Nowadays, being stressed out is a way of life. People constantly feel pressured about money, family, relationships, jobs, schools and who knows what else. What’s more, most people accept this stress as an unavoidable part of life. Because of this, and the current fast pace of life, you see people who are unhappy, judgmental, unkind, and most importantly – you see people who do not have peace of mind. Luckily, all of that can change. Peace of mind can be achieved with a simple morning meditation.
If you meditate in the morning, right before your day starts, you will be able to achieve calmness and change your perspective. By the same token, you will start feeling more positive about yourself, others, and your day to come.
The Benefits of Meditating in the Morning
According to a recent study, 80% of people today start checking their social media as soon as they open their eyes. And, in many cases, this action clouds our minds.
Also, mornings are when most things tend to get out of control – temperamental children, missed calls, emergency emails, spilled coffee, etc. And, when all these things happen right at the beginning of the day, it is not a surprise why people spend the rest of the day in a bad mood.
Yes, most of these things are unavoidable. However, if you dedicate half an hour to yourself and start meditating as soon as you wake up, you will gradually exercise your mind.
After some time of doing this, you will be able to control your reactions, that is, you will be able to control how you react to various situations that happen during the day.
By meditating in the morning and training your mind, all your typical daily tasks, or even those not so typical, will be made easy. So, yes, household relocation made simple, or job transfer made simple – both can be achieved if you prepare yourself properly in the morning.
Make Morning Meditation Part of Your Routine
Now that you know all the benefits of morning meditation, it is time to try to incorporate it into your morning routine. But we all know how difficult creating new habits can be. Moreover, we all know how difficult committing to those habits is as well.
However, once you realize that meditation is one of many activities that help overcome stress and anxiety, and simply make people feel better, it will not be that hard incorporating it into your routine.
Thus, what you can do to help yourself stick to this new routine is a regular practice. Start small. Ten or fifteen minutes a day. Make sure that it is always at the same time and place.
Choose a room in your home which is quiet. If there is a lot of background noise, you will not be able to concentrate on your meditation, especially if you are a beginner.
Try to find a quiet and comfortable place in your home and do your morning meditation there, every day, at the same time.
What Should You Wear?
As previously mentioned, you should start doing your meditation in your home first. This is important, especially for beginners, as our homes are generally more comfortable, quiet and are an environment that is easier to control.
Later on, when you get enough practice, you can start meditating just anywhere – in your yard, in the park, on the beach, etc.
Thus, it is not important what you should wear. You are alone, in the comfort of your home, so wear anything that makes you feel cozy or at ease.
You can wear your pyjamas, gym clothes, or nothing at all. Just make sure to stay away from tight-fitting clothes and shoes, as relaxing in those is not going to be that easy.
Sitting Position
We strongly advise you to forget about those stereotypical meditation sitting positions. Yes, we are talking about a person sitting cross-legged on the floor with palms placed on the knees. There is no need to use this sitting position when meditating.
You can, in fact, sit in any possible position, as long as you are comfortable. You can sit on the mat, on the floor, or a cushion, or even on your bed.
For beginners starting their morning meditation routine, it would be a good idea to sit on a chair. This will help you with getting adjusted to the correct posture.
So, sit in a comfortable chair, lean back, but make sure that your back is straight and that your neck is relaxed, and then, rest your hands on your lap.
After some practice, the position shown in this picture will become natural.
How Long Should You Meditate For?
The duration of your meditation depends on many things. Of course, it depends on the free time you have available and your preferences. Every person is different, and thus, every meditation will be different.
Assuming you are a beginner, you should try different time periods and see which one works for you. When starting out, you might feel uncomfortable, so do not force yourself to sit in one position for half an hour just because you heard that a 30-minute meditation works best.
No, try it for 5 minutes for the first couple of days. Then, after some time, prolong your meditation to 10 minutes. That is the best way to train your mind.
Stay Motivated
When deciding to meditate, the most important thing is to stay motivated. Some days, it is going to be really hard to sit in silence and think about nothing.
When those days happen, think about why you started meditating in the first place. That is always a good motivation.
As previously mentioned, the reasons why people decide to meditate in the morning are individual – some people want to get rid of stress, some want to prepare for a more positive day ahead, some just want to be calmer and happier and some need help with dealing with common mental disorders.
Think about those reasons, and be clear about them. You will see that after some time, you will start looking forward to your morning meditation and you will not even have to think about how to get motivated.
