Many of the world's top leaders and visionaries, including CEOs, entrepreneurs, and innovators, incorporate meditation into their morning routines. Why? Because meditation has been linked to numerous critical cognitive benefits for high-level decision-makers. From improving memory and learning to sharpening decision-making skills, morning meditation sets the stage for a day of productivity and success. Dedicating just a few minutes each morning to stillness can elevate your mental clarity, enhance your emotional resilience, and start the day with focused energy.

5 reasons why you should meditate in the morning

• Improved focus: Meditation sharpens your focus and enhances your ability to concentrate. Clearing your mind of distractions better equips you to prioritize tasks and manage your time efficiently.
• Natural mood boost: Meditation has been shown to increase the production of serotonin, the "feel-good" hormone. This neurochemical boost can make you more patient, compassionate, and empathetic in your interactions with others.
• Enhanced creativity: By quieting the mind and entering a state of relaxed awareness, you open yourself up to new ideas and insights. Whether you're brainstorming at work or tackling a personal project, this boost in creativity can lead to more innovative and inspired outcomes.
• Improved emotional regulation: Meditation helps you develop greater emotional intelligence by increasing your awareness of your thoughts and feelings. This makes it easier to handle stressful situations and challenges.
• Stronger mind-body connection: Meditation enhances your mind-body connection by bringing awareness to your physical sensations and breathing patterns. This practice improves both your mental and physical health.

Meditations to start your day 

Awareness Into Action w/ Erin G.

Awareness Into Action w/ Erin G. was designed as a guided inquiry in order to be aware of thoughts, feelings, and needs. In addition, this meditation is used to create clarity for things you may feel unsure or overwhelmed about in your life.

Begin by ensuring you have a comfortable position in a quiet area. Slowly inhale and exhale. Imagine an iceberg, as if you are beginning a journey at the very top of this iceberg, and picture a stream of thoughts flowing through you. 

Pick a difficult thought in your mind and picture yourself sliding down the iceberg as you start to understand your feelings regarding this thought. Try to understand where these feelings come from, and don’t push the feelings away. This is an essential step in continuing your thought journey. 

After understanding where your thoughts and feelings are coming from, it’s time to take action. Choose some simple steps you will take to increase feelings of comfort and decrease feelings of anxiety or stress throughout your day. 

Maybe this is deciding to spend more time with self-care, or maybe you need to talk with someone who hurt you. Whatever it may be, end the exercise with the motivation to make some changes. Be aware that these changes can take time, so be patient with yourself.   

Mental Clearing w/ Ally M.

Mental Clearing w/ Ally M. was created to focus on your breathing as you engage in several sets of breaths. 

Start in a quiet and peaceful location. Choose whether to sit or stand. Close your eyes and begin this routine. 

As you engage in this breathing technique, picture yourself breathing in through your right nostril, hold your breath, and picture the breath going out through the left nostril. Now switch—inhale through the left nostril and exhale through the right. 

Continue this routine while paying attention to the breath and relaxing your body. Refocus yourself when you find your mind wandering to other things. As you end, you should inhale through both nostrils and exhale through both nostrils for several rounds before finishing out the activity.   

Here w/ Erin G

Here w/ Erin G. was designed to help us let go of past and future anxiety and stress and focus on the moment right here and all that you’re grateful for in life. 

Go to a quiet area, and find your preferred position. Choose to close your eyes if desired. As you close your eyes, can you hear or think more clearly? Are you more aware of your surroundings? 

Take a super deep breath into your stomach, followed by a large exhale. Continue this process as you let go of all thoughts or feelings that occurred before this exercise began. 

As you focus on these breaths, accept and love who you are as a person and pay attention to your emotions in this exact moment. To finish the workout, take in a final set of breaths, relax your body, and open your eyes.  

Pocket Gratitude w/ Manoj D

Pocket Gratitude w/ Manoj D was designed to practice the art of gratitude. Begin by sitting upright comfortably and immediately focus on your breath.

Think about a person in your life you are grateful for and pay attention to why you are grateful for them. Continue to sit in this silence, taking your breaths and considering how this makes you feel. Next, focus on something you are grateful for that improves your life in a positive way. 

Next, think about something you enjoy about yourself, whether it’s a physical or character trait or another area. 

As you complete these exercises, be aware of the many things you are grateful for and how these things positively impact your life. 

Conclusion

The benefits of meditation are maximized with consistent practice—by establishing a daily ritual, you’ll begin to build a toolkit to navigate a breadth of challenges. Try to begin each day with meditation to set the tone and intention for the day from a grounded place, prepared to be in the present moment no matter what the day brings.