The Best Time To Meditate And Support Your Busy Life

I know that we all have full schedules. Adding something else into an already full day isn’t easy to do, but what if what you add in actually makes your day better? Meditation can do just that and the best time to meditate is anytime that works for your schedule. It doesn’t have to be complicated or take up a lot of time in order for you to reap the benefits of meditation.

The more I explore meditation, the more I appreciate it.

Lately, I’ve been working a bit more with meditation.  I use it in my classes and I use it with my private clients. I’ve found that even the people who say that they can’t meditate can usually sit quietly for a minute or two. That may not sound like a lot, but for someone who doesn’t ever sit quietly, it’s huge.

A couple of minutes to focus on breath can be enough to shift perspective, quiet an overactive mind or even allow awareness to come forward.

It doesn’t matter what type of meditation that you practice.

Articles about the benefits and types of meditation are everywhere. You might read one about following the breath, and the next one talks about a walking meditation.  Maybe a third one talks about guided meditations. 

There are many different types of meditation and they all have their merits,  but the most effective type is the one that you will actually practice. So, just pick a form of meditation that sounds interesting to you and give it a try. If it doesn’t seem like a good fit to you, then try a different one.

The best time to meditate is the time that works for you.

With all of the information about meditation out there, it’s easy to say we’re going to meditate, but setting up that practice doesn’t always go smoothly.  We often start with the best of intentions but then quickly fall out of the practice. Why is that? Usually it’s because we’ve tried to follow what someone else has suggested instead of what actually works best for us.

Did you know that you can begin to notice the benefits of meditation with a single breath?  Sounds too good to be true.  Right?

The thing is that a shorter meditation can be more helpful simply because it’s easier to fit into a busy schedule. Because I’ve found time in my busy days, I’m positive that you too can find 1-2 minutes in your day to simply sit and notice your breath.

The real trick is to find the time that works best for you. We all have different routines. We all thrive with different inputs into our days. So, what time will help you to thrive the most? Is it first thing in the morning, at lunch, before bed, or some other time of day? Again, the actual time that you meditate is less important than the fact that you carve out a few minutes for this selfcare.

It doesn’t have to take a lot of time to be helpful!

Many people will avoid meditation because they don’t feel that they have the time to sit for 20-30 minutes each and every day.  To me, that sounds like a lot of time to sit and it can be difficult for someone new to meditation.  It doesn’t have to be so structured or hard for it to work, so don’t make it that way.

The real benefits of meditation show up when we practice it with consistency.  It’s not so much about sitting quietly a couple times a week for 20-30 minutes.  Instead, you notice the most benefits when you begin to practice on a daily basis.  It’s more about being consistent than it is about the length of time practiced.  Thus, it’s better to meditate for two minutes every single day then it is to meditate for 30 minutes once a week.

My meditation practice shifts with me.

My meditation practice has shifted a lot over the years. There are times when I follow a guided meditation and others where I do a walking one. Often my practice is to simply sit and notice my breath. For a long time, I consistently meditated twice a day, but for the past couple of years my practice has been once a day.

I’ve allowed my meditation practice to shift with my needs. Some days I need more & some days I need less. There are times when I don’t want to do it but I do it anyway because I know how good it is for me. The best time to meditate for me right now is in the morning, but I know that might change and I’m okay with that as long as I fit it in daily.

It’s the consistency of a daily practice that shows results. I’m more centered and able to focus with those daily results and you can be too!

Pick a meditation and give it a try.

As I said there are many types of meditation.  You can just sit and watch your breath.  You can do a walking meditation.  (A labyrinth is great for walking meditations.)  You can repeat a word or phrase.  You can find a recording that you like and listen along to a guided meditation.  (I really love Insight Timer.  There are so many guided meditations on that app that I’ll never try them all.)

Just find a bit of time in your day where you can consistently meditate.  It doesn’t have to be in the morning as I do it.  The best time to meditate is the time when you can actually meditate. So, forget about what other people recommend. Pick a type of meditation and a time that you can fit into your schedule and just do it.

Try it for just a minute each day.  Notice how your mind, your emotions or your actions begin to change.  You can reap the benefits with very little time investment.  You might just find that you even want to expand that minute with practice and that’s okay too as long as it works for you.

Give it a try and let me know what your meditation looks like and how you’ve changed because of this practice.

Really not sure where to start? I’ve created a simple guided meditation. Click here to access it.

And remember, it’s never too late to live healthier & happier!

Becky is a Yoga Therapist & has been teaching yoga since 2006. She loves to match people with a yoga practice that helps them to feel better every day & believes that there is a yoga practice for everyone. Click here to sign up for her mailing list & get all of the important news & tips first!