Morning meditation is a fantastic way to start your day. Meditation not only reduces stress but boosts your mood, giving you clarity of mind as you begin your day.

You’re not going to see results straight away, but if you incorporate morning meditation as part of a morning routine, you’ll begin to see incremental changes over time.

 

What is Morning Meditation

Morning meditation is any form of meditation or mindfulness exercise you do to start your day. There is no right or wrong way to do a morning meditation, but the core idea is that you spend time in silence. 

In this article, we’ll share several morning meditation exercises to help you get started.

Why Morning Meditation is Important

Just as we use meditation in the evening to calm the mind after a busy day, morning meditation can bring a sense of peacefulness to carry you into the day.

Think of morning meditation to clear the mind for positive thoughts and energy to take over. 

How to do Morning Meditation

Morning meditation is about finding a routine and making it as much of a habit as your morning coffee or breakfast.

To get started, find a quiet place in your home where you won’t be disturbed. For some people, this might be easier said than done!

For this reason, you might want to wake up at least 30 minutes earlier than usual to ensure you get your “me time.”

We recommend allocating at least a 5 minute morning meditation with 30 minutes to an hour to get optimal results.

In addition to meditation, you might also want to include an affirmation, journaling, yoga, and even reading something empowering. Our 30 Days of Mindfulness Package has everything you need to start a morning meditation routine.

Morning Meditation Exercises

Here are some morning meditation exercises to consider. We have included guided morning meditations and practices you can do on your own.

Guided meditation is an excellent place to start. But the goal should be to find a practice that you can do on your own. This way, you eliminate the necessity for devices and other distractions to just focus on being present.

Guided Morning Meditation

Suppose you’re just getting started or prefer some guidance. In that case, a guided morning meditation can be highly effective to start your day.

If you do choose a guided meditation, try to listen on a set of headphones. Headphones don’t only block out your surrounding environment but also enable you to lock in, focus on the instructions and be present.

Here is a 10-minute guided meditation to start your day.

5 Minute Morning Meditation

If you don’t have a lot of time, then a quick 5 minute morning meditation is certainly better than none!

For beginners, 5 minutes is a fantastic place to begin. When you first start meditating, the first thing you’ll become aware of is just how long 5 minutes can appear.

Embrace the practice knowing that you don’t have to be anywhere else in the world but right here. Present with yourself and your breath. 

Here is a 5-minute morning meditation we recommend.

Morning Breathing Meditation

Once you feel you’re ready to ditch the apps and guided morning meditations, it’s time to progress to a simple breathing meditation.

Unlike guided meditation, you won’t have someone telling you when to stop. For this reason, it’s best to have an alarm set for your morning meditation.

Find a comfortable, peaceful place to sit.

1. Set your alarm for the amount of time you want to meditate.
2. Close your eyes and bring your awareness to the breath.
3. Follow your breath in and out. 
4. If at any point you get distracted, just gently bring your focus back to your breathing.

For some people, this simple breathing exercise is a challenge. Your mind wants to continually wonder.

If you are battling to stay focused on the breath, try counting one on the inhale and two on the exhale. This simple technique will help to focus on the breath better. As you progress, try to focus on your breath without having to count.

This simple breathing technique is also a great morning meditation for kids where you act as their guide. Before the meditation, you might ask your kids what they are grateful for so that they have something positive to focus on while meditating.

Morning Body Scan Meditation

A continuation of the breathing meditation is a morning body scan meditation.

Find a comfortable, peaceful place to sit.

1. Set your alarm for the amount of time you want to meditate.
2. Close your eyes and bring your awareness to the breath.
3. Once you feel a sense of calm, you can begin your body scan.
4. Start at the top of the head and scan slowly down to your feet.
5. As you scan, notice every inch of your body feels. Whatever sensation you feel, briefly acknowledge it, and slowly move on.
6. The idea is to become aware of your body and be present.

A body scan meditation is a little more challenging but incredibly beneficial for mental focus and awareness.

Morning Meditation for Anxiety

Poor sleep, a busy schedule or life, in general, can cause morning anxiety. Anxiety is often caused by things that have not happened yet – an important meeting, an exam, just getting to work on time!

If you feel stressed or anxious, a morning mindfulness meditation is a fantastic way to calm the mind.

Start with a simple breathing meditation as described above. As negative thoughts and emotions come to mind, notice them, label them, and let them go.

For example, if you are anxious about a meeting, as it comes to mind, notice how that makes you feel. Stressed. And then gently bring your mind back to the breath until the next thought comes to mind.

The same thought may reappear several times; each time, label it, let it go and return to the breath.

The more you practice this sort of mindful meditation, you’ll notice the time between distracting thoughts becomes less. You become more mindful of that which you cannot change.

To get the best results, you might want to include a morning affirmation to steer the mind towards a more positive mindset.

Morning Meditation Gratitude

Suppose you’re lucky enough to wake up in a positive mindset. In that case, a morning meditation for gratitude will help build on that positive energy.

Here is a 10-minute morning meditation gratitude practice.

Morning Affirmations

A morning affirmation can be an effective tool to build confidence and motivate you to start the day. 

You can combine your morning affirmation with your meditation or do one and then the other. We recommend starting with mediation to bring a sense of clarity and then move on to your affirmation to take you into the day.

Our Mindfulness Starter Pack contains self-reflection questions that help with journaling and setting a daily intention.

What is an affirmation?

An affirmation is a positive phrase or statement, usually tied to a goal or emotional state you want to manifest.

Affirmations also help counteract negative thoughts and emotions by focusing on the positive. For example, suppose you are nervous about a speaking engagement. In that case, your affirmation might be, “I am a confident and articulate public speaker.”

How to do a Morning Affirmation

The most effective way to do a morning affirmation is to incorporate it into your morning meditation.

Once you have finished your meditation, set another alarm, 1 to 2 minutes is fine.

Set your intention for the day. A simple yet effective morning affirmation might be: today, I focus on what makes me feel good.

• Close your eyes and focus on your breath.
• Breath in and out naturally, and after each exhalation, repeat your affirmation out loud. If you’re not able to make a noise, either whisper the affirmation or repeat the words in your head.

That’s all there is to it!

Morning Journaling

We highly recommend adding a morning journal to your morning routine. Your morning journal could be something as simple as things you’re grateful for or ways to achieve your intention for the day.

Here are three ideas to add to your morning journal:

1. What 3 things you’re grateful for?
2. What is your intention for the day?
3. How are you going to achieve your goals for the day?

Writing these down enables you to reflect on what’s essential for the day. Remembering will help you stay on track for what you want to achieve and, most importantly, what you want to avoid! 

Our mindfulness pack comes with a guided journal to take the guesswork out of what to write.

Conclusion

The key to a successful morning meditation is to be consistent. Consistency will be your biggest challenge when starting with any form of mindfulness practice.

That’s why we created the 30 Days of Mindfulness. To help you develop a routine that becomes your morning habit.

Consider your morning routine as a holistic exercise with journaling, meditation and even an affirmation. This will likely be your only ‘me time’ for the day, so make the best of the opportunity for self-improvement!

FAQs

Can I sleep after morning meditation?

The purpose of morning meditation is to get you into a mindset to start your day. By going back to sleep, you’re undoing the benefits of meditating. It’s best to start your day once you have finished your morning meditation.

What is a good morning meditation drink?

If you need to drink before your morning meditation, it’s best to have water or herbal tea. You do not want to consume stimulants like coffee or energy drinks before meditation.

When should I meditate in the morning?

It’s best to meditate straight after you wake up before you shower, eat breakfast or begin any other tasks. You might want to splash some cold water on your face before you start so you’re awake and alert.