5 Mindful Ways to Wake Up: Easy Morning Meditation

Morning meditation is scheduling time for meditation in your daily routine. This daily practice may help to increase your productivity, improve your resilience to stress, and positively impact your health and well-being. There are many ways to do this. Let’s explore various morning meditation techniques to find a method that works for you.

What are the benefits of morning meditation?

Practicing morning meditation can provide a wide range of mental and physical benefits, including:

Improved focus, concentration, and productivity

Meditating in the morning can lead to higher rates of focus and productivity throughout the day. An improvement in attention and cognitive function has been associated with the practice of mindfulness meditation. By cultivating a clear and focused mindset in the morning, you set the stage for a more productive day.

Better sleep quality

It has been discovered that a 20-minute morning meditation practice greatly improves the quality of sleep for those who experience insomnia. People who use it may find it easier to fall asleep, wake up feeling more rested, and have fewer nighttime disruptions. A morning meditation routine has benefits that carry over into your day and your nighttime routine.

Physical health benefits

As well as mental health benefits, morning meditation can also benefit our physical health. Meditation practice is associated with improving the symptoms of physical health conditions, including diabetes and fibromyalgia. By developing a morning meditation practice, you can positively support your overall health and well-being.

Tips to prepare for morning meditation

Integrating new and lasting habits into our daily lives can be difficult. Here are some suggestions to help integrate morning meditation into your daily routine:

1. Set an early alarm. Setting your alarm just 15–20 minutes earlier will allow you to fit in your morning meditation without affecting the rest of your morning routine.
2. Avoid checking your phone. To avoid a distracted mind, it’s best not to check your emails or social media before your meditation. If possible, keep your phone on do-not-disturb or airplane mode overnight and until you have finished your morning meditation.
3. Make yourself comfortable. Although meditation is traditionally performed seated cross-legged or in the yogic lotus posture, it is not necessary to take this position if it is not comfortable for you. You may want to sit on a cushion, a blanket, a yoga mat, or even a comfortable chair.

5 easy morning meditation techniques

Morning meditation is a personal practice and there is no wrong or right way to do it. However, it is helpful to explore some of the tried and tested meditation techniques to find a meditation style that suits you, your routine, and your lifestyle.

Below are five different styles of morning meditation to begin your daily practice.

1. Mindfulness meditation

Mindfulness meditation involves developing awareness of the present moment as it is, without judgment. It usually consists of focusing on the sensations of the breath and allowing thoughts to naturally come and go.

Practice: Sitting comfortably with your eyes closed, notice any sounds around you or sensations on your skin. Bring your attention to your breath. As you inhale, notice the sensation of the air on the back of your throat and the movement of your chest. As you exhale, notice the warmth on your upper lip. Each time a thought arises, acknowledge the thought and let it go. This practice of non-attachment will develop over time.

2. Gratitude meditation

A gratitude meditation practice encourages you to focus on the things that you feel most grateful for in your life and focus on that feeling. By focusing on what we are most grateful for, we can learn to see the good in others and the world, helping us to have a positive outlook on life.

Practice: Sit in a comfortable position, with your eyes closed, and bring to mind someone or something that you feel grateful to have in your life right now. As you hold onto this thought and visualization, notice the sensations in your body. Notice where you may feel warmth and a softening. Allow this feeling to spread throughout your body. Hold on to this sensation for the desired time of your meditation.

3. Mantra meditation

A mantra meditation consists of the repetition of a word or phrase either out loud or internally. This meditation technique is used in various spiritual disciplines, sometimes using the names of deities. On the physical level, it can help to provide a point of focus.

Practice: Choose a mantra word or phrase that feels appropriate for you. A simple example of this is repeating the word ‘love’, or the sacred sound of ‘om’. While seated in stillness, repeat your mantra for the duration of your meditation.

4. Guided meditation

A guided morning meditation can be a great choice if you struggle to focus or to experience a meditative state. There are a wide variety of guided meditations on YouTube or on apps, many of which are available for free. You can also choose a theme and length of time, for example, "10-minute meditation on self-love."

Practice: In your comfortable seated position, use headphones to listen to the guided meditation. If your mind begins to wander, it can be helpful to listen to the sounds of the words rather than focus on following the prompts directly. This will help you shift into a meditative state.

5. Body scan meditation

Extended periods of tension and worry may cause us to feel less emotionally connected to our physical selves. We can re-establish our connection by using a body scan meditation, which helps us exit our minds and enter a more grounded state.

Practice: While seated with your eyes closed, first bring your attention to your feet and the sensations of your feet on the ground. Taking your time, begin to move your focus up to your ankles, to your calves and knees, becoming aware of the sensations throughout your body. You may also find yourself visualizing your muscles and bones as you travel through your body scan. It is normal to feel warmth, or a low vibrating sensation as you focus on specific areas.

The numerous advantages of morning meditation show that it is a holistic strategy for improving your physical and mental well-being in addition to being a mental and emotional wellness practice. You can reap the many benefits of morning meditation for a more contented, healthy, and productive life by incorporating it into your daily schedule.