The Best Time to Meditate

The best time to meditate is really up to your own schedule and how you make time for it. But there are a few important considerations when planning out your meditation time.

• Any meditation time is better than no meditation time. Even if you only get two minutes (fellow parents!)
• Consistency. Practice every day. Again, even if you only get two minutes.
• Make no excuses for missing a session. Excuses are of the mind, and since meditation aims to master the mind, the mind doesn’t like it so much!
• Make sure to meditate on an empty stomach. Meditation time is not digestion time. Allow your body to relax, not work.
• Always make sure you won’t be disturbed.

When not to meditate

I suggest that you not meditate too close to bed time. Time it so your session ends at least an hour before sleep time. The reason is that meditation is about falling into a more conscious state – not a less conscious one (sleep). Separate sleep and meditation because tiredness is an enemy of meditation.

My own favorite time to meditate is before lunch. I don’t usually get that time anymore due to my schedule, so the next best time is first thing in the morning. This also happens to be the optimal time to meditate.

The best time to meditate

Ideally, begin your day with meditation. Get up, perform any evacuations you need to, perhaps take a sip of water, and get set up in your favorite meditation position. By meditating before anything else, you can set up your entire day with strong intentions, motivation, energy, purpose and power.

If you are fortunate enough to have an outdoor space to meditate, you can gain a couple other benefits too.

• Breathing the fresh morning air. If you’ve ever done yoga, you will appreciate the importance of breathing. Breathe in energy-giving  prana for the day.
• Light from the sunrise is conducive to introspection and reflection according to yoga.
• Grounding your electric body.

Take advantage of a rested body, and quieter mind. By starting with meditation before anything else, you get to decide your “emotional set point” for the day. If you grab your iPhone, scroll through Facebook, emails, or the news, you are letting others set your attitude for you, and abdicating your power.

Early morning meditation inspires you to maintain a mindful presence for the entire day, allowing more joy and happiness.

Experiment with different times, and work out which one is best for you in your schedule. Even a short session in your lunch break will reconnect you with your Self. Just make sure you won’t be disturbed.

If you’d like a deep meditation and see how I do it, check out the Accelerated Meditation.