Here’s how many of our days start: The alarm blares, you roll over, and you immediately check the news, social media, or your email (or perhaps all three). By the time you roll out of bed, you’re in a state of alert and stress, rather than tranquility and ease. If you’re looking for a calmer start, a morning meditation may be a more powerful start to your day.

“Making the time to meditate daily actually makes space for more time in our lives because it is a practice of being aware and present,” says Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts, a Peloton meditation and yoga instructor. “I am absolutely more mindful of my time and time management when I integrate meditation daily.” 

While meditation is beneficial at any time of day, a morning meditation may be particularly impactful for beginning your day with clarity, focus, and intention. Keep reading to explore the benefits of morning meditation, how to get started, and how to make the practice a habit. 

Benefits of Morning Meditation

Here are some of the biggest benefits of meditation in the morning.

It Provides a Fresh Start

Morning meditation can center you and help you shake off anything that happened yesterday that you’re carrying into today. “I love meditating in the morning because I feel like I am waking up to a fresh and new slate,” Dr. Chelsea says. “It’s my chance to meet the day and try again.”

She likens meditation to a “work in,” meaning that it builds your mental and emotional muscles. “Sometimes a ‘work in’ is just as important as a ‘workout,’” she says.

It Improves Your Mood

There’s solid research behind the power of meditation, and specifically, meditation in the morning.

In general, meditation has been shown to improve wellbeing, boost life satisfaction and quality of life, and decrease burnout, according to a 2021 meta-analysis published in the Journal of Affective Disorders. And a recent study involving healthcare workers in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that morning meditation was significantly associated with a positive mood.

It Makes It Easier to Establish a Meditation Habit

Meditation in the morning may be especially impactful because the timing makes it easier to stick with, according to a study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. The research found that those who were creating a new meditation habit using an app were more likely to do it regularly and less likely to give it up entirely if practiced in the morning compared to late at night. The study points out that for many people—especially those who see themselves as early birds—the circadian rhythm is primed for establishing new habits after waking up. This is when levels of cortisol (a hormone produced by your adrenal glands) are at their highest, which has been found to have a role in habit formation. 

It Hones Your Attention and Focus

The cognitive boost you get from meditation can be especially useful when you’re just starting your day. You need the brainpower and resilience to get through everything on your to-do list, and meditation may help you get there. A 2021 Mindfulness meta-analysis suggests that meditation improves attention, executive control, inhibition, and performance on accuracy-based tasks.

How to Meditate In the Morning

There are plenty of types of meditation you can practice in the AM, including guided meditations designed specifically for the morning. Here are a few types you can try weaving into your routine:

Tips for Meditating In the Morning

Establishing a morning meditation offers powerful benefits, but it’s easy to adopt the habit. All you really need is a space to meditate, a willingness to try it, and a few minutes in your morning routine. 

Here are some pro tips for getting started with morning meditation:

How Long Should Your Morning Meditation Be?

Meditations can be as long or as short as you’d like, and that’s no different when you meditate in the morning. However, if you’re new to meditation or this is the first time you’re slotting it into your morning routine, planning a long meditation can be counterproductive. Rather, start in shorter increments, Dr. Chelsea suggests. “Try a 5-minute meditation daily for a week and then increase your time,” she advises.

How to Make Morning Meditation a Habit

Starting a meditation habit can be challenging at first, and if you wake up with a busy day ahead, you might feel the urge to say you’ll do it later or skip it altogether. But meditation is best when practiced with consistency (though any time you can dedicate to it is beneficial). 

Here are a few of Dr. Chelsea’s tips on how to make morning meditation happen:

The Takeaway

Meditation can benefit you no matter what time of day you practice. However, morning meditation offers a chance to reset from the day before, prepare for the day ahead, and hone your focus to tackle tasks from a more centered POV. What’s more, you may find that it’s easier to establish a consistent meditation practice if you do it in the morning before your day gets started.