A question that some beginner meditators have is, if I have a choice, what time of day should I meditate?
A traditional teaching is that the best times of day to engage in formal, still meditative practice is first thing in the morning, upon waking up from sleep and before the day gets going. This is the most common time for people throughout different geographies and eras to meditate, because there are many benefits to doing so. Things are often more fresh, alert, clear, and energized in the morning, and we often feel more open and less resistant. We have not yet gotten ourselves buried in responsibilities, and the engines of our analytical minds usually haven’t fully revved up yet. All of this can aid our meditation.
Meditating first thing in the morning sets the entire day up for a mindful and aware context, traveling through it with less friction. It also helps us to makes sure that our meditation actually gets done, and is not postponed and bumped off of the to-do list as day gets more hectic.
The second most common time of day for people to meditate is last thing at night before sleeping, as the challenges of another day on Earth wind down and slip away. Meditating at this time is great to let go of the burdens that we have accumulated during the day, and to create a sense of mindful tranquility so that sleep will be deeper and more restful.
The third most common time for Westerners to meditate is before dinner, as a means of releasing the entanglements of the work day and transitioning into the more internal and personal time of the evening. Many people also take breaks during the middle of the day, during lunch time or for a class like the ones that we offer every weekday at PG&E, to refresh themselves for their afternoon. And some people take time to meditate first thing when they get to their work desk, or on commute vehicles while coming and going from work.
It can be helpful to set a regular, standard, consistent, and familiar daily time for formal meditation practice and stick with it. If we sit meditation at the same time each day, it starts to become a part of our body’s rhythms, something we can slip into comparatively easily and without thinking about it. This is similar to how we might shower before work or brush our teeth after dinner as a matter of habit.
We also however want to be flexible and adaptive, and get meditation in whenever we are able. This is especially true for, for example, parents of young children, people who naturally have difficulty keeping routines, and people who work in emergency response. Whatever time of day we do it in, in the end, as always, the best meditation session is the one that we actually did.