The hour of meditation question and answer index

Is there a certain hour in the morning that is most conducive to meditation?

The very best time to meditate is between three and four o'clock in the morning. This is the Brahma Muhurta, the Hour of God. No matter what your standard is, even if you are a complete beginner, you will encounter very little resistance if you meditate at this time.

The Westerner who goes to bed at twelve o'clock or one o'clock cannot expect to be able to meditate at three or four o'clock. If you want to meditate at four o'clock, you should go to bed by nine or ten the previous evening. For someone who has just entered into the spiritual life, seven or eight hours of sleep is essential. If you start sleeping only three or four hours just so that you can get up at four o'clock, it will tell upon your health. Spiritually you will derive no benefit, because you will not be able to meditate properly when you are exhausted, and the body will stand as an obstacle to your inner progress. After you make some progress in the spiritual life, then gradually you can reduce your hours of sleep. When your physical consciousness starts receiving light from above, its need for sleep diminishes.

For most people in the West, the best time to meditate is as soon as possible after you get up, before you start your daily activities. If possible you should try to meditate before seven o'clock. Before the outer world attacks you or demands anything from you, you should enter into the inner world with the idea of nourishing yourself. In this way, you are performing your inner duty before you become involved in outer activities. If you put God first in your life, then everything else will gain a more spiritual perspective. If you can please the dearest in you, who is God, before you enter into your earthly activities, then naturally you are doing the right thing.