The best time to meditate for the greatest benefits is a time that is convenient for your lifestyle, then, you will find the experience more appealing and more natural.
The short version is that the best time is different for every person and depends on what they’re trying to get out of meditation.
We’re going to go through the different reasons that you might want to meditate which will help you determine which is the best time of day to meditate for you.
The most important information you really need to know is that meditation is about committing the time to practice and bring meditation into your life on a daily basis.
The commitment you show for the skill set that will benefit your life in so many ways will create the life you truly want to have for yourself now and in the future.
Meditation for a Richer Life and Personal Development
Meditation became part of the vernacular of lifestyle choices and a source of a lot of conversation as far back as the 60s for baby boomers when there was a big interest in eastern religions and things that were exotic and new.
But while many of the flash in the pan interests in exotic religions during that time frame faded away in the lifestyle of baby boomers, meditation has endured and become a common practice and resource that has benefited this generation in every decade of their lives.
VIDEO: What Is The Best Time To Meditate?
The best time to meditate is in the morning as soon as you wake up. Don’t look at your phone, don’t check your email, don’t listen to the news, don’t go on social media. Take a shower, put on fresh clothes, and go straight to meditation.
There is a good reason meditation has endured and even grown in popularity far beyond any religious context. Meditation has tremendous benefits for virtually every aspect of life and those who integrate it into their daily lifestyles can experience those benefits virtually as soon as they start.
You don’t have to be a guru at meditation to realize benefits from the very first time to give it a try. Some of those benefits include…
Meditation is calming. Because the act of meditation calls for you to bring your thoughts into captivity and to still your mind and focus it, that sense of your soul is in turmoil eases and you are able to address the cause of your anxiety and see a solution more clearly because your emotions are not clouding the issue.
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Meditation helps you focus and concentrate. The great thing about meditation is that the effects of meditation continue past those few moments when you are meditating. Those few moments of calm create an atmosphere of focus and clarity of thought that goes on throughout your day helping you focus your mind and more easily concentrate when you need to.
Meditation reduces stress and mental anxiety. So often the stress that comes out of problems and difficulties is dominated by emotional reactions even more than by the problem itself. Meditation clears away the effects of the stress making it easier for you to solve the problem itself.
Meditation helps reduce physical anxiety. The process of meditation involves extended periods of quiet deep breathing. This simple action floods the brain with oxygen and energizes blood flow throughout the body which refreshes tired muscles and causes your entire physical system to relax and release pent up anxiety.
Meditation helps you sleep and digest your food. The refreshed blood flow, rich in oxygen that comes from the session of meditation, takes action immediately on the digestive system often reducing or eliminating digestive problems and even easing the symptoms of ulcers. Because the mind is relaxed and well supplied with vital oxygen and blood flow, sleep comes more easily and is more recuperative.
Some successful role models in all walks of life that come out of the baby boomer generation credit meditation to why they are able to accomplish such great things. In addition to all of these benefits, meditation is easy to integrate into your lifestyle and you can go at your own pace learning to become better at meditation and grow in your ability to use it.
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Meditation is profoundly easy to do. The image of a meditation practitioner in a painful “lotus position” going into a virtual trance is the extreme of the discipline. Because meditation has been adapted so that any of us can benefit from the health benefits it brings, you can begin meditating immediately and see the benefits from the very first session.
Small wonder many baby boomers have continued down through the decades to be enthusiastic proponents of meditation. And there is no reason baby boomers cannot continue to enjoy the tremendous benefits as they move into their late middle age and retirement years as well.
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For Increased Focus and Concentration
If you’re using meditation as a way to boost your focus and concentration for the day ahead, the best time to do that is first thing in the morning. If you can meditate even before breakfast, then that’s even better. How you start the day sets the tone of the day, so beginning with meditation is a great way to be more mindful, focused, and relaxed throughout the day.
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For Work-Related Stress Relief
Once you’ve mastered meditation without distractions or high levels of stress, you can begin to use your meditation techniques even in the middle of your busy office to take just a few minutes to re-center yourself and be able to relieve the stress that’s already building up from the morning.
Whether you find a quiet place to meditate during part of your lunch break or simply close your eyes and breathe at your desk for a few minutes, meditating throughout the day can be the best time to meditate for greatest benefits and will help you avoid getting overwhelmed.
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You may also choose to meditate at the end of the workday to relieve stress that came throughout the day. This can be a good way to transition from work to home so that you’re not bringing all the stress of the office into your home. Ideally, you’ll want to meditate as soon as you get home from work and release all your negative thoughts so you can then enjoy your evening.
For Falling Asleep
Because most meditation techniques are designed to help you become more aware and therefore more awake, you have to be careful to not use the same technique you’re using to stay focused at work to help you fall asleep. However, if this is your goal with meditation is to help you fall asleep quickly, then you’ll want to do this either right before bed or while in bed.
