Morning Meditation: How to Meditate

Meditation is a wonderful way to start your day. And I love to meditate in the mornings when I wake up. But the word meditation, which has been associated with emptying the mind, can be a challenging thing for many. Include me in that list please. Yes, I too found it difficult when I started out.

The most common complaints heard are “It’s so hard to sit still for a long time”; “My thoughts are running here and there”; “I’m having a hard time not thinking of anything”; “I’d like to meditate but I don’t have the time!” And on and on and on…

Here is how I learned how to meditate. 

One day…

I decided to do it differently. Honestly, I got tired of the thought of meditation itself (crazy huh?) and the feelings of frustration when I couldn’t sit still and empty my mind for even ten to fifteen minutes only. I never knew my mind was working full time. It’s funny but when you start to meditate that is the one thing that I noticed first. How busy our minds actually are.

So here is the good news…what I did work for me! Will it work for you? Maybe. Maybe not. But there’s no harm in trying, right?

Obviously, you have to wake up. This part we can’t compromise. We are not talking about sleep meditation but conscious meditation. I want you to be wide awake and alive! Thankfully, I am a morning person so I do not have a hard time getting out of bed in the mornings. But you know if you sleep so late the night before (e.g. because of writing hubs for the hubchallenge, or studying or partying, it is hard to wake up early.) So make sure your alarms are turned on.

I woke up even before the alarm clock rang. It was five minutes before five thirty in the morning. I went in search for the spot where I could see the sun rise above the sky. The balcony proved to be the perfect place.

It was quiet in the neighborhood. I breathed in the crisp morning air and stretched my arms as high as I could. I breathed out and relaxed. So I stood there with my elbows propped in the balcony and just watched. The sky looked beautiful.

I just looked and gazed at life. I closed my eyes and listened. Suddenly the sounds of life came alive. Birds? I hear their tiny chirps. And suddenly a dog barked. And the rooster crowing.

I did not think. I did not stop myself from thinking. I just allowed myself to be. And it was the easiest thing to do.

And then when I opened my eyes, I smiled. For lo and behold, I could see the color of the sky in the horizon began to change. The sun had eased its way up and I could see the traces of orange beginning to emerge. It was a slow movement. There was no rush. I didn’t rush it. I chose to savor the serenity and peace of the moment. I watched the clouds, the trees, the neighboring houses and I thank God for a brand new day.

The color began to expand and expand until it brightened the day. It was time to go back to the room.

I found out that watching the sunrise calms and soothes my spirit. And to me that is a good way to meditate. So I invite you to discover that which calms you and do that regularly. A friend shared how petting her cats and feeding them calms her. Another one shared how her father would play the piano. Another one takes a walk in the garden or water the plants. A mother shares that watching her baby while she sleeps calms her.

Just be in that moment. Enjoy it. Relish in it. And you are actually meditating!

After that it became easier and easier to sit still. When I found that which calmed me, I could now relax, take deep breaths and start to let go of my thoughts. I’m learning more and more to surrender in the moment.

Meditation can be done early in the morning, in the evening or any time during the day. It is pausing for awhile and finding that peace within you. Gone are the feelings of frustrations. In its place is acceptance of what is. At other times, I couple meditation with prayer. I take the time to express all the things within me…my gratitude, appreciation or sharing my fears and doubts and anything and everything. And I also take the time to listen for it is during quiet times that I hear God speak the most.

I took all these photos on the morning of my birthday last May 5. This is the view from the balcony of our house.