The best time to meditate is actually whenever we sit down and meditate! That said, we often hear that people find certain times of the day easier to meditate. It can be useful to experiment and see what times work best for you – especially if you are in the process of developing a regular meditation practice.

Many people say that they find it easiest to meditate first thing in the morning, immediately after waking. This can be a really good time, as the waking mind is fresh and hasn’t been drawn into the activities of the day. You may find that the mind is less noisy and feel a natural sense of calm.

Others prefer to meditate just before bed, incorporating their meditation into a conscious winding down routine. If you live in a cold climate, it can be helpful to have a warm shower before meditation. This helps to warm up the body, which is important if we are sitting for prolonged periods of time. It also cleanses energies, washing away stagnant energies that we may have collected throughout the day.

In the Hindu tradition the most auspicious time to meditate is during ‘Brahmamuhurta‘. A ‘muhurta’ is a time period of 48 minutes, and Brahmamuhurta is constituted of two muhurtas before sunrise. For example, if sunrise is at 7am then Brahmamuhurta starts at 5.24am. This period is commonly the stillest period of the night.

We recommend that you experiment with different times and see what suits you best. If you live in a household that is busy and noisy first thing in the morning, then it might be more practical to schedule your meditation practice for the afternoon or evening.

The real key is regular meditation– try to find a time or times that you can practice daily.