When do you meditate?

[toasterwater]

I just started a 30 day trial on meditation. I had never even tried it before 2 days ago, but i think Im really gonna like it. But this is a question i have. When is the best time to meditate? I want to fit it into my morning routine, which includes exercise, and all of those morning activities required to prepare myself for the work day (ie cleaning up my room, showering, shaving, etc.). But i dont know if it would be more effective to meditate before, or after exercize, and additionally, Im not sure if meditation as an initial activity after waking up at 4am is such a good idea (what if i fall back to sleep?).

So if you meditate, when do you meditate, and why at that time? (not necessarily time of day, but in relation to other activities such as waking up, going to sleep, exercise, etc.)

[Ilya]

I meditate when it is safe to do so. If you are successful, you can go into an altered mind state, so it may not be good idea to meditate when you may be late somewhere, or when you are about to operate heavy machinery.
I wouldn't meditate in the morning. You are right, that there might be a danger of falling asleep again. Or your time perception may get distorted and you may be late. So if you do, set the alarm as a backup plan. You can meditate before excersise, or after or both. If you do it before, it may help to energize your body before the excersise. If you do it afterwards, it will help to wind down. Also note that in the beginning meditation can take quite some time.
With practice, all above will not be a problem, but in the beginning you may want to meditate in the evening.

[SamBeaven]

Morning and Evening, right after I wake up and right before I go to bed. I avoid falling asleep by sitting on the floor at the foot of my bed in my pajamas. In the winter at least, it's reasonably cold here, so I'm not comfortable enough to sleep (but comfy enough to meditate nonetheless).

This is normally before breakfast or even a shower, so I have plenty of time to go back into an normal mind state before work or whathaveyou.

[billthomas]

A book that I have on meditation called How to Meditate by John Novak (I bought it for its original title) says that the most powerful times to meditate is dawn, dusk, noon and midnight. Not sure why those times are special. Some other tips he gives: Pick a time and place to meditate and each day meditate at the same time and place. Meditate every day even if it's only for 5 or 10 minutes and even if you don't fell like doing it. Pick one day each week for an extended meditation, i.e. if your normal meditation practice is for 20 minutes a day, one day a week try for an hour of meditation.

I started a daily practice about 30 days ago and I have already experienced greater clarity of mind and have noticed much less mental "monkey chatter" as I go through my day. A friend who has been practicing meditation for 20 years taught me that you should enter meditation with no expectations, just quite your mind and follow your breath. I use a cd of guided meditations and that has helped me get started with a practice.

[youcould2]

I have been practicing meditation for over 20 years. This is part of my lifestyle as a Buddhist.

I do practice every day -- usually every morning upon waking and every evening before sleep. If my day permits, I will also meditate in the mid-day. I generally meditate in the same place in my home, unless I'm not at home. I will also, if the weather is agreeable, meditate outside. I'm fortunate to live in a place where the sounds of outside are almost always the sounds of nature, which in turn, make for a powerful meditation time.

My teacher taught me in a similar way as "billthomas" -- quiet the mind by letting those intrusive thoughts just flow through and to bring your mind back to the moment by focusing on the breath.

I also do have a small gong timer to let me know when it is time to return.

HTH ...

Shanti,

Ron