Let me ask you a question, first. What do you hope to get out of your meditations? I ask, because in answering this question, first, you may then taper 'when to perform meditation' to what you want to get out of it.
The 'experts' and science people tell us that that best time to perform meditation is first thing in the morning, then followed by when you are stressed out, during your lunch break, and after work or at the end of your day. We are told it's not a good idea to meditate right before bed, or sleep time, but I'll address that at the end of this post.
As I am not an expert, in my own opinion, yet have roughly 22 years experience performing meditation daily, I'll add my comments below this picture. The wording in this picture is important though, and my comments about it are listed below.
I agree that the best time, or when to perform meditation for the most bang for your buck, so to speak, is first thing in the morning. The experts and I agree! Let's look at the verbiage of the picture, above. Do you see the difference in the two comments? The 'Spirit' comment is in alignment with meditation first thing in the morning. Why? Because when you relax and meditate, find your peace within, first thing in the morning, everything else falls into place. It's a subtle but important point. If you don't understand this or 'get it,' ponder on it a bit further, and you will. If not, call me and we can discuss it! (I'm a bit of a talker, so watch out!)
Now, with that said, just because you meditated first thing in the morning doesn't mean you are (always) going to have a great day. Far from it. After all my years of mediation, I've had plenty of days where I've had great morning meditations, then have had a horrible day! But, here's the thing: My morning meditation set me up to deal with the horrible day better than if I had not meditated. Believe me, I've tried it both ways. Meditation in the morning vs. no meditation in the morning. Meditation ALWAYS sets me up for a positive, productive day, even if there are a few road-bumps along the way. But as always, try it for yourself, and then see how it affects you!
As to the second recommendation by the experts in regards to when to perform meditation, they mention meditating before, during, or after moments or situations of stress, when you are pressed for time, overwhelmed, etc. I completely agree with this, and personally rank this as the number one time to perform meditation.
If you KNOW you have a stressful situation coming up, meditate first. If you have an unexpected stressful event arise, take deep breaths and relax during the encounter, and then meditate afterwards. With that said, you may ask the question, "how am I supposed to meditate during or after an event? I don't have that much time!" Well, this goes to the conversations about what 'meditation' is. I label sitting down, taking some deep breaths, relaxing, and clearing my mind, meditation. (I don't consider contemplating on the problem, or the stressful situation, meditation.) That's what EFT Tapping is for, and I will get to writing about that and how it ties in with meditation, at another time.
So yes, perform 'mini-meditations' throughout the day, when you can. Stressful situations or not. There doesn't always have to be some 'crisis' for you to remember to perform meditation. Do it just for the hell of it! Or, do it when you feel great as well, not just when you are stressing.
Meditating on your lunch break is great as well, unless you don't have much time. Personally, and I really don't know how to explain this, but what you can do is perform 'eating meditation', or label it something else, and do this: Eat your food very slowly and with purpose, without a thought in your head. Truly enjoy it and relax. Don't think about each bite. Just eat, slowly, and experience the flavor of what it is you are eating. Breathe. Smile. Relax! That's meditation to me! (Just don't think.)
And, last but not least, you may certainly meditate after work or at the end of your day. (Just remember to clear out all the junk from the day, first, with EFT Tapping.) For me, and in regards to this post, meditation is not a 'pondering,' or a contemplation of the days events. Good or bad. It's a process of not-doing. Of being aware but not thinking. Yes, yes, there are styles of meditation where they ponder and contemplate and watch their thoughts and etc., etc., but it's not what I'm referring to in this post. Okay? Call me, or schedule a session, and I will explain all of this to you in person. So, back to point. Yes, at the end of your day is a great time to chill and clear your mind for some awareness training, aka meditation.
Now, back to one of the comments above in regards to not performing mediation close to bedtime. 'They' say you should not meditate within an hour of sleep time, or going to bed. 'They' say that meditation and sleeping are not the same, and meditation (awareness training and a pick-me-up) should not lead into relaxing sleep. I agree that they are not the same, nor do either of them produce the same brain wave patterns, but if prior to sleep is the only time to meditate, do it!
So, to wrap this up and answer the question, "When should I meditate?" my answer is, whenever you want to! And, hopefully, you 'want to,' often! If not, you need to ponder and think upon your meditations and get this process into your daily routine.
One more topic to cover on this is in regards to your 'wants' and 'needs.' They are often not the same. You may not 'want' to meditate, but you certainly may 'need' to. See what I mean? Often time we don't feel like meditating, just like we don't feel like getting up and going to the gym for a workout. But, we NEED to do this for the health benefits and many other reasons.
So, please keep this in mind. You should certainly want and need to meditate, but also know that there are times you won't 'want' to meditate. But, do it anyway! Got it? Good!
Okay, that's enough for now. I'm sure I will clean this post up in the future, but I'm out of 'writing time' at the moment. Yard work to do, and then meditation!
Until next time,
Kristopher Kelley
warrior.of.lite@gmail.com
(928) 273-8666
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