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If you’re not using a sleep-inducing meditation technique, then you need to avoid meditating within an hour of going to bed, since you don’t want your body to associate normal meditation with falling asleep. By choosing the right technique for the right time of the day, however, you can enjoy the best time to meditate for the greatest benefits that will help you wake up in the morning and those that will help you fall asleep.
For Emergencies
When you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or needing to make a difficult decision, there are times when you should take a few extra minutes to meditate. Although it’s easy to say that you don’t have time to meditate when you’re stressed by how much you need to get done, you’d be surprised at how much time you’ll end up saving by centering yourself for 5 minutes rather than worrying about the problem for 20 minutes.
You may find that you have the best time of day when you are learning to meditate is a different best time of day when you are an experienced meditator. When you are just learning to meditate, it is helpful to have optimal conditions — a quiet place with no interruptions. After you have experienced some benefits of meditating, you will not need to create an ideal situation because you will be committed to a different level. Many people meditate on planes and trains or other noisy places.
Is it OK to meditate before bed?
Ok, this is a bit of a tricky on to answer. Online you will find the answer both yes and no. So, let’s look at both perspectives on meditating before bed.
Some would advise you to avoid meditating too close to bedtime because your mind and body could become confused with relaxing into sleep.
Here’s what I would advise: Usually, it’s best to have an hour between meditation and sleep so that those two things stay clearly separate in your mental awareness, your body’s energy level, and your sleeping habits. This is something you will want to experiment with, so keep a journal until you find out what works for you.
Here’s the other point of view: Don’t worry about it, meditate whenever you feel like it or whenever you can.
Here’s my advice: Everyone experiences different levels of stress on different days, no two people react to stress equally. Meditation is a very personal experience, you have to discover which method works best for you. I personally meditate before I go to sleep with a guided meditation that uses brain entrainment frequencies almost every night.
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Your personal energy for meditation will ebb and flow throughout the day, so you will want to take advantage of that. You may find it most beneficial to meditate when your personal energy lowers naturally. Others will want to meditate when they are at a high energy level.
You have to meditate often enough so you can find that “sweet spot” that meditation can return the amazing and incredible benefits for your lifestyle.
In working with others on establishing their meditative practice, I have become extremely open-minded about the various practices and approaches to meditation, including the time of day. I encourage people to experiment to find their own ways. If you are a beginner at meditating, start at the easiest time that works to facilitate your personal practice.
Here are some good times to consider when to meditate: you might be in a car parked in the driveway or shopping center because that is the only time you have alone. Right after cool down after exercise is a time the body is very receptive to deep rest or meditation for some.
Try meditating first thing in the morning, when you are stressed as a mini-vacation for your nervous system, during your lunch hour or at the end of your workday to separate work time from family time.
Meditation and Relaxation Techniques
Numerous studies have shown that there is a direct link between meditation and relaxation. What distinguishes this from the other techniques is that with meditation, your mind continues to be focused and alert when you learn to focus on an object, a thought or by visualization.
But which should you focus on? The answer depends on the individual. The important thing is that it is something that they are comfortable with.
One of the simplest things to concentrate on is your breathing. In fact, most meditation techniques start out this way so that your muscles will be relaxed and your mind and body become one.
Sometimes, staring into an object can produce similar results. The best part about is that it doesn’t have to be physical because when you are trying to get some sleep, you can focus on a cloud or the open ocean.
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If thinking about an object is not your thing, then you can try to focus on sounds or words. This is the reason that there are CDs and mp3s that you can buy which play calming music or with someone in the background talking to you during your meditation and relaxation session.
When such things are used, this is better known as a mantra meditation or transcendental meditation. This technique has been studied widely in the medical field because the body gains a state of profound rest. As you wake up, your brain and mind become alert ready to get back to work.
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The biggest challenge with meditation and relaxation is the fact that you will often be distracted with other thoughts as you try to block them out. When you are doing this at home, it is beyond your control if a car drives by or there other sounds coming from the outside. The same goes if you feel an itch and the tendency is to scratch it.
Since ignoring it won’t do any good, you just have to accept it. This skill is called “poised awareness” or “attention awareness” and by being able to have a passive attitude these things will no longer affect you.
Let’s face it. All of us need time to relax when the pressure builds up otherwise we crack. You can drink a beer after work or watch television when you get home but the truth is, such activities do not truly relax the body.
For that, the best answer is meditation so you not only relax the body but also the mind. You should do your best to stay awake because instead of concentrating on your breathing, you could already be dreaming which is not what this exercise is all about.
Those of you who feel more energetic with meditation and relaxation should do this on a daily basis. After all, it only takes 15 or 20 minutes or so to recharge your batteries.
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Does meditation change you as a person?
The answer is no. You just become more calm and disciplined when everyone around you is going crazy so you can make the right decisions at the right time. Soon, people will notice the change in you and say something about it. Some might even ask how you do it and when that happens, you will know that this activity which you have been doing for the past few days or even weeks has finally paid off.
I know for sure that the best time to meditate for greatest benefits is really any time of day that will work for your schedule, with the exception of after meals, as meditation does slow the body down, including the digestive system. There is no magical time on the clock. There are choices.
