Got my meditation on last night!
At 12:34. Due to an inside joke dated circa Summer ’06, that moment will forever mean: “Dream-Killing Time.”
In this case the dream killed was that, you know, maybe I could meditate EARLIER than 12:15 on day 2!
It seems like every meditation-encouraging statement I read assumes meditation happens in the morning: Wake up half an hour earlier and meditate! Meditate first thing in the morning!
News Flash: my alarm goes off at 10:00. It’s unusual for me to leave the house by 11:00. The morning is just not a good time for me to be productive. And I am sure I’m not the only one committed to this challenge who is in that boat!
So, let me list for you some reasons for why night time meditation is not only A-OK, but super-awesome!
- Rather than lying down with a racing mind, you get to lie down with a quieted, focused, calm mind.
- Rather than feeling chill, relaxed, and amazing…only to have to face off with your massive To Do list, you get to just lay on down and close your eyes.
- Rather than berating yourself for not fitting meditation into yet another hectic and over-full morning, you can relax, knowing your meditation time is yet to come, and you can start honoring your breath to prep for it any old time.
- It’s a delicious buffer zone between zillion-miles-an-hour day, and zero-miles-per-hour sleepy time.
I think the big question though is, will nighttime meditation lead to slightly slower, calmer, more focused days? Do you have to meditate in the morning in order to get off on the right foot, and have a meditative kind of day?
I suppose it might help…but it’s only day 2, and I have faith that following the rhythms of my body isn’t going to steer me too wrong. I don't think it's going to do me any good to get too hung up on the details. If I'm sitting and focusing on my breath for twenty minutes, being patient, kind and forgiving of myself when my mind wanders, then I'm giving myself a Gold Star no matter what time it is!
If I accrue any additional evidence either supporting the night time meditation theory or opposing it, I'll be sure to pass it along.
~em