How to Find Out When Is the Best Time to Meditate

Incorporating meditation into our daily lives is not an easy feat. Many of us are just too busy and are barely catching up with our fast-paced world.

The idea of fitting more things into our daily schedule isn’t just overwhelming, may also seem impossible. No matter how many times we’ve been told of the benefits of meditation, a lot of us don’t practice it, and we blame it on our lack of time.

A handful of people have the impression that meditation requires long hours for it to be successful. But this is far from the truth – in fact, even just a few minutes can already be called a meditation session.

What is important, however, is the quality of your meditation practice. How you meditate is much more important than the number of hours you put into it.

With this in mind, you may have heard that there are certain times of the day that is considered to be the best time to meditate.

Since many of us don’t have a lot of time on our hands, it is recommended to meditate during these hours to gain optimal results.

Do you know how to find when the best time to meditate is?

All of us are different – we lead different lives, have unique lifestyles and personalities.

With that said, the way we meditate will inevitably be different from each other as well. The key is to find what works for you instead of trying to copy someone else’s practice.

Here are a couple of factors that will help you find your best time to meditate.

Factors To Consider When Finding When is The Best Time To Meditate

Lifestyle

Meditation is for everybody. Whether you are a busy mom or even a college student, you can definitely benefit from adding meditation to your daily routine. But we all know that a mom’s daily schedule will differ vastly from a student in college.

When thinking about the best time to meditate for you, you have to consider the type of lifestyle you live.

You might be working late night shifts and because of it, you may not have the opportunity to include meditation into your nighttime routine.

Take a closer look at your own schedule and figure out which time slots are available for your practice.

Goals

All of us meditate for various reasons. Perhaps you are meditating for a better quality of sleep. If so, you might want to include sleep meditation right before you go to bed.

Meanwhile, if you are looking to energize yourself before a day at work, it is recommended to meditate in the early mornings.

No matter what your situation is, your personal goals will also dictate your schedule for meditation.

List down what you would like to achieve with meditation and see how that affects your meditation schedule.

Personal Use

Meditation plays a different role for each of us. Some of us meditate whenever we feel stressed or overwhelmed while others consider it as a way of healing.

The role of meditation in your life also affects the time you utilize for your practice. It is most likely that these types of situations cannot be scheduled.

Contrary to popular belief, practicing meditation doesn’t always have to be scheduled. When a situation calls for meditation, it is a good idea to utilize it at that moment.

Compared to scheduling your meditation session, using it whenever needed proves that you have already incorporated the practice into your daily life.

Frequency

How often you would like to meditate is absolutely your own choice; there is no rule as to how many times you are allowed to do it in a day.

Of course, the more often you use it, the easier it is for you to succeed in your meditation goals. In relation to your goals, it is also important to consider how often you can afford to meditate during the day.

As mentioned before, meditation doesn’t have to take too much of your time. If you find a few minutes of free time on your schedule, you may want to use it for meditating.

Most Recommended Times To Meditate

Although there is no absolute correct time to meditate, there are certain periods of the day that are said to be the best times to meditate.

These time slots can apply to anyone, no matter what your lifestyle may be or what your meditation goals are.

Below are the time periods which are said to be the best for meditation:

First Thing In The Morning

All of us wake up at different hours, depending on our lifestyle. But one thing’s for sure: starting your day with meditation is very advantageous.

It awakens you from your sleep and refreshes your mind for the day ahead. Consider it as a time for preparation for both your mind and your spirit. Meditating in the morning is also a great way to energize yourself for the day.

It is also said that meditating in the morning allows you to make better decisions during the day.

This is because you have already cleared up your mind right before your workday begins. If you are the type who gets easily overwhelmed, or if thoughts are constantly running through your mind, give yourself a break every morning and see how more focused you can be during work.

Commute To and From Work Or School

Commuting is one of the times when we are idle. It is so easy to waste time while on the bus or on the train.

As long as we have a phone in hand, we are constantly distracted by other things around us. Make these moments useful by meditating instead of being on social media.

Meditating before and after a busy day can refresh our minds and it also allows us to relax.

It is said that we should not bring negativity to work or back home. Through meditation, you will be able to shake away your negative feelings before reaching the office or your home.

Your co-workers and even your family will thank you for your refreshing presence.

During Break Time

Break time is meant to be a time where you can restore your energy so why not use some of it to meditate?

