When we start our day with a morning meditation, we are giving ourselves the best opportunity to be fully aware, fully awake, and fully alive before "doing" anything. By creating a regular morning practice, we are cultivating peace of mind and happier relationships where we are kinder and less judgmental of ourselves and others.
While you can focus on eating healthier, exercising more frequently, getting more sleep, using more natural products on our skin and at home, but if you don’t take care of your mind, you will still feel unbalanced in your life.
A Harvard study showed that meditating can help decrease stress and anxiety levels which in turn will diminish inflammation in our bodies, reduce blood pressure, improve attention, sleep better, help us make smarter choices and regulate our thoughts, so we don’t jump so fast into reacting and judging.
One of the biggest goals of meditation is that you tune in with yourself and connect with your center, to get in touch with the energy of “oneness”.
Why Morning Meditation?
Mornings can be the best time of day to incorporate meditation because of their quiet nature, whereas afternoons are more likely to be hectic with ever-changing to-do lists.
In a 2018 study showcasing the morning routines of over 300 successful people, it was shown that one of the most important pieces of their days is an adaptable morning routine. We aren’t always in control of our surroundings or amenities, especially when we travel and have unpredictable schedules.
Morning mindfulness meditation is something that can be done anywhere: in bed, sitting in a taxi, on a plane, or while waiting for your breakfast smoothie to blend. It can become the foundation of your day, something you can always rely on to bring you to a sense of calmness, in body and mind.
Try our alternative treatments and practice mindfulness today. We focus on both the physical and mental holistic wellness to improve our lives.
Clearing the obstacles to morning meditation
The most common obstacles to meditation are the ones that we create ourselves and we may not even be aware of these excuses. These are a few of the most common ways we tend to resist starting a new meditation practice and what to do about it:
“I don’t have time.”
There’s a misconception that you need to sit down to meditate for at least 30 minutes to an hour. You can start your daily practice investing anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour. You can set the rules for yourself! You just need to commit to starting.
Start small, and as you practice more consistently I can tell you that you’ll start adding more time to your practice.
“I can’t sit still.”
Do meditation your own way. Some people don’t like sitting but they enjoy walking meditations. You can also even use mindful eating as a meditation practice.
Dr. Kelly McGonigal suggests a 10 minute walking meditation involving 1 minute of paying attention to each of the feelings of your body while walking, the feeling of your breath, the sensations of air or wind on your skin, what you can hear, and what you can see.
“My mind never stops.”
It is normal to feel frustration while learning to meditate. Shifting your expectations will help in overcoming this obstacle. Always focus on subtle incremental improvements. A great achievement is to gradually understand your mind and learn how to shift negative thinking.
The guided morning meditation
If you have never meditated before or if you haven’t meditated in a long time, I recommend that you start with 5-10 minutes. With practice, you’ll be able to sit for longer periods of time.
You can set an intention before you begin, but start your practice without attachment to any particular outcome or how your meditation practice “should” be. Just be open to experience what you’re meant to receive from every practice.
The best time to meditate is early in the morning (before your coffee or tea), that way you set yourself up for a peaceful start to your day. Follow these simple steps to start you meditation practice:
Find a place that will be your sacred space for meditation. Try to pick a room that is free from a lot noise or distractions, and make it cozy. You can add relaxing background music, light a candle and/or incense, or diffuse a relaxing essential oil.
Choose a time. Make meditation a priority, set an appointment with yourself and practice at the same time every day and see this as feeding your soul. Some people like to meditate right before they go to bed, this will help you sleep more soundly.
Wear comfortable clothes. For example your pyjamas.
Sit comfortably. You can sit on a cushion on the floor, on your couch or a chair. Try to have backrest so you can keep your back erect. You don’t need to try fancy yogi postures at the beginning. Don’t lay down because most likely, you’ll fall asleep. Just sit still and straight.
Set a timer. Try using a meditation gong that can bring tranquility and peace to your mind instead of the usual clock timer that you have.
Always start your meditation practice with 5 to 7 long and slow deep breaths so you can start releasing tension.
Then just start focusing your mind on an object. It could be the flame of a candle, your breathing or repeating a mantra like “I am”.
Just know that you’ll have thoughts, you might feel sensations in your body and you might hear sounds in your environment. It’s all normal. Whenever you become conscious of that, just go back to the object you were focusing on, or go back to paying attention to your breathing again, or repeating your mantra, but do it mentally without moving your lips and your tongue.
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