By Sejal Shah | Updated: July 12, 2020
The American Psychological Association reports that chronic stress—stress that interferes with your ability to function normally over an extended period—is becoming a public health crisis. Most of us often feel overwhelmed, and struggle to cope with these emotions. So what can we do about it? The answer is surprisingly simple: we can meditate. More and more people are turning towards meditation for stress relief, and when we look at the benefits, it’s easy to see why.
Starting your day with a morning meditation can help you begin your day with less grogginess, more gratitude, and with the right mindset for a more productive and satisfactory day. Whether you are a morning person or night owl, incorporating a daily wake-up meditation can become your strong anchor for your days that are full of many uncertainties and many times unpredictable. In your busy and stressful lifestyle, taking a few moments when you first wake up to set a direction for your day with a morning meditation routine can prove a life-changing practice.
You don’t have to be a Himalayan yogi or a Buddhist monk or even a deeply spiritual person to experience the instant benefits of meditation. It’s equally effective for entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, tech gurus, celebrities, and yes, ordinary people, too. It is good for powerhouse career women and stay-at-home supermoms. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’re into: everyone can benefit from meditation, and so can you.
All of us struggle and find it challenging to slow down and get rid of the mental chatter. In order to create a daily morning meditation routine effectively, you must commit to the routine and be patient along the way. Here are some reasons along with a handful of tips on how to start a meditation practice and how to unlock your true potentials.
Morning meditation for energy: 5 lifelong benefits of a morning meditation routine
I have been following my routine of morning yoga, breathwork, and meditation for more than a decade now. I can say that that has changed my life drastically on a positive side. You’ve likely heard of the science of how meditation changes your brain and even your genes and relaxes your body and mind bringing calmness, mental clarity and focus, awareness, and connection to the present moment. There are many reasons and benefits of having a daily morning meditation routine, but here are my top 5.
1. Meditation, the art of diving deep inside the Self, is a source of undying energy and happiness. Adding meditation to your morning can recharge you with a boost of joy, positive energy, and peace to keep you smiling throughout each day. Just like how we train and build our muscles at the gym with regular sit-ups, running on the treadmill, or lifting weights, meditation is like the training the mind to stay happy throughout the day.
2. Morning meditation sets up the right tone for the rest of the day. Since a lot happens throughout the day, mornings are naturally the best time to meditate. Komal Kapur is a young female entrepreneur and owner of a bakery called Sweet Musings and Little Bites in Bangalore, India. She says, "When I meditate in the morning, I am able to achieve more work in much less time. I am more relaxed and calm during the day.” With many reporting the same benefits of a clearer mind, inner calm, improved focus, and a happier feeling throughout the day, meditating in the morning can be the key to making the most out of your day.
3. Morning meditation supports you to flow with the day with ease and poise. When you meditate, you are more adaptable to the sudden and unexpected changes in the day, whether it is a traffic jam or your boss asking you to submit a report far before the given deadline, facing a picky client or having to deal with a sick child during a time-sensitive task. You can handle whatever the day brings without getting overwhelmed and losing your balance.
4. You eat cleaner, healthier, and require less or no caffeine. Many studies have confirmed that whenever you are stressed or sleep-deprived, you get into the tendency to opt for food choices that are bad for you. Once you get into your routine of morning meditation, you may discover that cravings for such foods also disappear and are replaced by a craving for healthier, cleaner foods that the body will be turning into fuel for you to operate at a higher level. You will see that your caffeine dependency will also slowly disappear. Besides food habits, in general, you will become more mindful of all your choices.
5. You send out positive vibes and attract more luck and blessings. With an increased sense of happiness, peace, well-being, accomplishment, and satisfaction, all of which come as a result of consistent morning meditation, you will radiate a certain charm and positivity. With the release of stress, you also become less judgemental and critical. Your circle of influence grows, bringing you more luck and blessings.
What is the best time to meditate in the morning?
If you’ve started to think about meditating, you may wonder: when is the best time to meditate? Even though the most convenient meditation time varies from one person to another, for millennia, mystics, sages, masters, and teachers have suggested that the early morning is the best time for morning meditation practice. Here’s why:
1. In the morning, the outer world and inner world are both relatively quiet. This makes the morning a very conducive time to practice meditation before the rest of the day takes us over. The early morning is a perfect time to hit the cushion and get in touch with that inner silence.