After you’ve had your lunch or a snack, you may have filled your physical needs but what about your spiritual needs?

Your work day might be hectic and filled with tough work and what better way to gain some focus and energy than to meditate?

Give yourself a moment to relax and breathe deeply. Not only will it revitalize you, it will also make you feel as if you have a fresh new start.

Whenever You Need It

Just as we’ve mentioned above, it is also recommended that you use meditation whenever you need it.

After all, it is meant to be a part of your daily life. And if you aren’t using it when the situation calls for it, meditation loses its purpose.

On times when you feel too tired, stressed or troubled with too many thoughts, use meditation to find some peace and calm.

Of course, it is not be seen as a quick fix but rather as a way for you to take a breath of fresh air when times get tough.

Before You Sleep

A lot of people are against meditation before going to sleep.

In fact, meditation after sunset is often not seen as a great time to meditate. This is because there is a risk of falling asleep, especially after a long day of work.

But if your goal is to get some well-needed rest, then doing some meditation before bedtime does not hurt.

One thing to bear in mind when doing this type of meditation is that control is very important. You should have a certain amount of alertness to remain active during your sleep meditation.

And yet, you must also not have too much alertness that it will keep you up even late at night. It is vital that you get a good amount of sleep to prepare yourself for the day.

If nighttime is the only available slot you have, you might want to try doing a guided meditation first to avoid the risk of falling asleep.

Perhaps having some guided material can help you stay awake throughout the session and even help you get some good quality sleep right after.

What If You Really Don’t Have Time To Meditate?

What if you really are too busy and there is no available time left for you, is it still possible to practice meditation?

You’ll be glad to know that the answer is still a yes. If you are one of those people who have zero time for themselves, sitting down for a few minutes may be impossible.

But did you know that you can meditate even while you are active?

Although meditating while active is a form of advanced meditation, beginners can also practice a bit of it by asking themselves a couple of questions throughout the day.

The key to meditating while active is to become more mindful of yourself and your surroundings.

This level of awareness allows you to step back and look at the bigger picture. Whenever you are feeling stressed, you become more aware of these feelings so that you can also let it go.

Below are some questions you can ask yourself when meditating while active:

Ask Yourself If You Are Aware

The first question is to simply ask yourself if you are aware of whatever is happening to you and around you.

Sometimes we are too focused on certain things, we fail to recognize events as they happen.

Perhaps you have been too distracted with work that you do not realize how tired you are. Ask yourself if you know what is happening to your body. Notice if you stopped to pay attention to your physical needs as well.

Observe Your Surroundings

It’s easy to get lost in the things we are working on. Time passes by without us even noticing the changes that are happening around us.

Even if we do not do so, we still end up being very disconnected from our surroundings.

This disconnection can also occur within our relationships. When we focus on only one aspect of our lives, we do not realize how other people feel.

Maybe you’ve been busy with work and you do not recognize that your children may need you to spend time with them.

Of course, you may have good intentions by working hard for their sake but your presence is much more important during that moment.

Focus On The Now

In relation to observing your surroundings, it is also important to observe and focus on what is occurring at the present time.

Many of us are guilty of constantly worrying about the future or contemplating the past that we do not see what our responsibilities are at the present time.

If you would like to meditate while being active, it is important that you pay attention to what is available to you at the moment.

Let go of what has been bothering you in the past and stop thinking about the things you cannot foresee.

Describe Your Experience

As you begin to become more aware of your surroundings, it is time to describe those occurrences.

Many of us can process whatever is happening around us but a lot of us still cannot comprehend what it all means.

You know that you are stressed and that you feel overwhelmed with work – but how does that translate into your everyday life?

Maybe it is your body telling you to take things slowly or that it has reached its limits already.

Only you can tell what your mind, body, and spirit are trying to tell you.

Apart from just observing, describe everything that you’ve noticed and then understand how that connects to your current situation.

Not only is this a good practice for mindfulness, it also helps you stay connected to the world around you.

Conclusion

No matter how busy you may think you are, you can still find out when is the best time to meditate during the day.

Although there are certain times of the day where meditation has proven to be more effective, your meditation practice should be tailored to fit you.

Build your meditation schedule based on the factors listed above and when all else fails, try meditating even while you’re active.

Remember that there is always time for meditation only if you decide to do it despite your busy schedule.