being tenfold, even at work!
Don’t meditate just after eating
Meditate preferably on an empty stomach. Digestion can disrupt meditation and make you sleepy. If you are afraid of not being able to keep up the practice in the morning, take a small snack, an apple, or some dried fruit for example, and plan your breakfast after the meditation session. In the evening, try to eat lightly and mindfully, allowing a few hours to pass before meditating or just before bed.
The key to success is to be consistent
The experience of meditation is like a compass, you can carry it with you all the time and remember that it is there to guide you when you get lost. Short moments of mindfulness during the day, even if it is a reminder on your phone, are important to find your way back.
Lack of time is very regularly invoked to justify an absence or an abandonment of the meditation practice. However, it becomes easy to integrate meditation into your life when you allow yourself to practice it for shorter periods of time: sitting for ten minutes when you wake up or before going to bed, or for one minute just before going to a meeting or an appointment, in the car or in the waiting room. 60 seconds during which you consciously choose to stop time and focus your awareness on your feelings or on the rhythm of your breathing.
By practicing it often, whenever you have the opportunity or feel the need, and above all without feeling guilty about not being able to devote more time to it, you will soon experience concrete benefits in your daily life. You will feel less stressed, more centered, with a clearer mind, a heightened awareness of yourself and others, and a greater understanding of the world around you.