2. The stillness and silence of the morning, and the soft rays of the rising sun, make the early hours very sacred and soul-enriching. Our mind resonates with this stillness and goes into the meditative state more easily.
3. With a good night’s sleep, the body feels rested and refreshed, and so does the mind. This helps us to get in touch with the deeper part of our being, says renowned meditation expert Deepak Chopra in this beautiful, must-watch video.
4. The mind is quieter for most people when we first awaken in the morning, and we are less likely to fall back asleep, which makes the morning an easier time to meditate, says Rick Hanson, a long time meditator.
5. Another good thing about meditating early in the morning is that your stomach is empty. Meditation and yoga should be performed at least 2-3 hours after eating. A bowel movement before meditation will also enhance the quality of your meditation
Try this beautiful Sun Meditation first thing in the morning:
Here are some easy tips to set up a morning meditation ritual:
1. Set your alarm to give yourself enough time to get freshened up and changed into comfortable clothing, so that you can be ready for meditation. This may mean waking up 15-30 minutes earlier than before. What will help to cultivate this habit is getting to sleep earlier and always at a fixed time. We recommend going to sleep no later than 10pm.
2. Choose a place where you won’t be disturbed or distracted. It is important to meditate in a quiet space where no one else will come in and interrupt you. It’s ideal to have a space that’s solely dedicated to meditation, but if that’s not possible, simply find a quiet, clean, decluttered place in your home where you can meditate in peace for a few minutes every morning. If needed, use a comfortable cushion or meditation pillow, and add a light blanket to place around your shoulders.
3. Get a little physical. Doing a little physical movement helps you shrug off your nightly inertia and stiffness. Depending upon how much time you have, take a walk in nature before meditation. This lets us breathe in the fresh air and reconnects us to the source of life.
Alternatively, you can do your morning workout before meditating, rather than after. Your meditation will act as both a cool-down relaxation for the body and a chance to soothe your mind at the same time. You can also warm up with a round of relaxing yoga postures or a few rounds of Sun Salutations before meditating.
4. Incorporate some breathwork too in your morning routine. Do a few rounds of deep yogic breathing or alternate nostril breathing to settle down both the body and the mind as a preparation for meditation. In addition, I personally use the SKY Breath MeditationTM—an easy, rhythmic breathing technique that effectively transitions me to a state of meditation.
5. Find a meditation technique that works for you and stick to it whether it is mindfulness meditation or walking meditation or loving compassion. For me, the Sahaj Samadhi meditation—an automatic self-transcending mantra meditation technique has worked wonders for over a decade now. I personally would recommend that you learn a personalized technique from a trained expert. But until you have the opportunity to do so, you can use the free Journey App, which will give you so many options of guided meditations to suit your time availability, including fantastic guided morning meditations.
Though meditation has become a popular means of finding relaxation and inner peace, in its purest form, meditation was grounded in spiritual and philosophical purposes. As more diluted and tangential versions of meditation continue to arise, it’s important for practitioners, especially beginners, to remember that the practice has a long history of thousands of years in which students learned from a teacher—a highly evolved meditation master who provided guidance at every step and nurtured their journey. Though you may use guided meditations for now to begin your day, it is best to learn a meditation technique that has ancient roots and backing of a spiritual master who has deep knowledge of prana (life force energy) and consciousness. This is yet another reason, I have chosen Sahaj Samadhi Meditation for my daily meditation practice.
6. After meditation, allow yourself a few minutes of rest before getting up to start the day's activities.
7. Wait to have breakfast only after your morning meditation. Avoiding food until after your morning meditation will prevent feeling bogged down by a full stomach.
Here are some more tips! Here is a sleep meditation guide in case you are having issues with falling asleep on time.
Regular practice of meditation calms the mind, enhances productivity, and boosts confidence. Indulge yourself in a daily dose of quiet time in the morning to seize the day. Smile throughout your day knowing that you have taken a step toward building a stronger sense of inner peace and happiness.
Join Beyond Breath - A FREE Breath & Meditation Online Session With a Live Instructor to get a glimpse of some easy breathwork as well as meditation. This may prove to be a turning point in your life to help you create a morning meditation routine. Why wait, join today!
Sejal Shah, E-RYT 500 Sri Sri Yoga Teacher, YACEP, C-IAYT, Meditation Teacher, Happiness expert, NYU Post Graduate Medical School approved Yoga-CME retreat facilitator, Mind-Body Wellness Writer, Homeopath. She can be followed on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
