Time Does Matter in a Daily Practice (More Than Size)

A practice of meditation, deep breathing, journaling, and yoga is ideally done first thing in the morning, upon rising, for several reasons. First of all, the earlier in the day, the less possibility there will be of distractions and interruptions interfering with your practice. You also get to enjoy the benefits and set the tone for your entire day when you begin your day with intention. But most importantly, the first moments upon waking are when your subconscious mind is most active and your conscious mind is still sleepy.

The subconscious mind is so important to tap into because it is one million times more powerful as an information processor than the conscious mind. According to Bruce Lipton, Ph.D., scientist, and author of Spontaneous Evolution, 95 to 99 percent of our cognitive activity comes from the subconscious mind, and less than 5 percent is influenced or controlled by the conscious mind. When you access your subconscious mind through the various activities of the practice, all kinds of ideas, insights, and remembrances are revealed to you.

I am often asked whether doing a practice first thing in the morning means having to get up earlier. Unless you have another thirty-minute activity you can skip in the morning, you will have to create the time for this one and get up earlier. Of course, I recommend you also go to bed thirty minutes earlier, which is another discipline we all need to practice, to get the seven to nine hours of sleep each night research has proven most of us require.

Of course, any time during the day is better than no time and if you cannot possibly get up any earlier for your daily practice, then by all means do it at lunchtime or even in the evening before you go to bed.